The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-08-20
TRACING A MURDERER.

A man was standing one day, with
a kind of unoccupied air few steps
from the door of telegraph Office
on Second street, Sacramento.
What was remarkable about him
was, that there was nothing remark
able about him at all, to the casual
eye. He was a man of very ordinary
appearance, of ordinary size, of or.
dinary complexion, with an ordinary
face, and especially an ordinary eye.
He stood with his hands idly down
in the pockets of 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,
caring about, nor looking at any.
thing.
A boy messenger came tripping
out of the telegraph Office, taking
two or three steps at once, as it has
been handsomely expressed, and
happened to see the uninterested
man whom he had seen before, he
stopped short, and said
"Oh, here's one for you; l sup.
pose l might as we'll give it to you
here. You're Mr.. Black ?"
The man did not say that he was
or that he was not, but quietly
reached for the dispatch, which che
boy handed him and hurried on.
Then Mr.. Black, with delibera.
ton that would have been fairly ag.
onizing to any one looking over his
shoulder, unfolded the paper and
read:
MARYsvILLE, June 26th, 1S-
To Mr.. Wm. Black, Police de.
partnent, Sacramento. /:
An atrocious murder has just been
discovered, here. A woman named
Mrs. Wolf was the victim. Her
husband is suspected and in custody,
but no evidence against him. Hast
en- to us by the next boat, while all
is fresh. l.. MORTON,
Sheriff of Yuba Co.
VIM. Black was Sacramento
detective, and at the time undoubt-
edly the most sagacious in Califor-
MIA. The boat was to leave Marys-
| vile in little over all hour. Mr..
Black entered the telegraph office,
and dispatched to the Sheriff Of Yu-
ba county the words, call right"
That evening a man with red
shirt on-a man of very ordinary
appearance, landed in Marysville.
He was miner, of course, if one
may always Judge by indications !;
but he had a lazy look, as though
weighed down by lack of energy,
and person might have wondered
if ever such a man did pick up
courage enough to climb the noun
tains.
The same lazy.looking man, later
in the evening, was in secret commu-
nication with the Sheriff, and sever
al other officials.
CAT what hour was the murder
discovered ?"he asked.
"Nine O'Clock, this morning-ex-
actly."
Gin what way ?"
"The news came through her hus-
band. He rushed excitedly into a
saloon, on the edge of town, saying
that his wife was dead, and some
body had killed her. They had lately
come from the mines, and were liv-
ing in tent of their own, a quarter
of mile from town. We will con-
duct you to it by and by"
GA physician has made an exam
ination ?"
eyes skilled one. He says it is
clear that the woman was murdered
-strangled to death by pair of
rough hands, the marks of which he
found on her throat"
"Did he say how long che had
been dead ?"
eyes, many hours"
"That he did not sleep at home.
"What does the husband say? ?"
He says he was drunk last night,
which found to be true, and that,
being unable to reach home, he lay
down under a tree, between here
and his home and slept soundly.
When he awoke, according to his
story, it was nearly nine o'clock.
He then got up, fastened to the tent,
found his wife dead, and we have
some fear that an attempt will be
made to lynch him. In fact, there's
little doubt of his guilt, but there's
no positive proof; and the case needs
working up"
"What makes you think he did
it ?''
"Various suspicious circumstan-
ces. His unlikely story of his having
slept out all night, when within
few hundred yards of his temporary
home and not waking before nine.
''Had they quarelled ?"
cit is not known that they did,
but-well, they were man and wife,
and we might safely presume that
they did,
"Were there no traces of a strang-
er left 7"
"No."
"Not thread-a shirt button-a
hair ?"
"No.'
"Tracks ?"
"No. The ground is so hard and
dry, you know"
''Has any stranger been lurking
about the neighborhood ?"
"No."
"Has any stranger been in town ?"
"Well, we have miners down here
from the mountains every day-but
it was none of them"
Detective Black, who wore red
shirt, was conducted to the scene of
the murder. He saw the body at
the office of the coroner he saw
the physician he saw everybody in
Marysville he saw and talked with
Wolf three quarters Of an hour.
Then he said to the sheriff:
"He didn't do it."
"But," said Wm. Black, skeep
him in custody till you hear from
ME. Don't let the people get hold
of him though ; for, I suppose they
would lynch him at venture.
"You might arrest and detain any
suspicious looking person found in
the borhood-alWays remem-