The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1885-08-20
VAS PRELLER THE MIN MURDEREDe
An Intercie,U Win the Indiridual Who Is
Alleged to be the ffurderer.

Alleged to be the Murderer.
The st. Louis Globe-Democrat's San
Francisco special contains an interview
with Maxwell, the alleged murderer of
Preller, found in the trunk at the Southern
hotel there last spring. This interview is
vouched for as correct, and was obtained
by an ex-government detective on the eve
OF Maxwell's departure for that city. Hav.
ing been asked, after a long talk, to speak
freely OF his future course OF defense, Max
well said:
"Al l can give you is an outline, and
that is more than any one else has got out
OF me. They brought in here Gen. Clunie.
a lawyer OF this city, who offered to get
out habeas corpus papers for me to-mor-
row, and who was eager to go on to St.
Louis as my counsel. Hemay be square. but
it wouldn't do for me to trust a stranger
with my secrets. No, l prefer to wait
till / get TO st. Louis before engaging conn
sci. Here is the gist of the st. Louis mys-
terry, which has puzzled the country for
four months. Preller and were old friends.
We came to Boston together on the steamer
Cephalonia. We were constant compan-
ions, and made arrangements to meet at
OU. LOulS d u ULc SOuULtFH nOUel, and There
to carry out a scheme which Preller had
devised for getting insurance on his life.
We met according to agreement. We were
in room LA in the hotel for about all the
time we spent there, but, mind you, Preller
was at the hotel only three DAYS. He re-
manned in seclusion for the remainder OF
the mystery at the Southern hotel, and he
left st. Louis alive and well on the same
day that / started west. That wasn't
Preller's body found in the trunk at the
hotel. When the case comes up for trial I
shall show proof OF where the body found
in the trunk was procured, who it was
bought OF, at what hour it was brought to
the hotel, and all the details of the plot. I
car tell you now that body was brought to
the hotel in broad daylight and a carried
up to room IA. Everything was ar
ranged to give color to the theory OF sud-
den murder and hasty flight. Nothing was
omitted which l thought would add to this
misconception. My design was to get clear
out OF the country before the body
was discovered, and once ~ Australia
l thought it would be easy to bury nv
identity in the East Indies until things
had been forgotten. l will show you how
entirely l trusted Preller and how COM
pletely I was his assistant in this scheme,
when [ tell you that to-day l don't know
IiOW ldiSC dH IlSuIdlCc ue CARRIED on Ills
life. l knew it was for a big sum and gave
my help in the enterprise solely because he
was an old friend and associate. Where he
is, or what arrangements l have for COM
m%unicating with him, of course tits out of
the question for me to tell, but you can rest
assured OF the accuracy of these facts |
have given you, and that they will all be
proved on the trial" Having been asked
why he changed his name, Maxwell gave
the following explanation, which is clever
to say the least: "You can't blame me for
lying to these people. Here is a crowdo of
reporters, some OF whom try to wheedle
and Others to bully my secrets from me.
Then come detectives, and say this thing
and that has been discovered; we have ali
this circumstantial evidence against you;
what ear you say to it? Knowing every
fact in the case as | do, / know that they
are lying or are on an entirely wrong scent,
so I simply puzzle them more or stuff them
with new inventions. They have all got
n theory, and they are trying to fit facts
to that theory, instead of making a theory
from the facts. They have been in here to-
night with certain articles, and have said,
You did this at such a place. when l know
very well thatno such occurrence ever hap
pened. They lave traced me very well in
my first visit to this city, because I made
no effort to cover my tracks. 1 used the
same name and the same disguise as a
French officer all through, from the time I
left ST. Louis to the time I boarded the
Auckland steamer and throughout the voy-
age. 1t came into my mind on the train
because the people asked me questions, and
it was amusement to mystify them and
tell them stories. This was the origin of
the French captain and all his exploits. It
was simply a blind to preserve my identity
unsupported and to allow me to reach the
colonies, which, I thought, could be easily
done before any news of the st. Louis affair
could reach them. l didn't know that
cable communication was so perfect or that
the news could possibly be sent to Auck-
land before the steamer reached there"