The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1877-05-05
A Horrible Crime Confessed.

The Eureka (Nevada) Sentinel says !:
At the head of Culver Canyon, about
thirteen miles from Eureka, in desc
late and forbidding country, is tumble
down shanty, evidently built by some
coal-burners. Some four months ago,
Il man in search of stray stock happen
ed to look into the shanty, and found the
body of man dead in rude bunk
against the side of the cabin.
A week ago, James Thornton, while
out hunting, sought shelter under the
roof of the shanty, and found a book
from which the following is transcribed:
NOVEMBER II, 1876.
NY name is Lee Singleton. was born in
Litchfield County, Maryland, in 1871.
lived there until the breaking out of the war,
when enlisted in the Southern Army, and
served until the close of the war. | was
wounded twice, once at Yorktown, and again
at the siege Of Petersburg. Both my parents
died, and after the war was over l came
West and followed the Union Pacific Rail-
road until it was completed. then Went to
White Pine, and in 1871 to Eureka, where
went to work as feeder at the - furnace.
NV companion, John Murphy, was very
Overbearing, and insulted ME on several Oc-
casions, but as he was a much stronger man
than myself took no notice of it until one
day he struck me. He did not know that he
signed his death warrant with that blow, but
he did.
While feeding the furnace the thought
often came to me that it would be an easy
matter to stun him with a blow and throw
once accomplished no one could ever detect
any traces of the crime. The principal diff
Guilty was the continued presence of the ore
wheelers, but as they worked ten hours and
quit at six o'clock, there was an interval
of an hour, during which me and Murphy
were alone, save the occasional visit of the
night boss. 1 had to wait nearly two weeks
before the shifts changed, so that we came
on at the same time. When the opportunity
finally presented itself stepped behind him
and struck him blow on the head with my
shovel as he was STOPPING to get a scOOpful
of charcoal. To drag him to the feed-hOle
and throw him on the charge was but mo-
ment's work. | do not know whether he was
dead or only stunned, but it made little diff
ference, as the fumes would have sIlffOcated
him in a moment. BY working hard / sue
ceeded i'm covering the body with ore and
charcoal, and as the charge in the furnace
sunk he was soon out of sight.
/ went into the charcoal business, and,
forming cOpartnership with two other men,
built the cabin in which sit writing this
statement. We burned coal here for two
wears, when the wood becoming exhausted,
/ took my share of the profits, 5000, and
went East, but after four years. wandering,
returned to Eureka.
As soon as finish this shall take the
poison, and lay down in the bunk. l don't
suppose that any one ever passes this way,
and shall probably lay here and rot, or the
vermin will feast on me. / can not go to a
worse hell than what have been i'm for the
last six years. If any one finds this state
ment they can verify the truth of it by look
ing over the books of the smelling company,
and they will find mine and John Murphy's
name on the pay roll, and if X. NJ. Wallis is
still in Eureka, he will remember the fact OF
Johns disappearance, for he was the night
foreman at the time. LEE SINGLETON.
We have inquired into the matter, land
find that John Murphy mysteriOusly dis
appeared about the time mentioned.
MIR. Wallis recalls the circumstance, land
says that when Murphy disappeared he
had 10 days wages due him, and the
money was never called for.