The Rock Island Argus., 1884-05-30
MYSTERIOUS LETTERS.
Serawis Received by the Attorney
in the McKeague Trial.
One written March I'd Which Ex-
hibits Remarkable knowledge
of the Wilson Tragedy and
fs SeIf.Accusatiye.

CHICAGO, May S0.-The attorneys engaged
in the trial of Neil Mckeague for the murder
Of MIR. and Mrs Wilson, at Winnetka, na.,
have received several anonymous communi-
cations, some of which are curious specimens
of correspondence. One is evidently written
by woman, and accuses a person whose
name the attorneys for obvious reasons, viii
not give, and says the person named went t.
the house in sleigh and killed.
tae Old couple because he had
borrowed large sum of money from Mr..
W, which he was not to pay at all if it was
not paid before the old gentleman's death.
The most remarkable one, however, is as fol
lows: 1t is written in back-hand, but is the
work of u man. Mr.. Hardy had an idea that
because the words were misspelled the writer
was ignorant and illiterate, and was evi-
IDENTIFY crank:
March ?, 1S94-MR. HARDy-SIR: | have
written Mr.. Mill the particular of the Win
netka murder | tell you that the old man
kid his wife that he was raging mailman
thay had had truble about the money he
wanted her to give her property over to him
as he expected to live longer than she that
is the way took it from him in the bat
tie that was fought which was a hard one as
he was like lion he shurely was crazy.
was near the house when 1 bird the old
lady moaning and run to know the caus
| could not get in only through the window
they were upstairs he had kid her then she
only raised one hand as got THAR. ltalmost
paralyged me, he struck her one then
| told him to stop then he came for me like
a beast | drew my revolver, and told him to
stop that was nothing he like lightning
grasped it, it was discharged then. do not
think it hit him then IA third bullet did miss
Wilson and lodge in the wall. The next
time he had hold the baral of the pistol and
| had the other end it went of then it bit him
in the head $50 Wilson was struck He
let l0OS but recovard and went at me
with II chair Ia broken chair was found
near the dead.l l thought my time had
come, l never saw amy thing like that |
had to kill him did it in self-defenSe | had
to stand on him Wilson's ribs were crushedl
to the last he was like a tigar he never would
let me out hive after he was dead | did not
know what to do began to look round and
think what Il terrible situation l was in and
then for the first time | saw so much gold
ana silver and bills it struck NE to take it
and go away and be glad my life was spared.
am sure l earned all l got on
that dreadful night; if | had not
taken the money would come out, tNt
have committed crime, and it would kill
A'iy paD a "AstA 9ON w Ape eiAA0 HCpA
| msn so; he is clear of the charge. | can't
| tell about the buttons, mine are gone and
three OF them. This was written before
more than five or six persons, and all OF
| those discreet, knew how many buttons were
/ connected with the case. l shall never tell
| any more; You have it all.
The letter is the work of a person more
familiar with writing than he assumes to be
| There was obviously an effort to seen
| Ignorant of literary forms The knowl
| edge displayed of the circumstances attend
ant upon tie crime is astonishing when one
considers how long ago the letter was written
Tie statement about the stealing of th,
l money is the only one inconsistent With i'll
formation of the Wilson house commonly
accepted as fact. The letter has been rea,
| by several persons and Mr. Hardy is not tn
| only one Of the number who has given mucl
l thought to its contents