The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1885-08-19
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MATILDA M~cKnight-Tbe Detectives Claim
I" Have the Right Man.
(b1om the Charleston Sunday Dtstatch.)
The city council Of Charleston sew.
eral weeks ago wrote to the world
Pinkerton detective agency,
asked for one of their shrcwdcst
men, a vcritable human hawk, to trail
the murderers of Matilda Mcknight to
justice and to doom. Shortly after
ward n thick-sct, dark-haircd young
man of about thirty arrived in Charles
ton and quietly introduced himself to
the officers of the city as Clayton NJ.
Weber, of the Pinkcrton agency, and
was given the few vague and feeble
clues already in possession of the
au;horitics-clues which tended to
mystify rather than clear up the muir
der. 1t is said in Illustration of this
mans aptitude for his business, that
after being introduced to q prominent
city official, the latter was ~innocen.
enough to ask tho detective if he
knew how to disguise himself. The
detective looked at him vacantly and
said he hadn't thought of that, but if it
was necessary he could try. An hour
OF so after the conversation, an aged
and dccrepid negro nan called ut the
officials Office and induced him to buy
a dozen peaches out of charity. The
aged negro was the Pinkerton dctcc-
tive, whose identity was not suspected,
and would never have been known if
the joke had not leaked out on the
official.
On taking charge of the case, Mr..
Weber repaired to the ncighborhood
of the crime, where he soon became
well known by the neighborhood,
although his identity and business
were not suspected. After working
several days he became satisfied that
the parties already arrested were
innocent, and that the real muir
dcrcrs had not been suspected. For
two or three weeks his labors were
apparently without result, and the few
people who knew he was here began to
believe that even the Pinkcrton man
was batllcd, and would 60 home. with
ont his game.
On Thursday last, however, the
result of his labor was indicated by his
swearing out warrants for Mr.. Silas
DAILY, the white truck farmer who
found the bundles on the morning after
ored man in his employ, and Amanda
Martin, his cook. They were taken
to Jail without bail, and that evening
Lieutenant Sigwald, of the police
force, Detective Weber and several
citizens, including a Dispatch re-
porter, visited the house and premises
of Mr.. DAILY, situated on Rutlcdgc
avenue, nearly opposite the house Of
Matilda Mcknight, the murdered wo-
man, the latter being set back seventy
five yards from the street, and cut off
from the street by Il vacant lot over
grown with woods.
MIR. Days premises we're in charge
of a colorcd man dcputcd by the sheriff
to take care of them. The house was
opened to the officers and reporter and
q thorough search was made. Mr..
DAILY, who had been living in the
neighborhood about two years, is a
bachelor of nearly sixty, though he
looks much younger. His house is q
low, narrow, cream-colored frame
building, with the gable toward the
street. 1t is II story high and com
posed OF three rooms in Il row, each
room being as wide as the house, lcav-
ing a few feet for the little piazza in
front. The Pinkcrton man was alert
and busy and restless. With his vest
unbuttoncd and his sleeves rolled up
he pumped a bucket of water, and
carried it 10 the little front gate and
put it down. He returned to the
house and procured a broom and
Ratchet and chiscl. He swept the sim
gle plank sill that runs even with the
ground between the gate posts, until a
cow could have licked it without sand
ing her tongue. He then began tC
wash it with the bucket of water.
After cXhausting his bucket of water he
let the SUI dry the sill and then he
leaned over it and gaZcd long and
anXiously ut the bare plank. Rising
he procured another bucket of water
and washed until il was exhausted.
Then another and another. Finally
the sill was allowed to dry q second
time.
AS the dampncss began TO cvaporate,
and the plank began to whitcn, two
red bloody-lOoking stains which had
been invisible before appeared on its
face. The crowd gathered around
with an exclamation of surprise. The
detective then took up his chiscl and
Ratchet and began to pick around the
red stained spot. He soon chiselcd
out q chip from each place-.the chips
retaining the stains after being re-
moved from the sill. a larger chip
was then taken ont Of the threc-plank
bridge across the ditch in front Of the
gate, it having been submitted to the
same process of washing. These chips
were placed carefully in envelopes and
labeled and slowed away in the Pink
crton mans pocket.
a spade was next procured, and
with that the Detective fnlt and Iooeou-
ed every tutt of grass in the little YARD
and sounded every suspicious looking
spot, his intention doubtless beng to
find the missing hat and parasol.
Failing in this, his search of the prem
ises was completed, and the crowd left
the house in charge of the sherif7s dep
uty.
Ten o'clock on Saturday morning
was the hour appointed for the cxami
nation of the three prisoners. DAILY,
Divine and Amanda Martin, before
Trial Justice Whitman. AT ten min.
uteS Dast tpn O'Clock fbo ovom;not;o,