The evening world., 1889-12-11
TRACED BY THE BUTTONS.
STORY OF THE DETECTION OF A SENSA.
TI0NAL MURDER.

A Minister Who shot Down One of His
Dcacons TO Cover Up the knowledge OF
n Former rime-A Chance Clue which
Led to Sncccss-Thc CailOws Cheated
by HUicidc.
Tho detective stories nowadays" re-
marked a veteran thief-taker TO n Memphis
Appeal reporter ARE always highly colorcd
and ovordrawu TO suit the imagination Of the
smail-boy readers, for whom ,hoy arc written.
"A detective Of considerable prominence.
wEo was in tho employ of the Pinkertons
once, related TO me his progress in II very
mysterious murder case which had startled
the entire East when 1t hal been discovered.
One of the weaithiest men IN u VILLAGE, u
deacon III the church and n man beloved by
all, had mysteriously disappcart d. and ut the
endOf II week his body had been found font
ing III IL rooi of water about ten mics from
MS home. The bnty was naked. and the
ghaStly holes in the back of the head and tho
other IN the lott side told that lie had been
shot TO death.
" He was not known 10 have an enemy in
the world, and robbery could not have been
the OBJECT, as he WAS a very plainly dressed
man, ana was never known tO carry more
than q few dollars ut n line on his person.
1.-The aid Of the Pinkerton agency was in
VoEcu, aud iley sent down my friend to work
on tie case, Ee Icing particularly noted tof
his success i'll working up murder cases.
There Wasn't n clue 60 guide him, aud
after looking over thc field fUr II day or two
he began to think that his eli 0rts were hound
To end IN failure. There wa no one whom
the murdered mans GGath could benefit OK
ce?t lis wife and son, who would come into
his property; but they were both away from
Rome when lie disappeared and their every
movement vns accounted for.
Finally the evening OF the second dav OF
nIg lnNCCflpl.lDn he cot WInI nvDNgI in hp a
winning cine, but which ~ the time seemed
very intangible. He was sitting i'll tue
shadow of some trees IN the court house
! square when a great bulking fellow passed.
whom he recognized rs Jo, eph Ward. the
man of nj! work nj tho village PASTORS. Ward
was not Il favOrite IN the village, as lie made
no friends. never went out except on brands
fer the minister. md coldlv %rcljuised any Mt
tempts OH the part of the villagers TO make
his acquaintance.
As lie passed the detective he wastn}king
to himself. and these words were plainly
heard by the, officer: ID 1t, I'm not
going after the buttons no one will ever
find them, and, besides, they must he burnt
MP too"
Ward had not noticed the detective MS he
passed, and the latter kept still, bordering
overthe words he had heard. For an instant
it flashed over his mind that it might refer to
the mys!sIious murder. The lody when
found was naked, and no trace had been got
ten OF :he clothing the dead man wore.
Inc WOtNlE heIt recurring 10 MN, ana n
day or two afterwards, impelled hY sons mo-
tive, he knew rot what. be visited the place
where the body was found. He wandered
around in the vicinity for an hour or more.
and finally becoming tired walked to the edge
of II small wood n quarter of q mile away to
rest i'll the shade. As he was about 70 sit
down on n log he noticed the remains of an
old fire q Jew yards away and he walked
towards it.
What he saw was startling to HIM. The
fire had hppn made of "a urCnt lpnn pf nina
needles. Now this Of itself was not startling,
but ms 1t happened, there wasn't n pine tree
in the whole wood and the nearest place
that nine needles could lie got was Mt least
ten miles away.
Eagerly lie cXemined the heap of ashes and
charrcd pine needles, aud his search was re-
warded ut last by the finding of n half dozen
or more burnt horn buttons to which were
wild nan lie returned to town and called on
the widow Of the murdered man. From her
he learned TINT the cont worn by her lus-
band on the day of his disappearance was an
metal buttons sewed thereon.
Two days after he quietly arrested Joe
Wn:d, not as the murderer, but rs an accom-
plice. lie broke down when confronted with
our evidence and confessed MI. The minister
was the criminal Startling as this may seem,
it was true.
Two years before the minister had been
gully ofH small forgery, which compelled
nun w 4tNNt llN IlANc " ltNlNltItC III ' or
mont, ami in some wny the deacon found il
ont. Fearful thai lie wonld be exposed. the
minister followed his victim on the dry of
his disappearance TO n smGll farm some six OF
eight miles out Of town.
Slipping mp behind the deacon IN n wood
he shot him in the back of the head. and, ms
Che deacon Turned in falling. he shot him
again in the side. lie then mt the bod in
the wagon. covered with pine needles and
drove home. Leaving the wagon and its
cEastl y loud stand i'll the yard until midnight.
he aroused Ward. on whom he had some hold,
and compelled him 10 go with him.
They drove to tho wood on the opposite
side of the town. stripped the body. carried
it 20 the pool and threw it in. and then re-
turning burnt the clothing in n fire made OF
the pine needles. Loading the wagon with
cord wood they drove back to own
The minister, who had noticed the buttons
on the coat. Happened 10 think That they
might not have been burned and Ind or
dered Word to 20 and get tEem. That might
the minister was arrested. and on his trial
was convicted and sentenced to be hanged.
He committed sr eide III his cell, however,
before the date Of execution.