The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-12-13


he Murder Committed by John Pearcc.
AT Present COnfined in the
county Ja,I.
ne Statement Of Willis sIcIDtOsh In
Relation to the Terrible Crime
"a the Camping Ground
substantiate the Guilt OF Pearce.
Pearee Finally Confesses that He and
Reed Were Both Implicated
in the Murder.
The ceaseless vigilance and untiring |
Efforts of the authorities in seeking to |
unrayel the mystery which has sur
the terrible crime which was |
IN this city on The night of |
November Sd. when w. II. Mcmillan.
of Topeka, was kill d on the Santa Fe
track near Cottonwood street,
was rewarded Tuesday evening by the
confession of Elmer RED.
AN EYE WITNESS TO THE BLOODY DEED,
and the statemen. of Willie Mcintosh,
both of which are Incorporated in this
account. These parties, it Will be re-
membered, were arrested On suspicion
the day after the murder by Officers
Fleming and Romaine, and lodged in
the Lyon county jail. They had fallen
in with gang OF tramps who had been
camping southeast of town on the Cot
tonwood, and in connection with their
arrest, a couple of oyercoats were found
which had been stolen from q wagon
on Sixth avenue the day of the murder,
and which belonged TO Lyman Belts and
81. L. Keyes, of 142 creek.
Shortly after the Imprisonment of Nc
Intosh and Reed and young brother of
the latter, Mcintosh informed the officers
OF the
SUSPICIOUS CONDUCT
of a fellow tramp by the name of Pearce.
who had traded off his coat and struck
out from the camp early IN the morn
ing after the murder. He was aftcrward
found in Usage county by officers Flem-
ing and Kremer, and brought to EN-.
poria and lodged in jail. In the mean
time, what were supposed To be blood
spots were found on the overcoats
which had been stolen by the
tramps. This induced the officers
to keep a close watch ON the conduct
and conversation of the prisoners. and
the vigilance of Under Sheriff Kremer
and Tailor HINES and his wife, in this
direction was not unrewarded. From
time to time
WORDS WERE DROPPED
that deepened the suspicious of the
watchers and inspired them with the
hope that q full disclosure of the mystic.
~ was only a matter of time.
Yesterday morning young Mcintosh
while engaged IN assisting Tailor Hines
endeavored TO make his escape, but was
pursued by Mr.. H. who captured hin
near the railroad bridge over the
Cottonwood river on the Howard branch
1t was then that Mcintosh gave up the
first information which led to the devel
ments which followed. He told Hine
that
PEARCE WAS THE MURDERER,
and recOunted the medicines at tn
camp on the night of the murder. MI
Hines brought his prisoner back Il
town, and then he, in company will
Under Sheriff Kremer, procured bugg,
and took Mcintosh down to the camp
ing ground, where the latter pointed gu
the stone on which Pearce had stood I
wash the blood Oft his hands after b
came from EmporIa the night of tn
tragedy.
| Kremer and Hines then Immediately
went to work on Elmer Reed, who, Nc
Intosh said, had accompanied Pearce t
EmpOria the night that Mcmillan
was killed. In order to operate to tn
best advantage they took Reed out t
Macke's brewery, where they kept hin
till about O'Clock in the evening,
PLYING HIM WITH QUESTIONS,
but all with no avail. On their retur
they told Reed that a vigilance com
mlttee was about to attack the jail an
mob him and Pearce, but that If b
} Reed) would give up what he knew cor
corning the murder the officers Woul
protect him. This brought him to tlm'
and in the presence of County Attorne
Feighaa, W. F. Ewing, Marshal Elem
! ing, Constables johnson and Vernon
Policeman Romano and L. NJ. Carte
} he made the following confession:
. l, Elmer Reed, being duly sworn, stat
upon oath that was with j. E. PearC
in Emporia. November 81, 1888, tn
night Mcmillan was killed. PearC
said he was going to rob some one, an
objected. He then said: eff you ar
afraid, will do it rayself." Pearce e
a sickle-bar in the weeds south of tn
railroad and broke it on the railroad
Pearce and I then went up the railrOa
and met a man and Pearce struck hin
1 said: my God, let him alone" TIL
man hallooed and Pearce struc
him again. After he was kille
Pearce and carried him an
put him on the railroad track, and the
:. we ran off south to the camp on Il
Cottonwood river, on the Eureka raj
road. When we put the man on Il
track took hold of his feet and Peart
took hold of his head and shoulders.
saw Pearce kill Mcmillan, and stat
these facts OF my own free will.
ELMER REED.
a Subscribed and sworn to before n
this 1lth day of December, 1888.
. w. r. EWING, County Clerk.
] THE STATEMENT OF M'INTosH
is as follows:
Il My name is Willie Mcintosh my az
I is 10 years; was in camp on the n
}. day of November with seven pc
sons, on the Eureka branc
$ near the Cottonwood river. tt
two Reed boys and Pearce can
/ up TO Emporia that night about
a O'Clock and returned about IL o'cloc
D Pearce and Reed both had blood on the
hands when they came into camp.
asked them how they got blood on the
hands and they SAID they had killed
: chicken, but they had no chicken wi
: them. They went to the river al
: washed their hands, and Pearce tot
!, off his shirt and tied stone to il al
!, threw It into the middle of the rive
/ then went and lay down by the I'll
|, and I think that both Reed and Pear
= went to bed. The next morning
: about O'Clock Pearce woke rs all I
= and said: "Let us get up al
go, or the marshal will
after u.s." l saw Pcarce and Re
q whispering together when we got q
We then started south without al
= breakfast. Pearce, boy we call
i skinny" the Reeds and myself we
= to BItlertown. and the other thr
! cut across the prairie east. All the W
= Pearce and Reed were whisperiD
Dead want - Far aa C<.o1 .,aak pa