Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-01-16
TRACING A MURDERER.

TRACING A MURDERER.
A man was standing one day, with a
kind of unoccupied air, a few steps from
the Telegraph office on Second street, Sac
ramento What was remarkable about
him was that there was nothing remark
able about him at ALTO a casual eye.
he was man of very ordinary appear
ance, of ordinary size, of ordinary COM
plexion, with an ordinary face, and espe-
cially an ordinary eye. He stood with
his hands idly down into the pockets of a
long loose coat, as though they had
dropped there themselves, and he had not
taken the trouble to pull them out, and
he seemed to be neither thinking Of, car
ing about, nor looking at anything.
a boy-messenger came tripping out of
the telegraph office.
ssYou're Mr.. Black?"
MARYsvTL1E, June 2s, Is.
To Mr.. Wm. Black, Police Department, sacra-
An atrocious murder has just been dis
covered here. Il woman named Mrs.
Wolf is the victim. Her husband is sus-
pected and in custody, but no evidence
against him. Hasten to us, by the first
bat, while all is fresh.
L. MORTON,
Sheriff of Yuba County.
VIM. BLACK was Sacramento detective,
and at that time undoubtedly the most
sagacious in California. The boat was to
leave for Marysville in little over an hour.
4. Mr.. Black entered the telegraph Office,
and dispatched to the Sheriff of Yuba
County the words "All right!'
That evening man with a red shirt on
Us "a man Of very ordinary appearance
he landed In Marysville. He was miner, of
" course, if one may always judge by in
dications; but he had a very lazy look, as
if weighed down by a wOeful lack of
,s energy, ana person might have Won
dered if ever such man did pluck up
courage enough to climb the mountains
r That eame lazy-looking man, later in
the evening" was in secret conversation
with the Sheriff and several other Off
r. Gals.
cat what hour was the murder discov-
IS, cred Z" he asked
ssNine clock this mornirg-exactly."
'i In what way? ?"
-. sThenews came through the husband
He rushed excitedly into saloon, on the
N. edge OF town, saying that his wife was
dead, and some one had killed her
3rG They had lately come from the mines,
and were living in tent of their town a
IA quarters of mile ont Of town. We will
lie, conduct you to it By and by"
d. A physician made an examinations"
IN Yes, skilful one. He says that it is
5 a clear that the woman has been murdered,
strangled to dead by a pair of coarse
hands, the marks of which he found upon
49, her throat
nd Did he say how long she had been
a. dead ~
Yes many hours"
What does Wolf say 90
- That he did not sleep at home. He
says he was drunk thai night, which |
have found to be true, and that being I'M
9F eble to reach home, he lay under a tree,
between here and his home, and slept
soundly. When he awoke, according to
his story, it was nearly nine o'clock.
Then he got up, fastened to his tent,
found his wife dead, and gave the alarm.
=. Everybody believes he murdered her him
II self, and we have some fears that an at
tempt will be made to lynch him. In fact,
50 there is little DOUBT of his guilt, but there
is no positive evidence, and the case
needs working UP.
Were there no traces Of stranger
left ?"
I'd "No.n
mot Thread shirt button-ahair?'
ssNo."
, Tracks,
(. mo. The ground is so dry and hard,
Y. you know"
ne Has any stranger been seen lurking in
nd that neighborhood:"
on, ssNo'
IN Has any stranger been in town."
the well, We have miners down here from
ms the mountains every day; but it was none
81 of them"
Of Detective Black, who wore a red shirt,
hi was conducted 10 the scene of the muir
ms der. he saw the physician; he saw every
body in M6ysvile; he saw and talked
5 tes with Wolf three quarters of an hour.
ne Then he said to the Sheriff:
his 'tHe didn't do it,"
its The Sheriff was fairly thunderstruck
i iaS ''But," s0id William Black, 'keep him
NJ; in custody till you hear from me. DONE
md let the people get hold Of him, though,
eel for suppose they would lynch him at q
re venture"
~ ''They would"
s, t'You might arrest and detain any sus-
~. picious looking person YOU found in the
h.s5 neighborhood- always remembering he
are is innocenSn
ads ST WILL
, ers Thus the conference ended
te' Next morning fresh miner made his
appearances ct Pine Camp, about fifteen
ed miles north of Marysvile Hewas very
lazy-looking man. He lounged about
=. from point to point, gossiping with the
miners, bothering them at their work
He stopped and talked with groups here
and there, and asked questions about a
II place to locate claim He was green.
lis, Then he told them piece of terrible
nv news: Awoman had been fouliy muir
mn. Tered IN Marysville.
Rad her name WAS Wolf Her husband
e Ss- lid it i wAs thought-in fact, there was
ION 10 dount gof it. The simpleton That
dee de- vas no news. 1t had been the talk Of the
amp for tWent y-four hours
'"' .. then You knew it yesterday?'
ron m -s-4S
ne wentfrom claim to claim; spoke tc
d ia Weryoody; asked particularly about min
urn, ng prospects; mentioned the murder.
acoi That fellow won't do much. He's
Di5. 90 laxylooking," was remarked more
Jim ~. s-ssss#
ever Inc Ioenoon was wearing away The
:de, IAN oi gEsound mind stopped for the
ggna wenueth ume and talked to a group OF
Iers. - - ~ WHINING Ii claim. tie sal
SITS. oSDsohe. he spohe OF the muir