The record-union., 1891-10-14
EVOLUTION OF AN OYSFERMAN.
Did Bernie Arnold Become an Outlaw
and Murderer
Circumstances Which Seem to Point
i'm that Direetion-The Story of
His Alleged Crime.

On the morning of February IA, 1890, the
dead bodies of Allen and Dorothy Jones
We're found in a manure pile on the Pin
ney farm, near Seymour Park, four miles
south of Omaha. Both had been shot to
death, and mystery surrounded the man
ner and cause of their taking off. Then
it was discovered that several head of
horses and seven head Of cattle had been
stolen from the place.
Several people were suspected, and vig-
orous action on the part of the officials
finally fastened the crime upon Ed Neal,
who was found at Kansas City, where he
was in Jail, charged with stealing q bunch
of cattle near that city. He was taken to
Omaha, tried and convicted Of murder in
the first degree and sentenced to be
hanged. A respite was granted and the
case was taken to the Supreme Court,
where the finding of the lower court was
affirmed. Neal was an assumed name,
and all efforts to discover the identity of
the prisoner proved futile.
Last Friday Neal was hanged at Omaha.
He passed restless night, but walked
boldly to the seaifold. He refused to tell
who he was.
On the day of his execution a dispatch
llOlll 11Ob cplIiSSs oOllli1 bdhOld, WAS
published in the Omaha World Herald,
in which it was stated that a gentleman
then visiting in HotSprings was confident
that he had the solution of the identity OF
Ed Neal, whom he believed to be Louis
Arnold, the son OF an oysterman at Sac
ramento, Cal.
The telegram further stated that three
days before the dead bodies of Allen and
Dorothy Jones We're discovered this gen
tlenlan was in Omaha. On the street he
met Ar4old and the latter suggested a
meeting that night to talk over old times
the two having been boys together. The
meeting was at the Paxton Hotel that
evening. Arnold stated that he was in
Omaha with band of cattle. This
story seemed strange to the others, as he
remembers Arnold only as a black
sheep OF respectable family.
Three days later, when the dead bodies
Were discovered, this gentleman believed
from the description that Neal was Louis
Arnold. When he met Arnold at the
Paxton the latter Wore a pea jacket, and
at the time of his arrest Neal wore pea
jacket. The descriptions OF the two men
tailed exactly.
The Hot Springs gentleman then went
on to say that Arnold had been in the
penitentiary, and his father spent a
fortune in helping him out of escapades.
Several years ago Arnold injured his eye
sight through an explosion of escaping
gas. Arnold's parents are still living.
| There were two children, Louis and Ada,
a daughter who died at the age of2a
There are some things in the pakota
mans statement which warrant the be-
| lief that be knew the Arnelds, although
he does not give the names of young
/ Arnold and his sister correctly. They
Were respectively Bernard and emma.
| instead of Louis and Ada.
Y'hai1- fot n g,
| ant fame here, and who was last heard
from in San Diego.
! The portraits of Neal published in the
| Omaha papers are claimed by many who
| have seen them to be fair licensees of
| young Arnold. But those who knew the
| boy here would never ''put him up for''
bold cattle thief and the heartIess
slayer of defenseless old people. Still,
there are some circumstances in connec-
! ton with the Omaha affair which give
| plauSibifity to the statement that the vic
tim of the gallows was the smooth-faced,
| eccentric lad who formerly lived here.
CONFLICTING REPORTS.
| Since the above was in type a gentle
man assured RECoRD-UNIoN reporter
that he had several times heard, during
| the past year, that young Arnold was in
jail at Omaha, but for what crime he did
| not learn.
Alta late hour last night the reporter
was informed that when w. H. Hanlon
! efthe Fashion Stables returned from San
Diego, a little over month ago, he spoke e
of having met young Arnold there, and
| said that he was seedy and dead broke
! Hanlon gave him little money: to help
| him along.
An effort was made to find Mr.. Hanlon
! In order TO verify this report, but owing
to the lateness of the hour he could not
| be found. a ring at the door of his resi-
dence failed to elicit any response.
If Arnold was seen by MIR. Hanlon, as
reported, then the Dakota mans story is
of course unreliable, for the young man
who was hanged in Omaha ON Friday
had been in Jail for more than year.