St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-25
A MURDERER'S MATCH.
Maxwell, the Slayer of Preller, Outgener-
allied by st. Louis Sleuth
Hound.
A Detective, Who Worked Himself Into
His Confidence, Tells the Story
of the Crime.
The Englfshman Gives Himself Away
in Order to Secure Aid from
Supposed Forger.
Sensational T Testimony Given from
the Stand in the Great
Trunk Tragedy.
The Maxwell Case.

The Maxwell Case.
ST. LOUIS, May 24.-The rumor that a
witness, who Is said to have seen Maxwell
make an attempt to murder Preller in Bos-
ton, previous to the arrival of either Of
them in ST. Louis, would testify in the
Maxwell case, drew larger crowd to the
criminal court this morning than has been
present at any time since the opening Of
the case. The rumOr was not verified so far
as that witness was concerned, but some
exceedingly sensational testimony was
given by others. After one or two had been
called and dismissed, c. A. Bishop. one of
the attorneys for the prosecution, testified
that he had examined shortly after
Preller'S body had been discovered
the personal effects found in the
trunks left at the hotel by
Maxwell and found, among other things, a
copy OF Cooper's physicians vademedium.
The book was marked on page II, which
describes Clovers method for the admins
tration of chloroform. Witness also found
a bottle containing chloroform among Max
Wells abandoned effects. John F. Gull
Tough, detective, was the next witness.
After telling Of his experience as detec-
tive for Pinkerton and others in New Y DIRK
and elsewhere, in answer to further ques-
lions he said that he had been on this case
since Feb. 81 under the direction of Prose
cutOr FurlOng. With the knowledge of the
latter he had caused himself to be commit
ted to Jail on a charge of forgery under the
name of Frank Dingfelder. Witness then
went on to tell of meeting Maxwell in the
Jail, how Maxwell introduced himself as in
on
CHARGE OF MURDER
and of their gradual approach to con-
fidence. Mccullough giving Maxwell to
understand that he (McCullough) was one
of gang of forgers.
Mr.. Fauntleroy of counsel for the de-
Tense objected to the witness. He said he
was liar and an imposter by his own tes-
timony in open court. This man, he said,
had put himself in the position of Grim
inal, had had himself held by the court,
had gone before the grand jury under
charge of forgery and had gone to Jail.
The objection was overruled. The judge
said the argument was good for the jury,
but not for the court. Mr.. Fauntleroy
scored the prosecution for using the courts
of justice for such a nefarious and in
famous scheme, and said the witness should
be thrown out as disgrace to the court.
The witness, who was also scored unmerci-
fully. took it coolly. Mr.. Fauntleroy asked
~ oCilCo VI QuSStiOIS lllCuNCu W lSdu W
diScreditable disclosures in regard to the
witness past life. but the court ruled them
out. Continuing the witness SAID:
The Statements were made voluntarily.
| About ten days after went into the jail he
talked to me about these people here and said
| they were not fly, and had tried to break him
| down; that the chief of police had taken him
! (MaxwelD into his Office and had given him
| whisky, AM. when he thought he was drunk
/ showed him a picture of Preller, taken after
| he was dead. and asked him if he knew it.
| Maxwell said no, and said he would be a fool
to tell him he did know him. He told me that
he did recognize it. This was the beginning.
| We had other conversations. He thong ht 1
| belonged to a
NOTORIOUS GANG OF FoRGERs
and was in a bad fix. 1 told him if had a
chance at an albi would prove it. He asked
how. I said by my people. He said if he
\ had witness who could testify right he could
beat the state. l asked him how and h Q
said ''if I could get witness who could tes-
tify that l had SO much money in Boston
could get free" I asked him how much
money, and he SAID 800 or $500. told him
would try and get some of my people (gang
of forgers) to do him this favor, to testify
for him, and asked him to tell me about his
| case.
Witness then detailed MaXwelrs story of
how he and Preller met in Liverpool, how
they came ON the same vessel to this coun-
q
how Preller went to Canada and Maxwell
came to st. Louis, where he was followed
by Preller. both stopping at the Southern
hotel, and continued: ''They had talk
about going to Auckland. Maxwell was
anxious that Preller should go to Auckland
Maxwell said that Preller told him he had
only enough money to see himself through
in. the trip. He said he made up his mind.
on account of his meanness, to fix him. On
Sunday he said Preller was in his MAX
wells) room,. and complained of pains.
Maxwell told him he could remedy it by
using hypodermic syringe and agreed that
he should try it. Preller. he said, took off
his coat and vest and he said he gave him
good dose in the arm, which
PUT HIM TO SLEEP.
When he was asleep he used some chloro-
form that he had there. and when he found
that was not enough he went out and got
some more chleroform. Then he found he
was dead. He took off his clothes, took
his money and cut Off his undershirt and
shirt and took Off his drawers. He threw
the things out. He put him in the trunk
and left the things in the room. This was
OF 5 o'clock in the afternoon. He said
he then stayed around until Monday morn
ing, when he went out and bought several
things. trunks among them. He then
packed his own trunk, putting the things he
had taken from Prefers body into his
trunk. He bought ticket for San Fran
CISCO for which, think, he said he paid
SIG" Mccullough continued. saying
Maxwell told him he had about S7OO before
he started for San Francisco. He spent
s3s here and $40 ON the journey, and
loaned confidence man in San Francisco
$50 on watch. In house of ill repute,
where he went. the girl went out of the
room and he did not like the looks of it,
so met her with a cooked revolver when
she returned, saying: 1T is good thing
you are not man." She asked why, and
he said that he had just killed a man and
did not propose to be arrested. He went
to the hotel in the morning. He said that
| he wrote letter and
! LEFT IT AT THE HOTEL.
ibid he say anything about the letter?''
| HE said he had lots of fun out of it; that
! it was the greatest spider-leg chase he ever
saw, and that he had written it because in
looking for an Englishman they would not
pick up q Frenchman."
Mccullough testified to the further effect
that Maxwell told him he bought steerage
/ ticket at San Francisco for 500; had a
| pleasant trip, and had S14O left when he
reached Auckland; that the clothing taken
from Preller's body was in trunk in the
steerage, and he could not get at it or he
would have made away with it. Continu-
ing, witness said:
asked Maxwell what he wanted, and Max
well explained that he wanted witness to
prove that he had alarge sum of money be-
fore he left Boston. Maxwell said witness
could say that they met him i'll q club-room
at Youngs hotel aud had called at his room.
They could state that they were with bin,
and that on the day he left Boston they
dropped into Murphy's to take drink and
Maxwell treated them. He had large roll
of bills, and one of them suggested that he
was careless in carrying his bills so loosely in
his pocket, and they could swear that they
saw $500 or 5000 in bills, he did not care much
what. We then agreed on the manner of
making up the story of posting my (witnesse's)
| alleged friend
HOW TO TESTIFY.
1t was first suggested that the two friends be
introduced to MaXwells attorney, and then
brought into jail to see him, but this was