Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-05-26
A wilmington Detectives Work

buO AAuEQGt VI VIII 06 read
with Interest, as John II. McCullouob.
who 10 playing such an important part
In the case, 10 from this city and well
known here. He 10 q shoemaker bv
trade, and after Mayor Wales election
he was appointed by him to q position
on the police force. After serving
about one year he resigned, and became
mamber of Pinkerton's detective
force, and was on duty for some time
during the season at several of the
watering places. He 10 sbrewd and
bold and these qualities, com bined with
his natural courage, make him one oil
the most efficient officers in the country.
On Monday Mr.. Mccullough was mt
on the stand by the prosecution In the
Max well trial rs detective who had
been made Maxwell's jail companion
shortly after the prisoner arrived here
from Auckland, had won his con nfidence
and had obtained from him a complete
confession OF his m murder OF Preller. The
existence of this witness had been sus
pected BY nobody, and his appearance
startled the attorneys and even fright
ened Maxwe out OF his usual reckless
ldeportment. His counsel created ex
element In the court room by denoun.
cling the witness and the prosecuting
attorneys who had arranged the plan to
entrap their client, and objected to his
testifying. Judge Van Wagner said
he could testify, and the prisoners at
| torneys could reserve their abuse Of the
detective for she Jury.
Detective Mccullough then told his
story. He was formerly, he said, a
member OF Pinkerton's force in New
York, and after that was employed by
A. L. Drummond's U nited States Secret
Servi e In New York. He was then
engaged by Wansmaker & Brown to|
direct their force Of eighteen store de
teotives in Philadelphia. Last Febru.
ary be was brought to St. Louis by
| Thomas Furlong, chief of the Gould
raj ways detective force, and was given
this undertaking of becoming intimate
with Maxwell and obtaining his secret
On February 26th he attempted to pass
forged check upon the Mechanics
Bank, and was arrested by Furlong,
indicted under an assumed name by an
| unsuspecting grand jury, and put in
jail without bail. Maxwell, who ia
sociaole and talkative among his jail
companions, proffered an acquaintance,
and in week was on intimate terms
with him. The detective was shrewd,
and in a month Maxwell made him his
c0nfdant and asked his aid In procuring
perjurers to swear that he had plenty
Of money when he was In Boston. This
fact proved, he said, the motive Of the
| crime would drop out Of the chain OF the
prosecution.
Msxwelrs description of the manner
in which he murdered Preller was
given TO the detective in matter-of-
fact way, as he supposed that he was
speaking to an old and hardened crimi
N Hn hnA oabaA
furnish the money to take him west,
and Preller had refused. "Then /
ttoght I'd just fix him for his mean
ness and get hts money, to-" he said
to the detective. He obtained Preller's
consent to put him TO sleep while he
was suffering with neuralgia with the
hypodermic syringe found in his trunk,
and after he was unconscious applied
the chloroform with a towel, killed
him put the body In trunk and went
to San Francisco with Preller's money.
Maxwell told the detective that his
attorneys had secured a witness to swear
that he had 800 when here, and the
Boston witnesses were all he wanted.
During the time that his attorneys
were considering the plan Of disputing
the Identification Of the corpse found in
the trunk, he told the detective that
he would want the Boston witnesses to
swear that they had met Preller in
Boston after the time of the murder,
and that he had asked them to keep
the encounter q secret, but after 1t was
determined to make the defense acct
, dental killing. Maxwell abandoned
this idea, and told his supposed friend
i that the witnesses would be expected
/, TO perjure themselves only as TO the
money.
The detective left the jail after he
had been with Maxwell forty seven
y dayF, and went to New York. From
there he wrote to Max well, through
, Martin and Fountleroy, his attorneys
! that he had the witnesses ready, and in
. bis statement this morning he alleged
that he was told by the attorneys by
; letter to bring on the witnesses to bt
instructed upon their testimony. A.
this point the prosecuting attorney
with whom he was in constant commu
nication, told him to suspend negotia
! tions with the prisoner and his counsel
y as the State had all the evidence that i
needed.
Q The detectives testimony and Max
wells conduct while listening to 1t haC
All evident effect upon the jury unfAvor
able TO the little Englishman. McCul
Tough testified very directly, but lookel
, uneasy and ashamed as he desoribet
his confidential chats with Max well
a When he first went on the stand Max
" well, who had not seen him since he let
the jail, stopped talking to friend nea
- him, lost all his rosy color, and fell int
"A nervous tremble, which lasted unit
he could grasp the arm Of Mr.. Fountlt
roy and began whispering with hiu
He regained his composure within fiv
minutes after the detective had take
the stand, and was apparently as IN
ou moved ana listless as ever, but he talke
no more while the examination LASTED
u all the speculation in the case now
upon the plan to be adopted by the d
70 tense to meet this last severe piece
evidence, the most damaging the prit
ii oner has yet encountered.
During the afternoon session of ii
ls court Detective Mccullough was eros
y Examined viciously by Attorney Foui
tleroy, and the prosecution rstaliate
T. by putting In evidence the letters fro
II Maxwell's lawyers to the detective cor
oerning the Boston witnesses. Prosec
ng tor Marshal Mcdonald said to-nigh
I'VE have established by this witne
VI the exact manner In which Maxwe
killed Preller. We knew before tn
ID, chloroform had been used, and we hs
that fairly before the jury, but We hs
no testimony showing how the chlor
form waS applied. III the absence
that the defense of accidental dea
ch would have carriad weioht Nov
w. ic- does not, and we feel very sure of We
re dict"
'on
'enI