Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1879-05-03
A STRANGE MURDER.
The Killing of Josiah Bacon by DIR. Samuel
y. ChsIfant In San Francisco.
Erupcfsro fsI,rouicle
san Francisco Chronicles

day morning, at the Baldwin Hotel, is
one of the straDgest on the criminal
record Of this city. A man. while pre-
pairing quietly in his room for church,
hears knock at his door, opens ii, en-
counters person who, with scarcely a
word, shoots him, and he falls dead.
The assassin walks out of the hotel. No
one is disturbed. The occupants of ad-
Joining rooms are breakfasting below.
Only one person on the floor above hears
the shot, scarcely louder than an echo,
but thinks nothing of it The dead man
lies on the floor of his room, the door
being ajar, all the forenoon, the life and
hustle of the great building going on
around him. The situation suggests
that in IIawthorne's "House of the
Seven Cables" where Judge Clifford
sits in an armchair in his room of the
old house all night amid strange sounds
and ghostly sights. Some one passing
during the forenoon sees him lying
there, but thinks it may be intoxication,
and does not interfere.
The chambermsid, who comes about
noon, is the fist who discovers the
truth. There is no external hemorrbage,
and II is At first thought that the man
had died of heart disease. The body is
taken up and carried TO the Morgue,
and there the ghastly wound is found in
the abdomen. The first theory is that
of suicide. and il is but gradually that
people begin TO think murder has been
committed, that for GOODNESS. silence,
deliberaiion and desperation almost
equals that of the thugs of India, or
those planned by La Malta. the de-
fails may be more fully given as fol-
lows: Mr.. Bacon has been for II or ID
years the representative of the Good
year Vulcani,e Company so far as con-
cerned their relations 10 the dentists.
Every dentist has bad TO pay the COM
pany S35 per annum, or $40 il the
amount was not forthcoming on a GER
tain day The sum was no great tax on
those who had any work at all, though
a heavy burden 20 the members IF the
profession who are just beginning bust
ness. Having the law on his side, and
not being man OF the gentlest manners,
he frequently made enemies needlessly.
Sometimes dentists would pretend that
they had no business TO escape the tax,
and sometimes they would refuse pay
ment entirely, and lawsuit would re-
suit. The courts have always decided
against the dentists, and all who could
afford it, however, have slowly come to
accept the situation and have made the
yearly payment promptly. Mr.. Bacon
has had more or less trouble with the
San Francisco dentists, and some of
81 -lA taft lt- 81,
ened to kick him out of their offices.
Some would not notice him when they
saw him. About the time of Mr.. b.
cons arrival in the city ten days ago,
one of them, of whom he demanded
royalty, told him he had done nc work
for year. A day or two afterward,
being at a party, and the question of the
Goodyear patent coming up, lady told
him that she had some of his work in
her mouth. He asked who made them,
and she gave him the name of the dent
list who had told him he had done no
work for 3 year.
OF course the agent vowed vengeance
upon the recusant dentist. That he fear
cd violence was evident from the fact
that, beinga small man, he took stall
wart companion with him wherever he
feared trouble. His professional difficult
ties furnished the first clew to the police.
The other traces of the crime were as
follows: Last Thursday afternoon a
we'll dressed and good looking man,
who seemed TO be 80 or 80 years of age,
came 10 the hotel, and, after looking
over the register, asked Mr.. Marvin, the
clerk, if Bacon was in. The reply was
that he had gone 10 the country. On
Friday evening he called again, but Ba-
con had not returned. He asked for a
personal description of him, which was
given. 1t was about 8 O'Clock when he
came on Sunday morning. Bacon had
been down, asked for his washing,