Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-10-07
TRACING A MURDERER.

Bll t9eCOlld street., EodCTdUl6uJO. w MAJ
was remarkable about him was that
there was nothing remarkable about
him at ALTO the casual eyes. He
was a man of very ordinary appear
ance, Of ordinary size of ordinary
complexion, with an ordinary face, and
especially with an ordinary eye He
stood with his hands idly down in the
pockets Of a long, loose coat, as though
they had dropped there themselves,
ana he had not taken the trouble to
pull them out, and he seemed to be
neither thinking of, nor carving about,
nor looking at anything.
A boy messenger came tripping out
Of the telegraph office, taking two or
three steps at once, as has been hand
Aomely expressed, and happening to
see the uninterested man whom he
had seen before, he stopped short, and
said:
ooh, here's one for you; | suppose |
might as well give it to you here
You're Mr.. BIack2"
The man did not say that he was or
that he was not, but quietly reached
for the dispatch, which the boy handed
him and hurried on.
Then Mr. Black with a deliberation
that would have been fairly agonizing
TO any one looking over his shoulder,
unfolded the paper and read:
MARYsvLLE, June %, Is Mr.. William
Black, Police Department, Sacramento. An
;trocious murder has Just been discovered here.
A woman, named Mrs. Wolf, was the victim. Her
husband is suspected and in custody but no evil
dence against. Hasten to lis by the first boat
while all is fresh. i. Morton,
Sheriff of Yuba County.
William Black was a Sacramento de-
tective, and at that time undoubtedly
the most sagacious III California. The
boat was to leave in little over an hour
Mr. Black entered the telegraph office
and dispatched to the sheriff of Yuba
county the words "All right"
That evening a man with red shirt
on-a man Of very ordinary appear
ance-landed in Marysvillc. He was Il
miner, of course, if one may always
Judge from indications; but he had
lazy look, as if weighed down by q
woful lack of energy; and Il person
might have wondered if ever such
person did pluck up courage
enough to climb the mountains.
The same lazy-loolling man later in
the evening was in secret communica-
ton with the sheriff and several other
AT what hour was the murder dis
coyercd?" he asked
Nine o'clock this morning exact
~"
'sIn what way?"
s'The news came through her hus-
band. He rushed cxcitedly into a
saloon, on the edge of the town, saying
that his wife was dead and somebody
had killed her They had come lately
from the mines, and were living in
tent Of their own, quarter of a mile
out of the town We will conduct you
to it by and by"
"A physician has made IN examina-
tion?"
Eyes; Il skilled one. He says it is
clear that the woman was murdered
by a pair of coarse hands,
the marks Of which he found on her
throat"
Did he say how long she had been
dead?"
Yes, many hours"
"What does Wolf saw"
"That he did not sleep at home.
lie SAYS he was drunk last night, which
have found to be true, and that, being
unable to reach home, he lay down
under Il tree, between here and his
home and slept soundly. When he
awoke, according to his story, it was
near nine o'clock. Then he got up,
FASTENED to his tent and found his wife
dead, and we have some fear that an
attempt will be made to lynch him. in
fact, there is little doubt of his guilt,
but there is no positive proof, and the
case needs working up"
What makes you think he did it?''
"Narious suspicious circumstances,
Ills unlikely story of having slept out
all night, when within a few yards of
his temporary home, and not waking
before nine"
Had they Quarreled"
1T is not known that they had, but
we'll, they were man and wife, and
we might safely presume they had"
Were there not traces of struggle
left?"
''No."
Not thread-a shirt -button-a
hair"
NO"
Tracks,"
NO. The ground is so hard and dry,
YOU know"
HAS any stranger been seen lurking
in that neighborhood?"
"No."
HAS any stranger been in town."
''Wcll, we have miners down here
from the mountain every day-but it
was none of them"
Detective Black who wore a 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."
The sheriff was thunderstruck.
But" said William Black, keep
him in custody till you hear from me.
Don't let the people get hold of him,
though; for | suppose they would lynch
him at a venture
We'll take care of him"
''You might arrest and detain any
suspicious looking person found in the
Observation-Disclosures remembering
that he's innocent"
Il will"
The conference thus ended.
The next morning a fresh miner
made his appearance at Pine Camp,
about fifteen miles north of Marys-
vile. He was lazy looking man. He
lounged about from point to point,
talking with the miners, hothering them
ut the work Some thOrpht that he