Wichita eagle., 1886-09-22
MCKINNEY RETURNED.

Monday afternoon Sheriff HAYS was In
formed by the authorities at Wellington that
Mckinney was a raving maniac and that
they could Go nothing with him. The Sheriff
and one assistant went for the prisoner and
yesterday returned with him to the Jail
They found Mckinney at Wellington, chain
ed mp in his cell, and it required three men to
dress him for the journey. Finally getting
him on a street car he was taken
baggage car. During the whole of his trip
to this city he was very noisy but was landed
in the hack and at the Jail comparatively
easy when told that q mob was here from
Valley Center to lynch him.
/ When first put into his cell he was morose
and raved good deal; but in the evening
when an EAGLE reporter, through the kind
ness of Under Sheriff Brown, was admitted
to the Jail to see him, he was quiet. Al
though at first refusing to talk
he afterwards became very commu-
nicative. He is much thinner than
when the great crime was committed, and
has haggard careworn look. He took little
food while ct Wellington. but yesterday eat
three hearty meals.
He talked calmly and nationally, saying
that he was well in body, bnt that trouble
had almost set him crazy.
He spoke of the kindness he had received
from all his jailors, and said he had no rea-
son to complain of their treatment. He said
that he had never been in Jail before, and
that he had always borne a good name, and
referred to several of his former friends
in proof of this. 'When l came
through from California I had a
letter of recommendation in my valise.
left it with my brother in Kansas City, and
he told me he would bring it down to my
trial
''It is pretty hard to tell what lead me to
do as did, he said in reply to a question
asking his motive, ''but l was worried to
death. One day l went and saw Squire
Goodricland he told me my father-in-law
had no right to keep my wife away from me
when she wanted to see me-" There he broke
out into an incoherent rambling talk about
his life being in danger and the love he had
for his wife She had written to him he
said, and from the tones of endearment used
he believed she wanted to come to
him when he was in Lawrence,
but her father and mother would not permit
her.
II never ill-treated her, she will tell you
so, know, and everyone else will, too; and
we always got along well together.@>
L., (sol
fornia he said he treated him kindly and did
everything to make the visit pleasant. His
wife had no idea of leaving him and did not
say word about anything of the kind. One
day he went to hire some mules for widow
to use in threshing her wheat and when he
his wife and father-in-law were
gone. He tried to stay there for while but
could not, then came to Kansas City, and
afterwards to Lawrence where he kept
a peanut and confectionery stand.
1t was while there that he
received the letter from his wife, and soon
afterwards he sold out everything to come to
her. At Valley Center, she was kept from
him and in fit of rage or madness the deed
was done.
He appeared to be hurt by being called
worthless negro" as he said he had been
II have always been hard working man
and tried hard to get along l was never
lazy or indolent."
Such was the story he told through the
bars of his cell, appearing willing enough to
upon everything about the crime
out its commission He has not yet made
out his defense nor retained a. lawyer, but |
intends selling the lots which he says he owns
IN California and with the money engage
some one to defend him.