, 1890-10-25
A FRIEND TO The FORE.
The Address of a Kansan on Be-
half of Chas. Miller.
A Confession That Doesn't Iibe
With Later Stories.
The Friends Recital Rather Dam.
aging TO the Boy.

A friend to Miller the boy murderer Of
Fishbaugh and Emerson. has come to the
front with an address on behalf of the
remarkable criminal now In the Laramie
county Jail. According to this statement
the murder is more aRgravating than de-
picted in the confessions to A. A. Stew.
art, editor OF heRepublic and TIE LEA
DER's correspondent at Manhattan, to
Sheriff Martin and others. The author
of the address Is newspaper publisher,
farmer and amateur attorney at Leon
ardsville, Kas. Here is tho story as for
warded to THE LEADER: In order that q
sadly unfortunate orphan boy, who in a
frenzy Of despair. crazed by the Cravings
of hunger and tortured by tear-perhaps
imaginary. yet none the less ~tormenting
committed a bloody crime, may have
the privilege of a hearing before the pub
lie, and that the extenuating circum.
stances connected with his case may be
known and have their weight in palliat-
ing to some extent the awful aspect Of his
crime, we desire to make a somewhat de-
tailed statement of the boys history, with
which we are. in a general way, somewhat
familiar.
In June, 1886, Fred Miller, with a
number of other children. was brought by
the Children's Aid Society OF New York
City, and Fred was selected by myself
from the number, and has been a mem
Der of our family ever since that time.
He has been a remarkably industrious,
faithful and upright boy ever since, as the
entire community here will attest. Soon
after be came here his brother Charles,
the unfortunate subject of this article, was
sent to Virginia and placed with a
farmer near Norfolk in that
state. He remained a few months
there. but for some reason was returned
to the orphan asylum at New York City.
Soon afterward he was sent by the aid So
ciety to Minnesota auo placed with a
farmer there, He renamed with this
farmer for some time, but complained to
his brother that he was i'll treated and
poorly clothed, and finally left bis home
there and sought refuge elsewhere. He
wrote repeatedly to his brother here com
planning of his bard lot and asking his in
tereession and assistance to get away from
there and come to Kansas, SO as to get A
home where he could be near his brother.
A school teacher with whom he became
acquainted became interested in his behalf
and wrote me two or three times, corrobo-
rating his statements and in~terceding for
him. As a result the matter was laid
before the Children's Aid Society and
transportation to Leonardville was fur
nished him. He came to Kansas and
after spending some weeks with his
brother, and picking up some knowledge
OF the printer s trade in the Monitor office,
| secured him a home with Rev. j. II.
Colt, editor of the Randolph Enterprise,
where he remained for a considerable
time. assisting in the Enterprise Office.
But he became restless and dissatisfied
and ran away from there. He spent a
few days in Manhattan and then went to
Omaha, Council Bluffs aud finally to
Glenwood, la, where he remained for
several weeks in a printing office. From
there he made his way in time to Roch-
ester, N. Y, where he has a sister in the
family of Mr.. Weaver.
During his stay in New York we know
but little OF him, but he was under no re-
strsint while there and went and came as
pleased his fancy. About the LIST Of
Sept. last be turned up in Kansas City
and wrote his brother from there. When
next beard from he was somewhere in
Nebraska, and said that he had intended
to go TO Cheyenne but had concluded to
go to New Mexico and winter. The next
known of him he turned up in Leonards-
vile, Monday, Oct. O.. he claimed that
he bad been with a large drove Of sheep
that arc making their way to Concordia
from Southern Utah.
He visited with his brothers here until
Sunday, the 18th. On Sunday he was
looking at a copy of a st. Joseph paper
and his eyes caught the headlines of q
dispatch giving the details of the murder.
This seemed TO arouse his sensibilities,
and he asked his elder brother to take q
walk. as he had something to tell him.
When alone he told him the whole story,
and then started to leave town.
His brother returned to the house, and
entirely overcome with the awful revela.
ton, told the whole story to Mrs. Loot
bourrow. | could hardly bring myself to
believe that the boy had told the truth,
rather surmising that he was trying to
build up a sort Of James boy reputation
among the boys. But later developments
forced me to concede his sincerity.
On Tuesday afternoon he returned and
asked an interview with his brother. He
said to him that he would rather hang
than endure the mental agony he had to
endure continually. He said that when
ever he hut his eyes to sleep the muir
dered boys stood before him and he could
not rid himself of their presence, and he
wanted to surrender himself and let the
law take its course. But he did not know
how to proceed and wanted me to 20 with
him and state his case for him, which /
consented to do.
He did not at any time after this ialter
or swerve from his purpose but went
manfully to the sheriffs office and in the
absence of the sheriff consented, at my
suggestion. to be locked up in jail.
This unfortunate boy was left an or
phan BY the death OF his parents when
he vas only 4 or s years old, and during
all these years has not known a mother
love nor had the benefit of her watchiu'
care, and has not had the advantage OF {
L falhar'a ~cnunaal and restrnin,nn an.ho.;iu