Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1889-10-10
GREws0XE THINGS At AUCTION.

0ooWCVAn xhlN0o Al AOVx1VNs
so1venirs q Criminal Doinss bring Coed
Prices Under the Hammer.
Probably the most auction
that ever occurred in this city tool
place recently at the auction rooms ol
Il. o. Leonori g. Co. Owing to the
peculiar class of people who were ex-
pected, the sale was arranged to take
place on day differing from that on
which household goods are sold. The
sequel fully warranted the precaution,
as nearly every phase of humanity was
there. The object of the auction was
the disposal of as varied lot of horror
inspiring relics as was ever got to-
gether. They were from o collection
made by Frank Erskine in q long career
as detective, and nearly every piece
had done bloody duty as q murderer's
or suicides fatal weapon. At lOA. NJ.
Auctioneer Mccain mounted q low
stool, and at once riveted the attention
of all.
Here is four inches of the rope that
hung the notorious border ruffian, Gen
Rafferty,. in September, 1881. What
do I hear?"
The eyes of one old, unkempt, and
bearded citizen in the corner gloated
with delight as he offered 81 for the
CHASTITY piece of hemp.
Three dollars quickly came from q
yelled woman followed rapidly by S.,
81. SO, SIS, before the auctioneer could
call for bids. 1t hesitated there for a
time, and then the first bidder, with q
sigh that seemed to break his heart, and
fairly trembling with anxiety, crept up
and reached for the worthless article,
muttering almost freely, "fifteen-and-a-
quarter" and put up the money to
secure the prize.
Here's rare and valuable piece"
said McCann with bit of irony. "The
shovel with which Red McGarry killed
Sheriff Nash
This was an old rattletrap, bound to-
gether with strip of denims that had
served as o laborers pants. It brought
more than half a dozen new shovels
would, however, and was bought by o
Spectator, who declared he could sell
it for $50.
An old-fashioned, two-barreled pistol,
said to have been taken from the Bald
Knobber Wiley Matthews, who escaped
from Jail and the gallows, and who was
seen a month since hiding in the
swamps of Arkansas, was the next me-
mento, and brought good figure.
The internal machine found on the
body of J. Krebs, in the Missouri Pa
cific shops, Aug. ID, 1888 was next put
on the block. 1t was an innocent
looking black bottle of the old style,
with long neck, and o small clock on
one side. 1t evoked no bids.
"This is the knife with which Bill
Knight murdered P. J. Harvey" ex-
planned the auctioneer. as he exposed
an old wooden-handled concern with
the half blade that Knight had broken
off by striking a bone in his victim,
sticking into the sheath. 1t was bid in
by speculator also, at fair price.
But when the knife with which Jerry
Pagels cheated the gallows by cutting
his throat was presented the excitement
became intense. The bidding ran high
and S37 was offered. The purchaser,
however, rescinded his bargain by for
feiting the earnest money after finding
he had not the funds.
Other relics, such as counterfeit
moneys, spurious bonds, handouts that
had confined noted desperadoes. files
&C., with criminally historic values
were disposed of. A peculiar specimen
was the old tin oyster can in which w.
E. Page concealed $l.O00.O6 of the
$4,000 he robbed from the Adams Ex-
press Company Dec. %, 1885, in
Golden City, Mo. Page was captured
in woman's apparel en- route to st. Louis,
with s6.SO2 on his person. The can
attaacted little notice, however
Louis Globe Democrat.