The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-05
THE LUCAS MURDER.
Verdict of Coroner's Jury Found
Against His Companion.
EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST.
Only Slight Proof of Identity Of the
Body-The Cabins New Inhsbi-
tants Scared Away.

coroner's Jury was ernpaneled yesterday 10
Investigate the circumstances OF the death Oh ).
Lucas, whose body was found in South Seattle
Thursday. The bloody clothes, the double
bladed axe and the boots worn by the dead man
were introduced in evidence Four witnesses
were examined, and then the jury retired, and
after few minutes elaboration, brought in
the following verdict:
We, the jury called to inquire into the cause
OF the death Df J. Lucas, whose body was found
In South seartle september 3 md that the SAID
J. Lucas murdered, according 20 the EVIL
dence, by his companion, j. Edlund.
The verdict wss signed by Hugh Trounce,
George Harker, John A. Stevens, William Rey
nolds, William Carnes and G. w. Hapgood.
In the first place IL was not clearly established
BY the jury that the body was that of Lucas.
The boots played a prominent part in the identi-
festion. They were ugiy affairs. made of the
cheapest sort OF leather, put together in the
toughest way. There was nothing about them
that was remarkable. They were the kind that
workingmen sometimes wear, and did not cost
over s.. IS at q country store. Lucas was a small
man. John Rae, the employment agent, said
that the smaller of the two men wore boots
That was all that could be proven as far as they
were concerned.
The clothes were of the same cheap quality
They were bloody, because they had been strip
ped from the mangled body of the dead man,
but they had no distinguishing marks. Com
mon dungaree cloth was the material they were
made OF. Prosecuting Attorney Miller, who pre-
sided at the inquest, looked the clothes over
carefully, and WAS rewarded by finding rough
patch on one knee of the pair OF trousers
s'That is a bachelor patch he raid casually,
whereupon the jury looked very wise and still
more mysterious, and mentally recorded the
fact as an important point. In that way the
whole ground was gone over. lot of details
were brought ont, the whole of which, if
nod hF1f ~.
proving anything. The fact that the dead man
was J. Lucas is not beyond question, although
OF course, the fact that he is Missing lends color
TO that theory.
The witnesses were not knowing assembly
The young man Bertram Campbell, who dis
covered the body, told his story. 1t was repIete
with details-of how he was going over to the
county cemetery TO see about loading some cord
wood, and discovered the body by the uubeara-
BILE stencil that arose from it; how he notified
his employer, J. l.. Porter. aud how Mr. Porter
teiephoned to Coroner Horton and how Deputy
Coroner Smart came instead.
Then Mr.. Porter testified to leaving orders at
the employment Office for two men. Lucas and
Edlund responded to the order. and he set them
10 work. Finally Edlund, or the big man, as
Porter described him, came to him and asked
Tor his pay and received IT, Mr.. Porter FREE
Quently passed the mems cabin after that and
seeing the cooking utensils scattered about the
hoor thought that they intended TO come back,
and never suspected that a murder had been
committed until his employe told him and he
went 10 the little hollow, sixty yards from the
cabin, where the body lay Even then he could
not identity IT, IL had been eight days since he
saw the men alive. The appearance OF the body
indicates that II has been lying there two weeks
at least.
Two men moved into the cabin Tuesday last.
They had taken woodchoppers' contract, and
tad frrx ii.
was found right under their noses the very next
day, and they were 50 badly scared that they are
now living in another house The fact that
they did not discover the body themselves is ac-
counted for by the statement that the prevailing
wind blows from the cabin toward the hollow
where the body was.
Mr.. Porter went back to the time he paid off
the man Edlund and gave him the money due
his partner This was told by request OF Prose-
cutting Attorney Miller, who was very anx-
fous to find theory for the murder
AT that time, which was eight days
before the finding of the body, Porter did not
notice anything peculiar in the mans actions
He appeared nervous while he was being paid
Mr. Porter drove to town the same afternoon
He overlook Edlund on the road. "He gave a
sort OF drownded SMILE the witness explained.
giving the adjective two syllables. He gave
drownded smile as j passed him." he repeated
sand kinder looked at tn ground, and never
said a word"
The employment agents, Rae & Crawford
both had stories TO repeat John Rae told how
the two men. Edlund aud Lucas, had been ac-
cnstomed to come every day and look at the bill
boards Edlund. the big man, would go in and
question the clerk, and return aud tell his com
panion, who would only give his assent by nod
ding his head. He never spoke. until finally he
came in TO take the position and Mr.. Crawford
took his name first, so rs to b. sure To have it
right. Edlund was always the spokesman. He
appeared 10 be very intelligent and spoke Eng
lish fuentiy. The firm charged the men s. for
securing the positions for them, and il was
noticed that they did not seem TO have much
money when they paid the bonus asked of them
The theory of robbery is very weak one
There Is no evidence that either of the men had
much money when they went To work. Ii is not
probable that the murder was committed after
Mr.. Porter paid the men, even presuming that il
was one OF the two who was killed, for the con-
diiion of the body indicates that death came
more than eight days before discovery
The fact that Edluud was alive when he was
teen in town is another circumstance that the
jury considered Mr. Rae met Edlund on Second
street week ago. He had been To Tacoma
where he had bought a cheap railroad ticket to
Rayilla, Mont. such rs sold 20 men who desire
10 go 10 work on the Great Northern railroad
They are sold for Sic EdIund showed Rae the
ticket He did not mention Lucas II was so
common Nh occurrence for men 70 get Jobs to-
gether and afterward separate that Mr. Rae did
not think 10 say anything about IT,
THE MORTUARY RECORD.