Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-06-03
WILLIE BALDWIN,
His Attorney Ciairts ID Have Discovered
Ev;deDte Showing That lie was Wrongly
ick.u x,fH

Hia Attorney Ctair,s i'd Have Discovered
Ev.eents Showing That lie was Wrongly
Convicted of Numbering His Sister:
KANSAS CRY, No., May sS---A specisi
to the Times from Atrhis5n, KAN, says:
IDteres. III tine Baldwin murder case has
been renewed and public. excitement in
creased by the issuance of warrant tor
the arrest of Peter n. Stokeeberry, charged
by Mrs. Baldwin with the commission of
the murder of Mary Baldwin.
From the first majority of the people of
this city have believed that Will Baldwin
was guilty Of the murder of his sister; but
a small minority have as conscicntiously
considered him innocent. After his con-
yiciiOn and Imprisonment his attorneys
spared no pains to secure new trial, and
in January last they were informed by John
DGaglierty, depot master of the Union
depot, Of facts tending to connect Stokes
berry with the murder Stakes5erry was
then i. tl;s county jail on a charge Of
burglary committed ON the night of July z,
1885. the night Mary Baldwin was killed.
With view of ascer,aining his character
and antecedents, the lion. B. L. WaggeEer
instituted an investigation which led to the
discovery that Stokesberry was profess
s:onal thief and had served term OF three
larry. Soon after his release in 1884 he
married a widow with three children in Ne
brassa and in the early part of 1885 re-
moved to AtchlsOn. He was a sort of car
peIter, and worked for Marshall & Park Of
this city, during the summer OF tina: year.
Oh the night Of July Z, the time of the
preparation OF the crime, Stokcsberry and
his wife. with Mag Hoover and man
named John Bethel, went to dance at
Harmony Garden, a pleasure resort in the
suburbs. StOkcSbcrry remained there but
a short time. leaving about seven o'clock,
and did not return until midnight. lie told
his wife that they would have to start for
home Immediately, and left the garden in
al excited and hurried manner.
When Mag Hoover returned to her house,
which adjoined StOkesberry's, she found
that the premises had been burglarizedsand
a quantity of clothing stolen. She did not
suspect Stokesberry at that time, but in
January following Mrs. StOkesberry sent for
her and told her that her husband was the
burglar and she had the stolen goods in her
possession. The premises were searched
by the police and tie property found in a
feather bed, as described by Mrs. Stokes
berry, who also told Mag Hoover that her
husband had committed another crime Of
an awful character, which she did not dare
to reveal.
Stokesberry was arrested for the burglary.
but acquitted on the evidence of his wife,
who swore he had been at Harmony Gar.
den with her from eight to twelve o'clock
continuously Oh the night of July Z, 1885.
AS soon as lie was acquitted he fled tho
town.
i. 4. Waggencr. ore of Baldwin's attor-
neys, attended this trial, having been adj
yised to do so by John DOugherty, for the
purpose of discovering some way of con-
Meeting Stokesberry with the Baldwin muir
der, but failed.
In April OF This year, one George Searles,
then confined in the county jail on a charge
OF receiving stolen cattle, and subsequently
arrested and sent to the pcnitentiary, sent
TO Mrs. StOkeSbcrry note wh!c! fell into
the hands of Ba!dwin's attorneys. The con-
tents of that note were as follows:
Mrs StokeSberry: When Pete left here he
was afraid YOU would give him away in that
baldwin trouble, want to see you before
go to the pen" Pete told he about II when
he was in jail. and / said that | would not
tell. but tn nix must. Don't you tn nix YOU
ought to tell all you know! Come up to the
jail if you can. GEORGE SEARLES.
Shortly after this note was received,
Scales was sent TO the pententiary. just
before he left he sent Mrs. Baldwin note
i'm which he SAID that lie had something of
Importance to communicate and in response
to this note Mr.. WaggcHcr went to tho
LeavcnwOrth renitentiary and Interviewed
SearIes in ihe presence of the warden.
The atlidavitS OF SearleS and the wife Of
StOkcsberry (who is suing for dvOrce) are
published, both tending to fix the murder Of
Mary Baldwin on Stokesherry.
The attorneys for Baldwin are reticent
upon the subject, but say that they have adj
ditional evidence which leads them to be-
lieve that Stokesberry and not Will Bald
win murdered Mary Baldwin. All they ask
is an investigation before competent trib-
unal OF this newly found evidence and the
release of Baldwin if found innocent Of tho
crime.