, 1874-08-23
The Assistant States Attorney I:
11ysteri0us and Confident.
A Talk with MIR. Murkins and His
Son.
Suspicion Cast on DIr. Tarr and
His Wife.


s The Charley Ross abduction business is st
the chief subject subject Of conversation in til
I place. ALI Livingston County appears to tel
= great interest in the Ross family, and ther pee,
: liar af1liction. ANY person passing through he1
t with 1na1o youngstcr having dark eyes 81
flowing fair hair il in absolute danger Of beiu
waylaid add arrested as the .abductor Of Il
handsome Philadelphia urchin.
( Your correspondent reached here at about
t O'Clock this morning, and had some trouble
hunting up D tavern at which to s'pue up
> Aided by . man with lantern, who knocke
severely at q door until half-nude darkey 81
peared, found shelter, which was needed, a
. the thunderstorm of the season vas just cor
menclns operations
A CROWD FOLLOWED
the traveller to the hotel, and one young fel1o,
asked his name. Which was fearlesaly given
With an expression of disappointment, tho ma,
left. anu your correspondent sought and wooe
Morpheus until daylight dId appear.
Mr.. Funk, the Prosocuting-Attorney, WAS il
Pontiac, aud lent his aid in the abduction case.
Mn. A. u. WRIGHT,
d promising yonns lawyer, told al that he knew
about the business. Your correspondent inter
viewed the gentleman in his Office. The folloY
ing was the substance OF the conversations:
C.-uow does the case against DUNCAN loob
just nov?
Mr. W.-We1l, We arc satisfied TINT the boy,
Jimmy Henderson, is not Charley Ross. That
We are positive about; but re have every rea-
| son to believe shat the Ross child was brought
| here, aud was taken away again.
C.-What leads you to that bcliof7
Nr. VA chain Of
| SINGULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.
| In the first place, DUNCAN ia 3 Philadelphin map
| and had charge Of his brothers live1y-staolo
| thcto at the time CT the abduction, July
l, and for eome days after. Mrs. Cole.
| the woman Who wns hin housekeepcr,
left Philadelphia the middle Of June, arriving
here on the 18th Of that month. She Is sister ct
George ". Mu1kins, about whom SO much has
been said. Now, she alleges that, when she
camo here. she brought two cl1ildren-her
daughters children-with her, boy and girl
The hoy 8 name is James and the g1l is called
| Alice, People around here, on the other hand,
asscrt that ahe brought with her only the girl
Now, mark you, DUNCAN leaves Phi1adalp ph,a
shortly after the abduction, aud goes to live with
the Nurkina people. They live about a mile from
this village, in secluded place on q
farm. YOU can SEQ i. over there by
that clump OF trees. Well, one moruiue, be-
fore daylight, 11or.sins and Duugaa got up,
hltched q team, and drove to Ottawa, u miles
Al6khAks 4ub4t Alc A4LUe6stS u 6NebI Vial
when tho men passed through streetor, 81 miles
from this place, they had . cl.!d
ANSWERING THE DESCRIPTION
of Charley Roee-excapt that the hair Was cut
el4ort-with them. This, however, the accused
declare is FALSE and they can, so the? say, bring
Witnesses to prove It.
THE .1unK1Ns FAMILY.
c.-Nhat is tbs reputation o1 the Murkina
family hereabouts?
3Ir. W.-Well don't wish to say anything
y,avt ,1or nh11,t lint II ia INT han
pubic opinion was expressed relative to the
1soa3 abduction, suspicion pointed to the 1tur-
klnses. Dungan's connection with thera ap-
reazed mgsrei .ous, and set people to tal4ing.
C,-Wuen was DUNCAN arrested?
Ar. Wafer the return from Ottawa. He
showed fight at frat, and drew his revolver
on Sol. Bishop, who was specially detailed to
arrest him, bishop is tho nraveet man in the
county. He drew his revolver, and told DUNCAN
to - drop that d-n little thing" OF there woa'd
be trouols in the family DUNCAN tuea dropped
his pistol and quietly surrendered.
-C.-Whera III he Iow:
Mr.. WIN Jail at Pontiac. Hs will be
brought up hare fur examination ut II o'clock.
C.-Wny WIS not Murkips arrested?
Mr. W.-Oh, We knew that he'd he on hand,
and, besides, he was not in Philadelphia 1t all.
It would be hardly right to arrest tie man, ac-
cordng to the American idea Of liberty, because
of his intimacy with DUNCAN. thought how
ever, that Mrs. Cole might have been arrested as
an accompiice.
C.-Tlo whole thing appears to be based on
moro supposition. You have no actual proof |
against any one-al1 suspicion unsupported by |
tungbe evidence.
alr, W.-Ne have
MUCH MORE THAN SUSPICION.
Tbs private detectives Of Philadelphia are on
the right tack, but the city police arc not. We
have direct suspicion of COL tain party connect
ed with tho Murkins family, and We are on his
track. He is smarter tnan whip, though, and
Ills wife ID smarter than le.
C.-What is the name Of that person?
1fr. WI p1ofer not to give it Just now /; it
might hinder our efforts for his arrest.
C.-1Iaye you any idea Of where he is now?
Atr W.-Yca singular thing about tuis busi-
ness is that rhe man, since the row has been
raised, las absconded from his place OF resi-
not afraid, why did they leaye? firmly believe
that they have the Ross boy in their POSSESSION, |
The hue and cry that has been raised has, how
oger, alarmed tuem and AIN iA position to say
% you THAI
DIRECT PROPOSALS
la9e reached tho ooy'a father. to the effect that
he first price demanded for Charicy's surrender
-S20, ,001-would be reduced 10 oue-fourth.
C.-Then old Ross il III communication with
he abducto1r?
Mr-W.-les. You saw the copy Of his dispatch
0 st. Louis in the FIRST report OF this affair made
'y The TRIBUNE. The plotgrows thicker every
av.
1t this tuncture an elderly, honest looking
A+ ~**~~ -As~A =
aid.-
MIR. Wright, you aro talking over the nbdnc-
ion case? We'll, do yoa want to know what
hiuk? 1t the boz is hunted close one of two
Eungs will happen-they will abandon him or |
aako asay with him. know tint crowd
C.-Do yoa mean
THE nunK1Ss FAMILY:
Stranger-Ies, do, aud those connected with :
hem. Mr.. Wright knows the other connection
} whom have reference. They are after lin G
OFT, but he's ''cuter than fox" l venture to 6
ct that eli blind the trail on EN-.
With this satisfactory ASSURANCE, tho stranger
ook chew Of tobacco, aud became disgustingiy
lent. /
Mr. Wright and your correspondent then
alked out OF the Office and met Mr. Penny, the
ustice OF tue Peace.
Mr.. PENNY
lid that, as Judicial officer, it would be im-
roper Tor him 10 express an opinion. +
in the afternoon no farthar evidence
as brought against Dungau, ho would
scharge him from arrest. lie was
nwiliing to desain tho man on more suspicion I
~a4 way OF dealing rlth citizen altogether =
,reign to the instincts Of the American peotle, | i
tn o1 nh It might answer wall enOrrh in t}neuta Z