River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-11-28
Aequittal OF o Supposed Murderer in
the Black Hills, D. r.

tI4c D4utA HIS. IL a.
DGADwoop, d. r.. Nov. 1.-THE case 81
the Territory va. George ". Bell, tried in the
district oosrt, last week, was in many partie- /
ulars one OF the most peculiar in criminal
annals, and illustrates, besides the falsity OF
friendship and value of circurnstantial evil
dence, the impossibility of securing conyie- 1
tion in a capital case in the Black Hills, The
story, briefly told, is as follows; In May
last Charles e. Lee, son of wealthy and
well known Chicago gentleman, arrived at
Cheyenne en- route to Deadwood. While
strolling through the city be was approached
by a smooth faced and smoother hammered
young fellow, who introduced him
self as George w. Bell, and
the two became. in the brief period
of twenty four hours. quite intimate. At
the expiration of that time Bell disappeared.
On the following day Lee departed upon the
coach for the Hills, and upon the second day
out overlook Bell at ranch, and upon the
solicitation OF that person paid his fare to
Deadwood, arriving here on Thursday. The
Two registered at the Wentworth, where they
remained until the next day, when they
rented cabin, purchased an outfit lat Lees
expense) and went to baching. On Saturday
the two visited tue mines. On Sunday at
ternoon two little boys, climbing over the
hills south of the city gathering flowers
with which to decorate the grave of
the father of one, who had
the week before been brutally
murdered, came upon the CORPSE of Lee in q
remote and secluded spot his pockets turned
inside out, all yaiuahie gone, and bp let
hole in the back of his head.
On the Same afternoon Geo. w. Bell
walked into Crook City, eleven miles c slant,
where he pToduced~an elegant gold watch,
chain and tocket containing, as he repre-
scented, the hair of his mother, and after
several Intellectual applications, pawned it all
for $40.
| Upon the outside of the case was engraved
/ "Chas. e.. Lee and upon the inside '.pre-
scented by his father ON his twenty-frst birth
day." When questioned, Bell said that his
name was Lee; that the watch was gift to
him as the inscription designated, and that
he desired the money to enable him to reach
home, when he would redeem the memento
After securing the money ne repaired to tht
stage Office and engaged seat
to Bismarck ON Mondays coach. Tha
vehicle arrived at 7 A. NJ, and with
it news of the murder which reaching tbs
ears of Deputy Sheriff Wilson, who was cog
infant of the watch transaction, and he a
once took Bell into custody and returned
him to DeadwOod, where he was subsequent
~ indicted, and where last week he was
placed ON trial.
AS will be seen, every particle OF eyidenc'
was purely circulustantia, but of the strong
est character. Bell and Lee were seen IL
leave the cabin together at O'Clock Sunda,
morning. AT O'Clock Bell was seen return
ing to the cabin alone. A little later h
was seen by a neighbor packlnl
his valise, and in reply to IN
quiries where he was going, reptile,
that his partner had gone to Crook and tina
he was going, too, and that they would b
absent eight or ten days. The officers dis
covered that one barrel of the pistol foun'
upon Bells person had been recently dis
charged and reloaded, and that the bulle
taken from the head of deceased fitted tn
pistol. 4 mystifying circumstance was un
earthed, however, by learning that on til
Saturday preceding the murder, Bell accostet
G. w. Carpenter, OF the Northwestern Ex
press & Stage company, with request 70
passage to Bismarck upon the depos1ting G
ths watch, afterwards identified as Lee S
This was refused and Bell wen
away. The case was forclbl
presented to the jury by the introduction 0
the above evidence, and in strong argumen
by District Attorney Miller: but it was o
no avail, for after an absence of twelve hours
the Jury returned verdict of not guilty
Had a tLunderclap occurred at bright mid
day. this community could not have beef
more thoroughly assonished. People sail
ed the jury. and loudly discussed summar.
vengeance. The Enterprise teemed witt
abuse Of the jury and the prisoner, anC
there is no doubt that had not Bell departe'
upon the first COACH he would ERE
LIS have gone TO his last account.
Bells history, as related by himself, is
Romantic and interesting one. His prope
name il Cox, aud his father is a minister il
North Carolina. He left home in 1877
since which time he has visited nearly ever.
State and town in the West. At Memphis
Little Rock, st. Louis, Omaha, Cheyenne
Ogden, Lander, the various forts of tn
Northwest, he has 1ill,d positions Of al
kinds-now clerking. then in the saloon
business, berding cattle prospecting thu
Big Horn. and, in fact, every vocation Incl
dent to the plains. is we'll known to hun. II
June of last year he visited Dassel, Mime
sofa, and married, returning at ones TO tn
far west, where be resumed his nomad
life. He claims that Lee loaned him tn
watch, and upon that statement he hung hI
defense, and upon 1t the jury acquitted him
Since his release it has TRANSFERRED that b.
/ is one of the slickest gamblers with which
this country Is infested, and that he has fol
lowed the nefarious calling throughout th'
entire Western career. His acquiItal is al
outrage not only upon this community, bu
the country at large, and as he has headet
your way, append description: Age &c
/ height about feet II inches; light com
ple xion and hair; smooth face; large bones
weight about $50 pounds; neatly dressed Ii
black, and at a distance presents fine ap
pearsnce. In manners he is the most brazen
stoical individual ever met, he having tht
ability to look person squarely in the eyes
while coming the most infamous falsehoods
He has probably gone to Dassel, st. Paul
/ etc. L. f. w.