West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-04-23

Nv oAt'h hppealcu 10 ner Tor money!
when hard up, and that only two or
three weeks before the murder she had
refused TO advance him another dollar.
and that he had gone away cursing
her.
III was fair clue TO work on. and
| went To Cincinnati To work up John
Winthrop. He would not be found.
but found friends OF his who strength
ened the case against him. The day
previous To the murder he was hard
up, and trying to borrow money. The
day after the murder be had plenty Of
money. and offered TO lend some. lie
was gambler, a rake, and all that
was bad, and no one would be sur
prised TO hear that he had committed
murder. To still further strengthen
the case, | discovered that he had been
seen on the train running from Cincin-
natl to BlInkVillc on the afternoon of
the murder. He was also Known To
have returned to Cincinnati on the
morning after. Better clews COLD not
be asked for, but. hun; rs ] would, I
could not turn him up. He seemed to
have dropped right out of the wo I'D.
For SIN weeks | went up and down TIE
country, seeking everywhere, but all
in vain.
There was one thing in the case
which puzzled me. Why had the muir
dercr packed up and carried away the
tritling articles have mentioned? A
tramp wouldn't have done il; and
what the nephew could want of them
was more than could understand.
had never met with any thing like it i'm
all my experience. and my mind was
hall made up ON the very start that the
/ crime was the work of a lunatic. After
six or seven weeks of faithful work the
case was practically abandoned. One
day was at the Air Line junction, "A
couple of miles north Of Toledo. and
among other people there, waiting for
the train, was lone woman about
fifty years of age. As she sat reading
her spectacles fell of and one glass
rolled out of the frame. II was nv
fortune TO sit near her and Go pick up
the glasses. As did so she said:
There they go again | never saw
such pair of glasses in my lifer
The optician did not give you a
good fit, | observed.
Ion. | didn't get EN- of an Optican:
bought EN- of a stranger while | was
travelling, but | was never so cheated
in my life
WAS it very long agoP'
"'About three weeks
"'Here?
"'Oh, no. II was while | was wait
ing at MOnroevillc. | had lost nv
glasses and was fretting about il, when
the man asked me to try these They
seemed to fit me nicely. and | gave
him half a dollar for them.
IL was breathing hard about that
time. and it required strong effort to
control my voice as | said:
81 think he was n cousin of mine.
Can YOU remember his descriptions
Certainly. He was a smallish
man, having black hair and eyes, and
he walked lame. On the back of his
right hand was an initial in India ink.
He : the one, madam, and I'm
sorry he cheated you. Let me give
YOU this two dollar bill i'm exchange for
the glasses.
oh, thanks. thanksr
well, | got away by myself to
think. | had seen that man some
where. Where was ftp / began and
followed my work all over in my mind.
but | could not locate him. 1t was
midnight, and | was fifty miles away
when suddenly placed him. He was
one of the jurors at the coroner's in
quest! Next day | was back i'm the viii
lagc where the murder occurred. The
spectacles were identified by several of
the neighborS. and when | came to
make some cautious inquiries al out
the man i found him to b. IA worthless
sort of fellow living mile or so out of
town, and making Il poor living for
himself and family by digging wells
and doing odd jobs. 1t was true that
he was juror on the inquest, and it
was also true that he had been at
Monroevillc at the time named.
| went alone TO arrest him. / called
at his house in the evening, under pre-
tcncc of engaging his services, and as
he sat by his own fircside, surrounded
by his wife and children. | told him
who l was, and charged him with the
crime He wiltcd like weed i'm the
sun ~ he comprchendcd what my
words meant, but his wife was made Of
different stun. An axe stood in n cor
ner OF the room. and she seized il and
tired to split my head open. had Just
all could do TO put the handouts on
her, and then she turned on her SILVER
ing husband and revled him until he
stopped his ears to shut out her voice.
He turned out TO be a weak-nlinded
fellow. and it was plainly shown that
she not only put up the JOB but went
with him to execute it. While he was
searching for the money she packed up
the other articles, even taking her
brushes combs and towels. She had
hraced him mp to appear at the inquest.
and he had come through it all unsus-
pcctcd While il was clear case for
the hangman, some bubble Of law
saved thcirnecks. and both are serving
long sentences i'm prison
And how about the ncphew2" I
asked, as he seemed 10 have finished.
well, on the day Of the murder ne
took the train. as I have told YOU. but
got Of at town below Blankville.
There he fell i'm with some local sports
and won about four hundred dollars at
poker that night Upon his return 10
Cincinnati his life was threatened bv
woman for some grievance, and To- be
rid Of her he made clean Jump to
Nashville, and was arrested there for
gambling and sent 10 Jail for three
months under an assumed name.
Yes, luck sometimes PLAYS into a
man hand- in strange way, said
another of the group. rs he elevated
bis feet 20 notch higher on the stove.
Two orthrec years ago one Of the big
di-iillcr- at Peoria. Illinois. was robbed
OF goOdlt sum by hi. confidential