The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-10-19


70 happen, nut a,a not know IN what shape
at once, but when Lucy came home he went
to the wood-piie near the house and listen
ed very lntently to hear her footsteps as she
assembled the stairs to see II she had disc0y-
cred anything wrong. He denied all
knowledge of his clothes being under the
wood-house floor, and knew nothing of
there being blood upon them. He said that
he had never worn the 0veralls that were
found there on the day, of the murder, and
did not know how the blood came upon the
shirt he had taken to the washerwoman's
to have washed. He did not know how
Ladd dressed, only that he wore pair OF
fine boots.
Ladd was put upon the stand and swore
positively that he had not seen Melting dur
ing the afternoon of the murder, and had
never held any conversation with him at
any time regarding any member OF the At.
kinson family, or that he ever said there
was woman in Oxford who wished IAN
earthquake would swallow Ada up as she
was In her way" A good deal more evil
dence was given, but nothing new divuiged.
Melting has placed himself in an awkward
position, for he testified upon oath before
the coroner's inquest upon the evening of
the murder that he left the house at noon
and did not return until about ten minutes
before Lucy Atkinson returned from Ok
ford, and that he had not seen single per
son during the entire afternoon. He now
SWeuTS uuucT OdJll tlltL llduu NlSlleu hin
upon that memorable afternoon, spoke
about the family, and when he left went
In the direction OF the house; also, that lie
himself went to the wood-pile to get an AK
but did not enter the house, as he was
afraid something had happened, and should
he go in he would see something terrible.
When asked why he did not state this upon
his first examination he said he was afraid,
but did not know who he was afraid of, but
ut last stated that he was afraid he would
,l,. H.~
to by Ladd, or somebody in her employ.
1t Is evident that Melting has committed
perjury and Is endeavOring to shift the re-
sp0nsibiity of the crime onto Ladd's
shoulders. The two prisoners were allow
ed to ask each other few questions. Ladd
demanded that Melting mention the color
of any article of clothing worn by him on
that afternoon. This Melting could not do.
He only remembered that he was the man
whom he had spoken to during the day,
and knew nothing else. This seems strange
in itself, for Melting described accurately
the clothing worn by the dead girl on the
day of the murder, even to the handkerchief
worn around her neck, and yet he could
not describe single article worn by Ladd
on the same day.
Coroner Hitze and Detective Harris have
just come from the jail, where they had
gone at the request of Melting, who wished
to make a statement, the result of which
| Is given in his own words II withdraw all
shoulder the responsibility myself"
ADA ATKINsoN's SLAYER RUN DOWN.
LAFAYETTE, IND, Oct. 15.-Jacob Laid,
young man who has been i'm the employ
| of Mrs. Frank johnson, a milliner of Ok
ford, has been arrested for the murder of
| Ada Atkinson. For some time the belief
| that the crime was committed by Melting,
the laborer employed on the Atkinson farm,
has been gaining ground. Saturday pair
| of overalls belonging to him and covered
with blood, were found i'll the Atkinson
wOodshed This seemed convincing, though
| it was known that Melting had been killing
hogs on the day of the murder, and had
thus accounted for blood stains on his
clothing, and 1t was decided to arrest him.
Harris, the Chicago detective who has been
working on the case, ran Melting down at
| q late hour last night and placed him in
Jail. He then confessed to Harris that on
| 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
went away. When Lucy Atkinson return
ed that night from Oxford and discovered
the dead body of her sister she screamed
loudly, and Melting said that was the first
been murdered. Both Melting and Ladd
were taken to Fowler, and placed in the
| Jail there.
There are many persons who believe that
| Nelling'S confession Is q lie; that he was
| in close quarters himself and sought to es-
| cape 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 Laid.
He was suspected from the first, although
| the evidence was not thought sufficient to
arrest him. He is about 81 years of age,
and was sort of utility man to Mrs. john
son. 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 quarter of mile from the house.
| He went after load of wood. Becoming
| tired he sat down, and while resting there
he heard scream. Then he looked at his
| watch, and 1t was fifteen minutes OF three
| o'clock. ltseems remarkable that he should
have heard scream at that distance, since
| it is claimed the wind was in the opposite
| direction, and since George Hart and Dor
Rutter, who were in the field across the
| road not more than L0 feet away, heard
| nothing. Another investigation showed
that he brought home seven poles, and they
were cut so irregularly that the axman must
| have been very unskillful or was labOring
under intense excitement.
Ladd's arrest has revived suspicious that
| prevailed shortly after the tragedy impli-
eating Mrs. johnson. Her name had 'for
some time been linked with that Of Mr.. At
kinson In an unenvable light. This wo-
man, 1t Is said, was particularly obnoxious
| 10 the murdered girl, VINO on one occasion
is said to have expressed her opinions
| pretty freely about her to the family Of Mr..
Atkinson. There Is but little, IL any, doubt
that some unpleasantness was occasioned
| on account of this woman and 1t Is said she
intercepted letter written by Mrs. john
| son, and that she read the same at the dim
| ner table i'm the presence of the family.
| The theory Is held that this may have ex-
/ cited her enmity.
Intense excitement has prevailed in Ok
ford all day, and threats Of lynching have
been freely INDUCED In.
Three physicians went over from this
| city to-day and exhumed the remains Of
| the dead girl, but they were so decompOsed
that no examination could be made.
| WASHINGTON.
| President Arthur has approved the sem