Morris tribune., 1883-10-17
r. FIXING THE GUILT.
iHunting Down the Murderers of
Ada Atkinson.
|. Neilsn gstke Farm Laborer, Charges
e n1nosas Aasid With the Crime---A
svoa Atpedy Pa4rorOveralls--su
.taypiciOus circumstances.

Y KxFkTETfE, Ind, Oct. 16-Jacob Iadd q
q young man who has been in the employ OF
tAirS. FrRlk Johnson, a tmilliner of Oxford
has been, arrested, for, the murder of Ada
! Atkinson. For some, time the belief that the
4 crime was committed by Melting, the laborer
4 keiapiuyeIi ON the Atkinson farm, has been
1 gaining ground Saturday a pair of overalls
belonging to him and covered with blond,
were found in the Atkinson woodshed. This
seemed convincing, though it was known
that Melting had been killing hogs on
the aay of the murder, and had
thus / accounted for blood stains on
| listg clotsing, and it was de-
clded to arrest him. Harris, tho Chicago de.
| tective who has been working on the case, ran
| Melting doYpppd placed him in, Jail He then
confessed to ftis that bli the afternoon of
| the tragedy young Ladd came to him in the
| orchard, near the house, and proposed that
they go into the house and rape the young
| girl. Melting says he refused utterly to do
so, whereupon Ladd went away. When Lucy
Atkinson returned that night from Oxford
| and discovered the dead body of her sister
she screamed loudly, and Melting says that
was the first he knew that the girl had been
murdered. Both Ladd and Melting were
taken to Fowler, and placed in the Jail there.
There are many persons who believe that
Nelling's confession is a lie; that he was in
close quarters himself and sought to escape
by charging the crime upon Ladd, though
the general opinion is that with the two men
in Jail the murderer has been caught. Aside
from Nelling's confession there is damaging
evidence against Ladd, and he was suspected
from the first, although the evidence was not
thought sufficient to arrest him. He is about
q years Of age, and was sort of utility man
to Mrs. johnson. On the day of the tragedy,
during the afternoon, he is reported to have
stated that he was in the woods of
Mr. Atkinson, about a quarter of a
mile from the house. He went after a load
OF wood. Becoming tired he sat down, and
while resting there he heard scream. Then
ne looked at his watch, and it was fifteen
minutes OF 3 o'clock. 1t seems remarkable
that he should have heard a scream at that
distance, since it is claimed the wind was in
the opposite direction, and since Melting,
working less distance from the house, heard
nothing; and that George Hart and Dor
Rutter, who were in the field across the road
not more than 80 feet away, heard nothing.
Another investigation showed that he brought
home seven poles, and they were cut so ir-
regularly that the axman either must have
peen very unSK1llful or was labOrlng under
intense excitement.
Ladd's arrest has revived suspicious that |
prevailed shortly after the tragedy implicat- |
ing Mrs. johnson. Her name had for some |
time been linked with that of Mr.. Atkinson |
in an unenviable light. This women, it is |
said, was particularly obnoxious to the muir
dered girl, who on one occasion is said to |
have expressed her opinions pretty freely !
about her to the family of Mr. Atkinson.
There is but little, if any, doubt that some
unpleasantness was occasioned on account
of this women, and it is said the girl inter-
cepted letter written by Mrs. johnson, and
that she read the same at the dinner table in
the presence of the family. The theory is
held that this may have excited her enmity
Intense excitement has prevailed in Oxford
all day, and threats of lynching have been
freely indulged in.