The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-08-18


: Hughes. who had hem arrest d in Iowa
5 and returned TO Topeka on the charge Il
= bigamy, bal his eliminars examipa i IN
before Squire Mathe.ny, and was held 20
| answer the September tern of the dis
: trict court. = fter the trial NJ jor Wood
IN called upon Hughes In The Jail twice,
: once alone and once il company with Pro-
I SO, Slaulding, in order 10 ace tain, If
possible, ( ON h mself, bis connection with
THE SMITH MURDER,
and wheth n he was willing TO divulge the
names of those who committed the crime,
and If he mad any knowledge of il Re would
be willing to communicat-. Major Wood
son told Hughes who he was, and sought by
promises of leniency to induce him 10 make
clean breast
At first lash, Hughes made general
denial, but seemed TO be exceedingly agi-
tated when informs6 that he was a party
to the transaction. He made all mannsr
of explanations, and took great pzins to
show that he wss not In this part OF the
country at the time, claiming that he was
in the west till the fall of 1882, returning
TO NJ ssouri and going to work as a printer
on the EuniRe Star in the spring OF 1888.
Ii CHANGED that On his first visi, to the
prisoner Major Wood on misstat-d the
date OF the murder, SPEAKING OF il as hav-
ing occurred In 1882. All the expl ma.
Tins OF Hughes were made on this basis
Subsequently,, when Probe scr Spaulding
point-d Gu: TO Major Woodson that the
date was January, 1881, the latr call. d
On the prisoner again for the purpos. OF
correcting TIE mis- axe and of asking him
If he h id anything to say after understand
Jog the right date. He r-it-rst-d his
statements, but said he could Mt recall his
whereab ,uts in January, 1881. Since
Major Wood on's return, be mas receiy. d
letter from Hughes informing him es TO
his whereabouts In 1881, add claiming to
have been In Arizona
RUNNING A NEWSPAPER.
Just how much Major Woodson learned
during his interview with Hu .hes is not
x: own, but il is understood IN I Of The four
men implicated 10 the Smith tragedy, one
is In New Mexico, one in Arizlna and a
third 10 Chicsgo.
The news oil the Hughes confess on will
Dc a complete surpr sc In Kansas City.
Although Prosecuting Attorney Woodson
has been working on the case for some
time, h has been moving so quietly that
few people are aware Of he sIa,tl;0g de
velopments. Mrs Smith, the widow of
The murdered man, has been lele2rAphed
'for and will come west at once. II she
and ex Marshal Liggett can identity
Hughes as thu N IN whe was &C anxious 10
assist Mrs. Smith in investigating the
mystery, strong point will be giined BY
TIE prosecution. The description which
Liggett gives fits the Top ka Jail bird so
periec'ly that there is Il tie or n doubt OF
his identity.
A Tunes reporter, armed with uuequiyo-
cal information IRON Topeka. called on
Major WoOdson at his II sidence lssl night.
The prosecu ing at erney was not prspa ed
TO sp ak OF the ms tier, bat when convinced
that The truth hai Leaked on. he admitted
that the authorities were in a fair way TO
unravrl mystery which for years has |
puzzled the best detective talent in the
country.
Hughes viii be indicted By the grand
jury al the August t-rm OF tie criminal |
court.
THE DR4MATIS PERSoSE.
Hughes is apparently So, though he pro- /
fesSes TO be only %. He j. about FIVE feet, !
ten inches high, spare build, weighing, per-
maps, $50 pounds. He has yery black |
hair, black moustache, a dark, deep-set
eye, dark complexion. He has q down
%
sons with whom he is talking, in the face.
He is square shoul lerei AMI has long
bOuy hands. His expression is disagresa-
bic Hughes is intelligent and a good
talBer. He claims 10 have been raised
near Adrian, Missouri, and to have learned
the printers trade when he was teen
years OF age. H says be hes worked in
all The principal western newspaper Offices. Ii
MRS. LORETTA CAvENDER HUGHES
is rather small and eood-looking. She
at ended Professor Spaulding's CONNER
cial college about seven years ag1. Her
mother aisO took course In bookkeeping
al the same time. Before her marriage !
she had devoted herself largely TO the
study OF elocntion and music. She is (
thoroughly convinced that Hughes is enc :
Of the murierers of the late Mr. Smith.
She was Hughes third wife. His first ,
wife got divorce from him some wears
ago. Then he married Miss Wheat, who ,
has since been married second time TO a =,
Mr. Norris of Wyandotte. ,,
Hughes has Travelled un Ter MANY aliases. ;
What has been told is comparatively a !,
mall part OF his checkerel career. His !;
confessions TO his wife include two other
'ases OF murder. in which be gave the
,Iact da'es, places and circu instances. Ii
6 probable tnat before the cour.s have t
lone with Hughes it will b. found that he c
an tell of many a dark crime besides those q
Il which he is now susp. cted. c
IN SEDALIA.
Hughes entered the printing business as d
n apprentice 10 the BAZoo Office In 1872. "
lis father icing physician at that time 81
q Western Missouri young Hughes en- o
cred as bound apprentice, bat being of a W
owing, restless, ventur, some disposition, Il
e ran away after about six months ser. b
ice, going TO Saline county in the neigh W
orhood OF Brownsville, where he wss mar II
ed TO very estimable young lady, whom Ii
e deserted and afierw ards drifted into
-snsas. While in Sedalia Hughes was u
nown as "Bud Hughes" but among print. "
s, bore the more familiar nickname of pl
Since nnli ing the RAznn he hnn