Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-22

s. Rochelle. with detachment, took the
west bank of Big river.
1t was at one time reported upon the
streets that the body had been found bur-
led in the sand near dis home.
but this report proved false and the after
Moons work was as fruitless as that of the
preceding day.
This morning the search will be re-
newed and the sheriff earnestly asks all
persons who can to come between 9 and IL
o'clock to the corner of Eighteenth street
and Arkansas avenue and assist
The Gun club have authorized the inser-
tion of the following:
500 REWARD.
A reward of 500 will be paid by the
Wichita Gun club for the recovery of E.
T. Browns body.
c. II. SMYTH, Pres.
RUMoRs
From the hour that Mr. Browns failure
to reach his home ON Saturday night be-
came known Sunday all sorts of rumors,
reasonable and unreasonable, were to be
heard at every turn. 1t would have re-
quired an army of newspaper men and de-
tectives to have followed up all of these.
and only such as seemed in the slightest
degree plausible could receive any consid-
Grafton. During the early portion Of the
day the idea was prevalent among many
that he had become financially embar-
raised, and had fled the country. AS the
case was Investigated this idea was grad
ually eradicated from the public mind
until iY,f ho of 10 only readily
cepted theory was that he had been muir
dered. This idea was of course strongly
augmented at about $50 yesterday after
noon, when a telephone message was re-
ceiyed down town to send up an under
taker, as the remains had been found,
buried in the sand of the Little river. near
the spot where the hat was found.
The report spread almost instantly
throughout the city that the body had
been recovered, having upon it all the
clothing, but having been robbed of all the
jewelry Mr.. Brown was known to have
worn.
EAGLE representatives Immediately re-
turned to the scene of the supposed murder
only to find that instead of any solution
of the mystery, there was still no addition
al clew and the crowds of people num-
bering at times from 200 to 300, were only
able to clo-ely scrutinize every foot of
ground and every place which might pos
sibly have afforded concealment for the
assassin, or later, for the body of the muir
dered man. Men stood around in groups
and earnestly discussed every possible
phase of the case. Ladies drove up in their
carriages and asked anxiously for the
latest information or the most reasonable
explanation. Whatever argument was ad-
duced did not long stand the test of the
circumstantial evidence at hand, unless it
pointed in the direction of murder for
plumber The fact that Mr.. Brown was
the possessor and constant wearer OF so
considerable an amount of jewelry, is
matter of which, all persons who knew
him, were familiar.
PROFESSIONALS WORK.
Just who would have committed the
deed is not a matter upon which very
many agree. One thing however is evil
dent to all who have seen the work of the
professional thugs, and that is, that Mr.
Brown was the victim of some of the most
expert that ever worked in the west. OF
course the coupling pin is not one of the
weapons generally used by the profession
al, but it is just as effective and will not
be nearly so liable, to place suspicion upon
the regular thugs, as would "billie," a
sand-bag" or any of the better known
weapons they use.
That there are different times in every
city, the size of Wichita, men who will
follow just such business is a fact in the
history of crime. E. L. Brown was man
who had no enemies, and did not incur the
dislikes of others. Neither was he man
whose circumstances were such as to
make him an object of murder for booty,
except inasmuch as the large amount of
jewelry he wore was concerned. But right
here is where the gist of the matter lies.
That tramp would have laid in wait
there is not likely, nor would he have been
walking south on Arkansas avenue. He
would have been more likely to have con-
tinued south on the Santa Fe rail-
road track into the city than
to have divergsd in his course, especially
when unacquainted with the country and
at night. The coupling pin was evidently
a ruse of professional to try to make it
appear that railroad track tramp had
committed the deed.
1t could hardly be amiss to say that
whoever assaulted Mr.. Brown, not only
knew the locality, but he knew his man,
his probable chances for good haul and
the habits of his victim. Some professional
of more or less genteel appearance
could easily have come to the city
a couple or three weeks ago,
have picked a victim by reason of
outward indications in the way of
jewelry. large amounts of loose money
carried, ETC.. etc.
These facts he could easily have learned
concerning Mr.. Brown, by seeing him
unostentatiously display his jewelry at
such public place as a gun club shoot or
in a game Of pool, of which he was very
fond Then too, Mr.. B is known to have,
during the past week, shown in public
places, large amounts of gold coin and
bills. As late as little before Z o'clock
the night in question in paying bill Of
only seventy-five cents. he very indis-
cretely, in cigar store, pulled from
his pocket handful of coin,
gold and silver, variously
estimated at from $40 to 500. Without
this last event as an incentive, profess
sioual might have learned his habits
enough to know about when he went
home and have been in wait for him just
previous to the arrival of each car Whose
schedule time he could easily learn) and
upon hearing the bells of the street car
mules on Fairview avenue two men in a
vehicle could have started down Arkansas
avenue from a grove above Mr.. Browns
home at such gait as to meet and go by