Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-09-18
,MURDERER's BURDEN.
u,.terious Murders Are the Unpre'
meditat ed.

ZOO that the man who plans murder is
,,ro 10 be caught. The records of crime
nroye the truth of the saying. In almost
ptrorv instance the murderer who escapes
srrsSt had no thought cf murder ten min
Mo. before he committed the crime. He
acted on an impulse born of sudden pas
ION ond had only to turn his back on his
victim to get safely away. The mysterl-
ons murders are the unprecedented They
are mysterious because the murderer leaves
rothing behind. The detective assigned
Ia one of these mysteries perceived from
tbe start that he must depend almost en-
tirely on luck and accident The case of
tbe Chicago millionaire, Smell, proves the
noipt. He was murdered otf-hand in his
own house by ii burglar, whose operations
he had interrupted. The murderer seems
10 have departed from earth. Rewards
aggregating an enormous sum have been
offered. and thousands of officers have been
m the lookout for months, but the suppos
ed murderer is still at large, had he
MANNED TO murder Smell he would have
been under arrest within week. In that
ease he would have left clues and loop
holes He would not have fed, or, in fee
mo, he woull have left traces.
The first murder case ever had, twenty
.x years ago, had its parallel last winter.
The two cases might be called twins. My
case occurred in Rhode Island The
parallel is the Latimer case, at Jackson,
Mich One winter morning away back
in the sixties, | left the Providence train at
aviage about thirty miles away to look
fora man for whom | had warrant for
grand larceny. In walking from the de-
pot to the hotel ! came across group OF
women at the gate of fine old mansion
which stood back several rods from the
street. They were nervous and fearful.
The house was the residence of a Mrs.
Bush and her son, she widow sixty years
Of age, and he a young man of q. The
hour was II o'clock, and they became
alarmed because there was no stir about
the house. 1t was known that the son.
James had gone to Providence the even
ing before, but the mother was an early
riser and the house should have opened
by7 o'clock. The milkman had been
there, as also the butcher boy and laborer,
but their knocks had been unanswered.
The neighbors had at last come to
have dreadful suspicion. and "a constable
bad already been sent for to make an in
vestgatlon.
1t was in my line to be interested and
foreman. When the constable came we
found that we had met before, and he ask
ed me as favor to assist him. He was
nervous and excited, and we both had the
same feeling before the house was entered.
would have bet my life that the old
woman was dead and he was just as sure.
We Knocked at the kitchen door until any
living person would have been aroused,
and then we broke it open and entered.
Everything in the kitchen was in order.
and the same was true of the sitting room
and paror. Mother and son occupied
rooms up stairs. One of the women pilot
ed US directly to her room. She lay ON the
floor in her night clothes in pool OF
hood, stabbed in FIVE places. Foul muir
der had been done. The first thing was to
sendfor the coroner, the next to turn every
body out doors. The murdered woman
had relatives in the town, and as soon as
they got the news and reached the spot |
was engaged to take charge OF the case.
telegraphed to my chief at Providence and
was told to 90 ahead, and half an hour
later ! was at work. Before any persons
were admitted took the coroner and con-
stable through the house to look for clues,
and here is what found:
|, The key of the back door was miss
ING. There was heavy bolt on the in
side but the bolt was not sprung. There
fore some one had passed out by the door
and locked it from the outside.
,, There was stand in the kitchen, and
On the stand pitcher of water and a wash
bowl, while roller towel hung near by.
There was "a damp spot in the towel. The
pitcher was on the floor half of its con-
tents gone, while gill of bloodstained
water remained in the bowl. Conclusion
the murderer had washed his hands IN
here.
5. A hall ran through the house up stairs.
Al the rear end of the hall there was
window, and beginning two feet below the
All was the long. sloping roof OF the
Kitchen and wood-shed. The lower sash
was raised 1he sash had been fastened
with nails. These nails had been pulled
OUT found one of them on the floor,
close to the base board. They could have
only been pulled from the inside. The
sash bore no marks of violence. There
was snow on the roof, and 1t showed no
tracks. Conclusion: the murderer had
raised the window as a blind, but had
Numbered.
4 Tho bureau in TIE cid lady's room
had been overhaulcd as if in search Of
Punder. Here and tlfre an article show
"a blood stain. TIE articles had been
1'ng out in such a way that even novice
-llll see the idea wa, not plumber. A
watch, several rings. dozen geld pieces,
.lI q roll Of bank bills were in the hear,
= ioooer would have taken them Plum
Geef would have been his motive and object.
INCLUSION: 1t was another blind.
There were several other things. trifing
- ah outsider, but having a bearing on
-.7' and as soon IS the coroner's jury had
,7en admitted to slew the body began to
I'he inquiries about the son. He soon
a!Itared to answer for himself, having
..s,lrned from Providence ON the o'clock
ZEN There wasn'ta man, woman OF
-LIa IN the village, who had the least
n. piclon Of him. He seemed stunned and
3.stcome by the news, but while his
arlle NOR satisfied all others, it looked to
4 Il he were paying part. His
'-'lShtatlons were overdone. | sat down