Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-09-19

him where Mr.. Singleton could be, and he
seemed to avoid the subject, but would say
He's in Arizona" or something of that
kind. and that he would come around again
| all right after while. l never had any con-
I versation with Singleton about how much
money Niles had OF HIM. He told ME he had
most of his money. I asked him, oncs when
| L was in Sacramento, for the loan of 5000.
and he said he did not have it, but would get
| it from Niles. He afterwards reported to me
that he could not get the money from Niles
at present. am satisfied that the skull of
the remains exhumed was broken in by
blow from some heavy weapon.
! which broke the skull in many pieces. There
were blood stains easily to be seen among
| the hair, On the pieces Of skull, when we
took it out. I am fully satisfied these re-
mains arc thoss of James Singleton, and do
not think [ can he mistaken. Mr.. Niles
brought an open-faced gold watch with him
across the plains, and he afterwards sold it to
Singleton about the tina he was at work for
me. could swear to the watch now. 1t was
an old-fashioned bulrs.eye. After the
disappearance OF Singleton, Niles wore the
watch, or at least my wife saw him with it
on. and he remarked to Mrs. Newton that
when Singleton was a. his house one time be.
fore he went away, he yass the watch to sig
tNiles1 little boy. 1 first learned of the
disappearance of Singleton two and
half years ago. Mr.. Adams men.
toned the suspicion. When he gave
his reasons for suspicious entertained
l saw that matters looked very dark. The
matter was quietly discussed, and the suspi-
cions have grown until one day last winter
Mr.. Reeves came along near this old well
and remarked, II would give $50 to know
what's in the bottom of that WE'LL" He said
he believed Singleton was in it as much as
that he existed, and told all about his suspi.
cions He finally said. " If you ara willing,
and the neighbors feel like it, we will some
time dig down aud investigate that WE'LL" I
| answered that l was perfectly willing. About
two weeks ago Mr.. Hotchkiss the Constable,
mentioned the subject again and asked il l
was willing that they should go there and dig
the well open, and answered yes. He
stated that lie had communicated
with District Attorney Larduer, and
they thought of digging it out The fact is,
it was the general belief among the neighbors
that Singleton was in it, and that he was put
there by Mr.. Niles, so these men went to
! work, and their search resulted in exhuming
the body and unearthing the crime.
[. B. ADAMS
Sworn He related conversation of Mr..
Niles, as follows: I asked Mr.. Niles about
four years ago where Singleton was, and he
said he took him over to Sheridan, where he
got on to the cars and went to Marysyille.
He afterwards told me that Singleton had
gone from there TO Oakland. Sometime after
| wards had another conversation with Niles,
and he told me Singleton had gone to Ari-
zona. The next time we met he told me that
Singleton had started for the States in very
poor health, and he did not think that
he would ever live to set there. After
wards he told me that he thought
he had died on the road, as he
had heard nothing about him since. He said
ne had been hurt BY q runaway team few
years before, and he thought thai the cause
of his sickness. At one time he said that
Singleton told him at Sheridan. that time
when he left, where he would find his trunk
aud papers in case he never heard from
him. He did not say whether he had got
them. He told me this about his papers and
trunk at our first conversation, L think, after
Singleton's disappearance. Mr.. Reeves told
me- about the well being filed up. and other
circumstances, and these led me to inquire of
MIR. Niles as to Singleton's whereabouts.
C. W. FULLER
Testified: I think / last saw Mr.. Singleton
in November 1876; met him on the street
here in town he asked me if he could ride
down to Niles with me, and told him he
could; he rode with me- and got out at the
gate leading to Mr.. Niles house, he had an
overcoat with him, | remember as he re-
marked, when he got out, that he would take
it off, as he would keep warm walking: his
under coat and vest were dark, and pants
light. My mother invited him to come and
see US, and he said he would be down right
after breakfast next morning. He didn't
come, but we did not think anything of it at
the time but two or three days afterward we
began to wonder where. he was, and as he
finally failed to appear we very soon had our
suspicion that he never left Niles ranch and
held TO that belief more or less firmly until
the present unravelins of the mystery.
DIR. C. L. wADLEY
Was called and examined the fragments of
skull from the exhumed remains, after which
he testified as follows It is the skull of a
human being. A head buried five years
would not decay so that the skull would fall
TO pieces as this one has, but would remain
intact. The skull must have been broken in
pieces by some heavy deadly weapon. Some
portions ara separated naturally and others
are fractures. 1 consider the fractures sutfi-
cieas 70 have caused death.
THOMAS BROWN
Sworn: I was well acquainted with
James Singleton. The last time I saw
! him, / believe, was when he rode with
Mr.. Fuller down from Lincoln to near
Niles place, the time he arrived here Just
before his disappearance. He then had on,
in my opinion, the overcoat and black coat
which has been exhibited here, as exhumsd
with the remains. l frequently, after Sin
gleton's disappearance, questioned Niles as
to where he was. At irst he told me he had
been at Sacramento and searched, but could
not find him. He next told me that he had
gone to Arizona that he (Singleton) had lost
all his money in Sacramento. and had gone
to Arizona to make raise. l replied that I
thought it singular be should go 20 Arizona
to make raise, as old as he was. He then
said Singleton had got into trouble about a
woman; that her husband found them tc-
ge.her, and, drawing revolver, demanded
bis tSingleton's) handbook, and that he lost
| all he had, and the man threatened to shoot
| him il he ever saw him with his wife again.
had some dickering with Niles, and in the
/ transaction he was TO get me two
| horse collars like Bome he had got
| for himself from Sacramento. He said he
wrote for them. l subsequently, spoke to
him about them, and be said the man was
! busy and could not fill the order promptly.
| went to Saf,ra utn To- 4 IN,