The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1884-03-20
a SCRAP OF PAPER.
How it Convicted Man of Murder.
Remarkable, True Story.

oosta county, recently to a reporter OF
the independent, with whom he had
been talking about the Markey murder
trial, calls to my mind the conviction
ofRobert Lyle, in my county, last Jan
uary, for the murder of Patrick SulH-
van, and | consider it the strangest case
and one on which there was the best de-
tective work done that it was ever MY
fortune omeet with. 1t is q famous case
| and has occupied the courts since the
year 1881, and gave the officers more
trouble to secure conviction than
dozen ordinary murder cases. They had
hardly anything to work on at first, but
stuck toit with the persistence of blood
hounds on the track of victim, finally
securing a conviction almost wholly on
the finding of q small piece of newspa-
per-"
The reporter became interested. and
suggested that the gentleman give an
account of the affair, which he did in
the following language:
Sullivan was prosperous farmer
and stock-raiser, living on Wildcat
Greek, In the southern part of Contra
Costa county, and Lyle was near
neighbor. The latter was always get
ting into trouble with his neighbors and
going to law, particularly with Sullivan.
In these snits hewas generally on Che
wrong side of the question, and. of
course, got worsted, which enraged HIM
to such degree that he was judicious,
enough to make threats against SuIE-
vans life, at one time telling the latter's
son that his father would fail to come.
home some night. On the morning OF
the day OF the murder Sullivan left his:
home with his team and went to town.
where he had a trifing lawsuit Lyle,
before Justice Of the peace, in
which he was beaten. prgphecy Of
Lyle was fulfilled, for Sullivannever re-
turned to his home alive, The next,
morning he was found dead with his
team In a field not far from hiss home,
his arm hanging over the whiff1etrBe and
hls body lying upon the ground The
first conclusion was that the teams had
run away with him, dragged hinm and
broken his neck. This theory was
strengthened by the fact that there was
. plainly marked trail for two hundred
md fifty yards, evidently made by his
body. No marks Of blood were ona his
clothes, and mo evidence that crime
lad been committed At the inquest,
when the clothes of the dead man were
it WAS found that he had been
murdered by sonse, one who had
SHOT H1nr IN THE BACK. -
Several of the shots had entered.yiiais
body, one OF them penetrating the hasrt
md two OF them Embedding themselves
n the back of the wagon seat. L at
ended the trial and took great indes-
,st in it. He was heard TO pass Sae
house of man named Davis about nisfe
,'clock on the night of the murdar.
The road passed near the house of Lyle,
70 that if the latter SO desired he could
lie in ambush and kill him.
When the officers examined the spot
where the murder was committed they
ound the foot prints of man leading
ojand from Lyle's house over the pios I'D
ground to the place where Sullivan had
allen out of his wagon. They at, ,oHce,
that Lyle had had isonnet.
hing to do with the crime, and went:to
lis house, where he was found eating his
Inner. They told him that he was sas7
oected of the murder, and that they
we're there to make an investigation
/ have expected this, said Lyle, .sbe,
cause have had SO much difficulty with
Sullivan He then told the officers to ii
go ahead and make their search and
hat they would not find any thing
about his place. On bwo
pegs on the wall the officers found a.
louble- barreled shot gun, one of the
barrels of which was moist on the in
side, and had evidently been recently
discharged. Some buckshot was found,
Lyle denied having any, and
IN the shelf by the buckshot was found
! crumpled piece of the San Francisco
Call, a part of which was torn off,
Lyle was arrested and lodged in Jail;
1t Martinez, after which, one. or
the officers took the prisoners.
boots and went to the scene of, the. sup.
posed ambush, where he foundt In the
brush alongside. the road the Mnprinta.
Of mans knees The boots were
found to fit the tracks in the soft ground,
perfectly, andlat this stage Of the in
yestigation the Alameda officers offered
TO hand over the case to- the Contra
Costa officers, but were detailed by the
District Attorney to work. it up,
1.-THE officer continued his weavinl
Of the chain of circumstantial eyidenc,
and again returned to the scene of the.
murder. Haven't to the place where the.
tracks of the mans knees had beer.
found, and about thirty
feet from that spot found
small piece. of paper that had evidently
been used as wadding for gum. Ill
was bit of newspaper, crumplAdi and
powder burned, but not so much so that
The print could mott be plainly read
At the trial the business manager Of the
Gall Identified the piece as part Of am
advertisement that had been printed in
the paper on the same day and date as
the paper found ia Lyle's house. This
Little innocent looking piece Of paper
was what completed the chain Of cir
eunnstantial evidence, and consigned
lyle to San Quentin. TT was. further
shown that on che nightsof the, paelrder,
between the hours of eight
and nine o'slock a woman's screams
and entreaties had been heard
issuing fronA Lyle's house It is sup
posed that 10 was Mrs. Lyle, who kneW.~
J.