The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-11
DID ITS WORK WE'LL.
Saddlers Knife Inflicted Neces-
sarily Fatal Wounds.
THE MURDERER's PAST RECORD.
This VIII Not Be His First Appearance
In Court-Deserted by His
Daughters

The knife that killed Nicholas Rufus. the
Greek ash psddler. is about as conmonplace in
Us Character - any article of h1soaadry could
possibly be. but il did It's work well Il i 8
very ordinary four-bit !acEkniie, with two
blades The large olsde is two and tnree-qua.ter
inches long, and Of The usual proyortionate
WIDTH Inc other blade iz smaller Il IL not
stained with blood, &c the zig che Is The
handle is on one side o; black hardwood and On
the other brown. Il IS nickel-tly Eed ard has The
common bar and shie!d mDuuti1gs- As Chisf Of
Police Clerk Squire observed yesterday, there il
DO suggestion Of an awful crime IN its appear
snee- But when the coroner he'd an autopsy
yesterday On the body of the murdered man he
IaarFeied good deal that death Cid not come
more quickly than il did.
In the hrsI place, there was one vital detail Of
the work OF the carpenters knife that tie at
tending physicians cid not know shout when
they dressed the wound. The speratnrs made IN
the fesh was enlarged enough 70 allow an in
terror examination Even this did no. disclose
gaping wound an inch and a half
in length IN the stomach On is greatest eurvs-
furs- Il IS probable that the stomach was 50
contracted tast the opening was pressed against
the inner wall OF the cavity, that il could not
De disclosed. The excessive internal hem
morhage was at first attributed 20 small cuts in
the spleen. which we're disclosed yesterday a,
the autopsy. The wound IN the stomach was
o
tie term used by Dr.. Smart N mis- report Of the
cause OF death. Il wss aided by the shock that
attended the accident and the subsequent opera-
flon and great loss of blood. II was also
found that extensive Inflammation had set in
before deaih, which would probably have proved
fatal II other causes had failed.
The mustered man had few friends who
have signifed their intention of seeing that be
Is cecently buried.
Captain Saddle-, the slayer, Is still in tie city
prison. he does not depart from bis original
story IN any vital particular. He has been sloDe
ever since his Incarceration His oldest
daughter came over from Eagle harbor on tie
steamer Alta yesterday. While On TIE vessel
she heard for the FIST time OF the occurrence
and her fathers plight she asked the purser
Of tie Alta whether the story was true. On BE-
ing told that i was she did not manifest any
concern, and returned 70 her home II the after
noon without visiting the city prison.
ssddler hss been IN trouble before. For some
time be was under indictment made By The
grand jury OF kittltss county, charging him with
assault with intent 10 Kill. The story OF tie
facts that led up 70 the indictment reveal sew
era transactions of q questionable character.
As has been told before. saddieE came 10 the
Z coast in the early DAYS By representing him
self as single man. he disposed Of considerable
property be had acquired near Eagle harbor.
TheD his wife came West and claimed the
signature 10 & legal transfer OF property. The
case was il the courts when the sffrsy referred
10 happened.
There was good deal of confusion among the
original purchasers of Saddlers property They
hsd paid for it and taken possession, when M.
and Mrs Saddler resoid par; OF it, and the buy
ers attempted 10 assert thelr rights OF owership.
SAdoler had wills served on the old occupants,
and while they were cut looking for bondsnen
moved IN. One OF the old occupants returned,
and Ssddler drove him away with 9 deadly
weapon.
The case dragged along for some time, and
was tnaiiy disposed Of By a nolle pros.
ssddler 10 known 10 have recently conso-ted
with 8 hali-breed woman. and 20 have visited
the Mrs. Hall mentioned by Rufus Ia lis dying
statement during her husbands absence 90 his
work Joe Robers. q fellow workiugInan,
charges him viii worse oHeuses, some OF them
unDsmable.
saddler Is an old sailor, and was once master
OF a fore-sndStt schooner, which he sailed 10
the Hawaiian islands and disposed Of without
consulting The owners.
A coronsrs jury VIII be impsneled today TO
investigate the a1fair AS yet no witnesses have
shown themselves. The red-heG3ed man who
lives in Ballard is still among the missing