Omaha daily bee., 1888-01-04
A PLUCKY GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT.
She Secures Her Brothers Liberty
After Three Years of Work.

She Secures Her Brothers Liberty
After Three Years of Work.
Cleveland Leader: Kate l.. Kennedy
is the name of brave Ohio girl who is
just about to reap the reward OF her de-
votion, in the release of her brother
now serving life sentence in Indiana.
The crime of which the brother was
convicted was committed November 1.
1854. General Logan addressed great
mass meeting at Greensburg, Ind, and
during the jam David Baker, II leading
lawyer. was shot dead while chasing u
crook who had stolen an old farmers S
pockctbook. a reward of 81 900 was Of
fcred aud II week later young Kennedy
was arrested at Cincinnati. Tho boy
was pet at home, and sictly, he had
hardly cut loose from the apron strings.
but the Grcensburg people demanded "a
victim and he was promptly con-
victed, chiefly as the iurymen have
since acknowledged on his reputation
as Il hardened thief and criminal. This
was brought about largely, it is be-
licvcd. through the fact that his initials
"W. W." were identical with those of
certain well-known horse thief. He
was railroaded in week or two. The
testimony identifying him as the man
who fired the shot was indefinite.
Only one witness did so positively.
Kennedy at that time was extremely
boyish in appearance, six feet tall and
very slender. Dozens of people wit
messed the tragedy, and had he been
the man his singular appearance, run
ming and shouting would have been so
impressed on their mind that identifi-
cation would have been easy and COM
plete. But he was convicted and sem
tn ~ fnp 1 in a
Indiana penitentiary south, at jefferson
vile.
The boys father was steamboat en-
gineer, and he had sister, a striking
brunei, employed at big dry-goods es-
tablishment. AS soon Us sentence was
pronounced this sister threw up her
place. and set out to work to clear her
brothers. name and secure his release,
and for nearly three years she has de-
voted her life to the labor of love. Her
first work was to go over to Indiana to
look for new evidence. She enlisted
the services of the sheriff of Decatur
county who had become convinced OF
her brothers innocence during his con-
finement in jail. With his help she
discovered men, almost by chance, who
had seen the shooting, and whose de-
scription of the man that did 1T differed
absolutely from the appearance oi Will
lam Kennedy.
Telford Dickinson. who was within a
dozen PAGES of the spot where Baker
was killed, was positive the man was
wholly unlike Kennedy, ard created a
sensation by saying that the man who
did the shooting was the recorder OF
Decatur county, Mr.. Moulton. That
officer proved his innocence, however,
4, al Il g
Miss Kennedy clue which has proved
invaluable. She has found the double
of Recorder Moulton, and he has been
identified. The Judge, prosecuting
witnesses. the prosecuting attorney,
the sheriff and deputies and the entire
| jury with one exception have signed
petitions and written letters to Governor
Gray, stating that the new evidence
discovered has made it clear to them
| that Kennedy is innocent, and that he
was never sufficiently identified to war
rant conviction anyhow. And besides
| this there is lot of letters from reputa-
BILE in Cincinnati testifying to Kennedy's
! good reputation. The minor bits ol
| evidence are almost convincing OF the
boys innocence, and it is believed that
| Governor Gray will grant the sister,
petition for pardon at once.
ne brave llJllc WoDlstl hdi q
| varied existence during the years OF
search. She has been given aid from
| almost every quarter. But on the Other
| hand her life has been endangered 8
dozen times. She has masqueraded il
| mems clothing and gone into hell holes
| low groggeries, thieves resort and al
| sorts of places. She made several trips
| to Dayton, o.. in mans attire and dis
covered important evidence, She has
gone about as bootblack, as newsboy
and in every possible guise, seeking in
| formation, and has succeeded
| beyond her anticipations. Hel
| Investigations have been car
ried on in three states. In Indiana
| polls she struck an important clew, and
| while there was shadowed herself by
| others who suspected her. BY rust
she became acquainted with thieves
| who knew the real murderer Of David
| Baker. and became informed of theii
| plans for future robberies as well as con
cerning jobs that had come off in the
past. In this way she has been able tC
| almost certainly locate the man who
actually committed the crime. All this
| time the young woman has worked OF
| the most limited allowance of funds
| The amount of the living money a
home has been. cut down to the loves
| sum that she might have funds TO pa!
her way.