Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-07
CLIENTS MURDERERS.
SHERIFF HANDLAN AND CHIEF SAiih
RETURN FROM THEIR OHIO TRIP
The Men Suspected of the Crime Remain BEHIND
The RsQusifon Being Conditional Upon the
Ohio County Grand Jury Finding
an Indictment

shsr;ff HandIan aud Chief OF Ponce
Smith returned from their Ohio tour 10 70
lumbus, Mt. Vernon and Newark on the
early train yesterday morning, and are ID
a number Of respects we'll satisfied with
the results of their trip, although they
did not bring Christie and Kelley the suS-
pected murderers of Officer Joe Glenn,
hack with them, as had been expected and
boped. The Wheeling men had a pretty
hard time in obtaining q requisition for
the men from Governor Foraker, the
trouble arising entirely from the hara
fight made by the Prosecuting Attorney OF
Kuox county, to keep the suspected
murderers in the Buckeye State. As 1t Is,
the requisition finally granted is a condi-
tional one, the grand jury of this county
having to return indictments against the
suspects before they will be brought here.
The reasons for the fight made by the MI
Vernon official for the retention oil
the prisoners are not well understood
nv Messrs. Handlan and Smith, but the
official named spared nc endeavor to keep
the two nen within his W control.
When the Wheeling officers first presented
themselves to the Governor and made
known their errand, they were informed
that he had received word from Mt. Yer
non not to grant the requisition without
the Knox county officers had a hear
ing Governor Foraker at once telegraphed
that the Prosecuting Attorney Of Knox
copnty must be in Columbus by 10 o'clock
the next morning, at which time he would
settle the matter. No reply was received
Ia this. and 10 o'clock tie next day came
without the Prosecutor. Another message
was sent to him, that he must come Oh,
and in reply to this, he sent a message
that he would come by the next train. In
due time he arrived in Columbus, and at
once addressed himself to the business OF
keepipg the two men in Ohio. For q long
time the Executive wavered, but finally
said: =,
n"Mr. Sheriff, I'll tell lyou what / will
do. l will grant the rsquisition, but VIII
make it contingent upon your grand jury
returning an indictment against the two
men. Will that be satisfactory"
Sheriff Handlan replied:
"Certainly. If we haven't enough evi.
dence to find an indictment we could have
no possible use for the men"
The Prosecuting Attorney reluctantly
consented to this arrangement, n the
Wheeling officers left the Capital to pur-
sue their quest for evidence to be added to
that against the two men already in their
possession. Referring TO the attitude
taken by the Knox county authorities, a
gentleman said, at Columbus:
~ snppose they are anxious the two
men do not escape all punishment, through
q failure Of the West Virgioia authorities
to make out their case, and this is right
and proper, within certain bounds, but it
has been suggested that the real reason is,
that there has never yet been q criminal
sent to the psnitentiary from Mt vernon,
and the present Prosecuting Attorney,
having q pretty good case against Christie
and Kelley, Is anxious to cover himself
with glory by breaking the record"
The two men are not entire strangers to
this part Of the country, outside OF their
connection with the deplorable murder
of Officer Glenn. II Is stated that about
a year, or less, ago, one Of them, Ill
company with two or three other
prisoners, broke Jail Mt Little Wash
ington, or in one OF the ~ueighboring conn
ties, and Chief Smith thinks this man has
been about this city before and since his
escape in Pennsylvania. Regarding the
murder, the evidence seems 10 be strong
against the men. Ia fact, as has been re-
ferred TO before in the REGISTER, they
have made q very circumstantIal comics
sion of the crime ~ one OF the inmates Of
the Jail in which they are now confined.
Tie most of this talking was done by the
man Kelley, who goes under the pseudo.
nym oil Shorty" In his story to his
fellow prisoner, who has turned against
him, he went on 10 say that he aud his
partner did not care much about the charge
against them in Knox county, for they
would ge. out Of it by breaking jail, or in
some other way, but they were afraid Of
getting into trouble for shooting a police
man in Wheeling.
"Did you shoot him?" asked the friend.
"Yes; we had TO. He wa, right on to
us.n
''But you didn't kill him 2"
THAT'S Just what We did. We saw
him fall.n
He then went on to say that the dogs
gave the thing away" and related a num-
Der of details which correspond exactly
with the actual facts.
When Kelley had finished talking the
friend said:
you don't want this thing to get out.
It's too s~erious."
That's right. Of course, ii will 90 no
further with youp"
TIE above is q sample Of the evidence
which has been secured by the i~ndefatiga.
hle efforts of the Sheriff and Chief Smith.
There is much more, and in the light OF 1t
the presence Of the men in this city on the
night Of the murder can he established,
and their course traced west through Ohio
to the vicinity Of the county, in the jsil OF
which they are at present 'outined There
is little doub: but that indictments will be
promptly returned by the grand idry on
Monday, and that the trial Of the men will
follow a; tie same term Of Court.
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