Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-01-11
THE UNsOLvED MYSTERY,

The murder OF Dick Pierce of St
Paul still remains the sensation of the
day, and the amateur and regular de,
tectiFes are at work hunting fer clues
and finding but few. There was a
story started from some unknown
source that the body of Pierce had
been found under the Sioux City freight
house. There was nothing in it. Many
persons Dc act believe that Pierce
body Will ever be found en- earth,
unless there is the breath OF life in it.
This is due to a past adventure of
Pierce's. Some six years ago while
attending the high school he departed
unexpectedly one day simply leaving
3 note stating that he had gone.
There was no cause for the escapage
in his family relations, and it wa. re-
garded merely as freak Some three
months aftcrward the family learned
that he was in Waverly, where he was
keeping store for an uncle of McHale
Of Minneapolis, ana where he first made
McIlale's acquaintance. Some five
months after, he was back in st. Paul
and returned to school. At the time
he was murdered there was not the
slightest reason for leaving home.
Monday when he left, he did not take
dinner with the. family, but said to
his mother that he must take the L
O'Clock train for Minneapolis, and
that if anything happened to him,
there was some money due him and it
should be given to his sister. He had
previously sharpened his knife as if
expecting some danger. On what
these presentiments were based no
person can tell. Mr.. Pierce, the
father, says that the rubbers found
near the fence were No. 10, and there
fore not his sons size, and supposed
he did not wear rubbers. Iaquiry
was made as to the lady as to whom
he was engaged in Duluth, but his par
ents decline to say anything on the
subject. Pierce's friend there is a
Mr.. Thompson, and in the st. Paul &
Duluth Railroad company, and in an
Office where ne expected to work.
Pierce generally went unarmed in his
travels, but when on trip last month
he carried a revolver, and left it of
but few days prior to the murder, as
he said he had no use for it. James
Mallory who keeps saloon on third
street, yesterday reported at the sta
tion that Pierce was in his saloon
shaking dice on Saturday or Sunday
night had nc noney with him then.
Amoung the callers at his father s
Office yesterday was E. O. Halvor-
sen, who is with the st, Paul Plow
works. He came down on the train
from Minneapolis Monday night with
a young man whom he thinks was
Pierce, aud when Pierce got off at Eagle
street he pulled down his cap, placed
q small scarf around his neck and but.
tuned his coat. Two men with bac
faces in the car then got up and fol
lowed him out, but Halvorsen does
hot know whether they got off the
train. These men he describes as
follows: One twenty seven or twenty
eight years old, five feet ten inches II
height, and weight about 1875, with
a blonde mustache and wearing a dark
rover coat and white turn down col
lar. The ether was thirty six or thir-
ty-eight years old, little lighter
weight, and with a dark overceat, a
blonde mustache, but a little darker
than his companion and looked as i
he had been on hard spree. They
did not wear their hats or caps in the
car. He was taken in charge by tn
detectives last night and visited the
slums. More blood. A real estate
dealer named Cummings, from Duluth
visited the ground yesterday and
found pool of blood beyond the fence
back Of the PIONEER PRESS Office
and then a trail leading over the bluf
to the track, which showed that
body had been pushed over and lef
its marks in blood there, with bleo,
on the bare rock above a vault doc
and pool of blood at its base From
, here led trail of blood to the other
side of the track He is of the opin
ion that the ARRAY occurred at tn,
, fence, where Pierce was slugged AM
his body was then dragged around
a telegraph pole and thrown over TIA
bluff He thinks that a heavy bol
was used to commit the crime, an
, that the blood at the river was pu
there. The reason for the clothes bt
ing placed there was to remove susp