St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-26
A MURDERER CAPTURED
Who Makes a Clean Breast of His
Crime.

Bpecial to the Globe
la CROSSE, Wis, Feb. 25.- The muir
derer OF Grain Buyer j. Fleet at Ar
thur, \. D., on the 18th OF February, is
in Jail here, and has made clean breast
Of it. He came by way of Minneapolis,
stopped there day, spent money freely
and reached here three days after the
crime. The motive for his coming here
seems to have been to be near young
lady at KIlbOurn City to whom he at
once wrote through third person using
the name OF G. II. Smith. asking her to
come here and marry him. He was eX-
pecting her here last night until
the lasC train was in from the
east aad an bour after going
TO led he WAS arrested. The police had
5heir attention directed to him by cir
7Vlgr containing picture description
and IN offer of 81 800 reward. They
watched HIM for several days. and last
night found part OF one finger gone,
as described in the circular, Whereupon
they unprecedented him at once. He adj
mitted his name to be Joseph Remington.
but said there were three in the job and
that another man fired the shot. He
had S2l1 with him, land claimed his share
Chief Byrne, and admitted he killed Flett
and no other man was concerned in it.
He shot from behind and the man was
not dead while he was rif1ing his body.
He got $3.50 which was much less than
expected. He says he lived for some
years seven miles from Arthur and
knew his victim. He went to Fargo,
thirty miles distant. hired team there
and drove to Arthur in order to cover
up the Job. To-day letter came from
Kilbourn City from the woman, warning
him that officers were there looking for
him. He will go back to Dakota with
out rrquisiti0n. In his confession Rem
fngton says:
~ killed the man single handed. He had
gone 1lp in hay loft and ! followed him.
When he started to go out OF the loft l shot
him He fell in the hay and took his money,
which amounted to $780, and his silver watch;
that was all l got, and when was robbing
him he was still alive. left him there in the
loft and went to Minneapolis, where l re-
maincd two days, and then came to La Crosse
FARGO. n. D., Feb. %. Sheriff Nc
Laren received dispatch from La
Crosse this afternoon that Joe Reming
ton, the murderer of Agent Flett at Ar
thur. in this county, had been arrested
there, had made full confession OF the
crime, and would return without requl-
BitlOn papers. Accordingly llle Snorln
left for that city tonight. The clue
upon which Remington was captured as
stated by Sheriff McLaren was obtained
from letter written by r. L. Jennings.
Hillsboro resident, in which it was
stated that in 1889 himself and Rem1ng-
Ing were working together at II.
Hosford's, near Casselton, and that
young girl was also working
there who became engaged to
Remington, and the day of marriage
was in the coming March. She left
Casselton for her home i'll Barab0o,
Wis, and after short visit went to La
Crosse. where she has since been work
ing for Mrs. Rose. She had also kept
up correspondence with Jennings, as
well as Remington. Sheriff McLaren
theorzed that Remington would sooner
or later turn up in La Crosse because OF
this. hut as he did not know Remington,
he would probably stand a poorer show
of capturing him than stranger, and
accordingly forwarded a full descrip-
ton and photograph of the murderer to
Chief of Police Byrne, of La Crosse, to-
gether with the facts above given, which
resulted in the capture.