Omaha daily bee., 1886-06-30
WORKED OUT BY A BRIGHT BOY
A Very Clever Piece of Detective Work
Results in the Capture Of Murderer.
Caught With His Plunder. lie Con-
fesses, but Claims the Murder
was an Accident-The Case
Closed by Suicide.

the murder, as il was concealed in some
bushes by the roadside Only one blow
had been struck, and that had crushed
his skull. The affair occurred on high.
way much travelled, and, as nearly as
could be figured down, at about 3 o'clock
in the afternoon. The drover had left
his lame horse at a farm house and
started out to look at some cattle on a
farm two miles away Several persons
who were driving recognized and passed
HIM, but no one saw him nearer than
within half a mile of the spot where he
met his death.
1t was two days before any search was
begun, and a week, as stated, before the
body was found. Meanwhile there had
been heavy rain, and any evidences of
a struggle had been removed. 1t was
believed by everybody that the drover
was killed in the road and his body
lifted over the fence into the bushes. AS
he was a man weighing $50 pounds, it
was reasonable to further believe that it
took two men TO lift the body over the
the fence. The dead man had been
robbed of watch and money. His cloth
ing was considerably diSarranged, and
in his right hand he tightly clutched a
stick about the size of a broom handle
and half the length
two men were engaged in the affair, and
it was natural to suppose that they were
tramps. Arrests were made here and
there. but none of the suspected parties
could be located anywhere neaf the
scene of the murder on that day. The
bushes under which the body was found
fringed one side of field about ten acres
in extent and used as pasture. This
field belonged to II man named Claire,
l,,al ltrn Ia, al
facturer of well pumps He had two or
three teams out selling them on the road,
and at the time of the murder MS was
aftcrward recalled one of the drivCrS-a
man named Gilbert, who was a stranger
to the ncighborhood-wa at home on ac-
count of one of his horses being lame.
This horse was turned into the old pas
ture to rest, and two or three times dur
ing the week Gilbert went to the field to
see how the animal was dong 1t was
finally remembered that he was there on
the day of the murder.
A boy thirteen years old named Robert
Smith took deep interest in the murder
from the outset. While he said but little,
he was constantly thinking and planning.
He knew that the detectives were work
ing on the theory that two men We're en-
gagged in the crime, because the body had
been lifted over the fence. This was on
the theory that the murder had been
committed in the road. The boy took the
the pasture, although he was careful to
say nothing. In this case the body had
been dragged into the bushes. He care
fully inspected the ground and found sat
isfactory evidence that this WaS ttine fact.
lie also discovered IL stone weighing four
or five pounds, which he believed to have
been the weapon with which the blow
was struck. Four or five rods away,
after II careful search, he found the spot
where the stone had been uprooted from
the ground. If he was right, and he
firmly believed he was, how came the
drover in the pasture9 There were no
cattle in there for inspection, nor would
he leave the read to make q short cut to
his destination.
After days of cogitating the boy sud-
denly remembered that one of the pump
makers horses was in the pasture at the
time. Could that fact have drawn the
drover into the lot? Without in the least
giving away the clue, the boy ascertained
that the horse was removed from the pas
ture on the day of the murder, entirely
recovered from his lameness and that
Gilbert was the one who went after him.
1t was a spirited animal, and the boy rea-
soncd that Gilbert had had trouble in
catching him and the drover had gone
into the lot to render assistance. If this
reasoning was correct, Gilbert was the
murderer. Robert was the son of poor
farmer, and he could work the case no
further that is, he could not find out
Gilberts antecedants nor follow him
about the country to verify his suspicious.
The case rested here until the driver re-
turned after a trip lasting four weeks
The boy ut once became his shadow. Not
II breath of suspicion attached to Gilbert
except in the boys mind. He talked
freely of the murder, and if his expressed
horror was not genuine it was so well
counterfeited as to deceive everybody.
He arrived home on Friday night On
Saturday he was busy at the pump fac
tory. Bright and early on Sunday morn
ing the boy was at the pasture, hidden in
such "A position that he could take IN the
whole field. He had an idea that Gilbert
would visit the place, and that he would
learn something new in the case, though
he had no solid foundation for the idea.
AT O'Clock in the afternoon Gilbert
appeared. He had not entered the field
from the highway, but had made de-
tour across Il piece of woods. Near the
centre of the lot was half an acre of
brlar patch, with several dead logs and
stumps lntersperSed. The driver walked
and acted like one who desired to escape
observation, and made straight for this
patcn. lie was hidden from sight for
about quarter of an hour, and then he
left the field by the route he had come,
Robert was satisfied that he han secured
II further clue, but he did not investigate
until Monday morning. after the man
had driven away with his load He
crossed and recroSsed the patch half a
dozen times, looking for he knew not
what, but at length he began to examine
closely the stumps and logs. In n hollow
stump he found ball of weeds and
grass, and underneath this bail, wrapped
in paper, was the evidence TO convict the
murderer of the drover. There was his
watch and pocket-book, the latter con
tanning over 800 in money and many
papers.
There was no doubt in the boys mind
that Gilbert had entered the copse TO see
if the hidden articles were all right.
There was evidence sufficient to warrant
the mans arrest, but the boy was deter
mined to wait. He knew what clues the
others were working on, and he was
afraid of beng ridiculed, even when he
had such positive proofs. As Gilbert had
not removed the articles, it was probable
that he would come again and the boy
determined to wait for a second visit.
The driver had started off to be gone
three weeks, but he was back in ten days
pleading illness. He returned just at
dark one evening, and half an hour later
haH 4 la, fy, A.,