Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-09-18
A MURDERER's BURDEN.
Mysterious Murders Are the Umpire
media ed.

sure to be caught. The records of crime
prove the truth of the saying. In almost
every instance the murderer who escapes
arrest had no thought Ct murder ten min
utes before he committed the crime. He
acted on an impulse born of sudden pas
sion, ond had only to turn his back on his
victim to get safely away. The mysteri
Gus murders are the unprecedented. They
are mysterious because the murderer leaves
nothing behind. The detective assigned
to one of these mysteries perceived from
the start that he must depend almost en-
tirely on luck and accident The case of
the Chicago millionaire, Smell, proves the
point He was murdered Otf-hand In his
own house by burglar, whose operations
he had interrupted. The murderer seems
to have departed from earth. Rewards
aggTegatng an enormous sum have been
offered, and thousands of officers have been
on the lookout for months, but the suppos
ed murderer is still at large, had he
planned to murder Smell, he would have
been under arrest within week. In that
case he would have left clues and loop
holes He would not have fed, or in fee
ing, he would have left traces.
The first murder case ever had, twenty
six 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
a village about thirty miles away to look
for man for whom | had a warrant for
grand larceny. In walking from the de-
pot to the hotel | came across a group OF
women at the gate of a fine old mansion
which stood back several rods from the
street. They were nervous and fearful
The house was the residence of Mrs.
Bush and her son, she a widow sixty years
of age, and he d young man of IL. 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 a laborer,
but their knocks had been unanswered.
The neighbors had at last come to
have dreadful suspicion, and a constable
had already been sent for to make an in
yestlgatlOn.
1t was in my line to be interested and
to remain When the constable came we
found that we had met before, and he ask
ell 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
,of ba 81
and parlor. Mother and son occupied
ed us directly to Der room. She lay on the
blood, stabbed in FIVE places. Foul muir
der had been done. The first thing was to
send for 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 go 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.
2 There was stand In the kitchen, and
on the stand pitcher of water and wash
bowl, while roller towel hung near by.
There was 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
3. A hall ran through the house up stairs
At the rear end of the hall there was q
window. and beginning two feet below the
sill was the long. sloping roof Of the
kitchen and wood-shed. The lower sash
was raised. The 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. Conclusions: the murderer had
raised the window as blind, but had
blundered
4 The bureau in tie old ady's room
had been overhauled, as if in search q
plunder Here and there an article show.
ed blood stain The articles had beer
flung out In such way that even novice
could see the idea was not plumber. 4
watch, several rings dozen gold pieces
and roll of bank bills were in the heap
A robber would have taken them. Plum
der would have been his motive and object
Conclusion: 1t was another blind.
There were several other things, trihing
to an outsider but having a bearing OF
me, and as soon as the coroner's jury haC
been admitted to view the body began t.
make inquiries about the son. He sooI
appeared to answer for himself. having
returned from Providence on the O'Clock
train. There wasn't man, woman o.
child In the village, who had the leas
suspicion of him. He seemed stunned anC
overcome by the news, but while hi
demeanor satisfied all others, it looked t
me as if he were paying part. Hi
lamentations were overdone. | sat down
with him after while and told him tina
it would be necessary for him to accoun
for his own time the previous night H
appeared quite willing to do this, and stat
ed as follows:
left the house at O clock last night
Exactly at took the train for Prov
dence Preached there at 10: 30. | wen
to the - hotel. | was assigned to roor
80. After registering went to 24O Blan
street to see girl named Matte Davis
She was not at home | returned to til
hotel, played two games of billiards, an
went to bed went up stairs with job
Carew, a Boston drummer. | slept unit
yin the morning. Had breakfast, stroll
ed about, had dinner, and left for home &
i AS"