The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-11-09
OTTAWA FREE TRADER: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1873.
fire near the mouth OF the cave and the smoked

fire near the mouth OF the cave and the smoked
sides.
Cr0sserdmiaed.-This exploring cXpedi.
ton" was made ut instance of Mr.. Duncan.
didn't know why ! was asked to 20 there.
Saw the ground only from the lock to the
dump. About same kind of testimony rs to
the weeds and other distractions of the view
on the canal embankmcnt Saw no water in
any of the caves; saw ashes just inside the
second cave. The caves are designated
zone" two" &c, counting from the east |
The quantity of ashes was not large would
fill one Of the large spt-boXes of the court.
room, Mr.. Bull called my attention to the
ashes, smoked walls and the old fire brands.
The party examining the caves was Messrs.
Bull Blanchard, John Lynch, of Ottawa, and
Duncan, Weller, and myself, Of La Sale. Saw
3 or q caves; some on each side OF dump; none
are directly opposite the dump,
Ia BUN' | could see man from the lock
to Russel's on the towpath; could not say il
could see him on the slope. If were look.
ing for man might see him; If not looking
for him. he might skulk along there in places
unpercelved On yesterday saw Messrs Bull
and Duncan in weeds near the lock.
To Daacaa: Was in the ravine east; banks
rough and stony; very little sod in the place
soil generally covered with broken stone stone
appears to be misplaced.
To Mayo: Banks of the ravine are sloping;
man could get up and out over them; no
rock there whose fall would be likely TO kill
anyone.
n. J. WELLER,
a carpenter and builder who has lived IN La
Sale for 30 years was next called. He testti-
cd as to the character of the ground about
Russcll's and thence to the dump bridge,
about as before given by other witnesses. He
also went into the caves There caves, by the
by, are not natural caves, but places in which
the cement company had begun to mine but
had abandoned In the first about $50 feet
east of the bridge he saw the same features as
mentioned by Walsh. At the second he saw
the smoked roof at the mouth, and other indi
cations of fire-ashes and one or two eXtin-
guished fire brands. There was a well beaten
path into the cave. Saw the large one not
running through. 1t has good roof; is about
20xG0 feet in size; the entrance is about 3X6
feet and 10 feet long. In thepassage way were
indications of fire on the east side there was
smoke on the walls and several stones there
REDEEMED by the heat; saw no hay or straw in
any cave. Went To the ravinc and into il:
saw the pool where Maggie was found; the
railroad bank is steep; for say 20 feet the slope
is gradual; the bed Of the ravine is narrow
and filled with rocks of all sizes, which evil
IDENTIFY had fallen down from above, breaking
off from time to time. The bank east of the
pool was rough and ragged and very steep;
the sides are rock and soil; very little sod;
and stone all way up the bluff cropping out.
Saw man man on towpath near Russell's yes
terday couldn't recognize HIM from the lock.
Vi. -" slorc NJ the banks the weeds would
not hide any one.
CrosStLcmined-On the bottom of the ra-
vine the rocks were lying fiat. The pool was
formed by dropping water. There had been
no such thing in the ravine as a landslide.
The rocks were in legdeS and probably fell as
the dirt under them was washed out. Think
I saw fire brands and smoke marks in the first
cave; only few brands; saw ashes, &c in
four caves Don't know who built the fires;
railroad men might have built them; don't
know anything aboutrailroad hands, or wheth-
er or no they ever go into the caves.
JEREMIAH COLLINS,
Of La Sale, a wagon-maker, said he had known
Walsh for 16 or II years; he lived in the
block north of me until or . years; knew
him well his reputation is good. .,
Cross-eramiaeG-Know his reputation OF
nv own knowledge from hearsay; heard 1t
spoken of before his arrest and the talk heard
was that he was the whitest boy of the lot OF
his associates.