The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-20
numDeo to rearlze the awrur rurn tn1ngs


time for some indication of it's cause
Every inch of the piazza floor near he
room | went over, and was at last reward
ed by finding a very slight clew-ver.
slight indeed, but in darkness such q!
mine it seemed ray of light
On the piazza floor discovered two curl
Gus little indentations, one on each side oil
pillar and very close to it. They were il
the form of a tiny horseshoe, with the tex
toward the edge of the piazza, as if some
diminutive pony had left his tracks i'm
pressed on the soft pine floor. 1t might
have been done by children at play, but
that was not likely, for 1 could find but
the two To me they seemed like the dints
made by plates on the heels Of shoes to pre-
vent their running down" They were in
the very spots where mans heels would
| strike if he should slide rapidly down the
pillar from the floor above.
To be more certain, l told Hetty to 60
into her room and listen. | then went up
to Mr.. Winthrop's room and stepped out
on the piazza. Swinging over the edge, /
clasped pillar and slid down, striking
| sharply on my heels. They made impress
sions in the same relative positions on the
| floor, and Hetty avowed that so de Lawd,
| dat was jis' SIGH a Mise as she'd done heard
| de night ole maSSa was killed"
This might prove to be a clew. Now il l
| could find the man who made those tracks,
/ informed the detectives of my theory, but
they considered it worthless.
The time passed rapidly for me and the
day before the one set for Mats trial ar
rived without any further discovery. On
that day went to the village to make
some final arrangements for the trial
had decided to do my best TO have the case
continued, in the hope of finding some fur
ther clew to the real murderer, but public
feeling was so strong against Nat that
was morally certain of refusal
A man was that day being tried for bur-
glary, and having finished the business
which had brought me to town went up
to the courtroom to hear the trial
The preliminary sparring had come to
an end, the jury had been sworn, and the
prosecuting attorney was just beginning
to state his case when entered learned
from his statement that On the very night
of the tragedy at Winthrop Place hole
had been cut in the door of the village
store, the door had been unbolted and all
the valuables stolen. Nearly $500 was
taken, together with several revolvers,
some cheap jewelry and other articles.
The crime was committed at or near the
hour of the murder of Mr.. Winthrop, for
the storekeeper remained until nearly mid
night, and the deed was discovered by a
Waterman shortly after 1. The evidence
was purely circumstantial, but unless the
prisoner could prove an abb it looked dark
for him if the prosecutor could prove all he
stated.
watched the prisoner narrowly during
the statement of the case, and was struck
by the attention with which he listened.
A hardened criminal, Is his appearances
indicated him to be, seldom manifests any
interest in the proceedings against him,
but he paid as close attention as if this
was the first account he had had of it. He
listened with intense interest to the story
of the burglary-the boring of hole in
the door, the saving out of a circular piece
of the door, the insertion of the hand, the
pushing back of the two bolts and all the
details of the crime.
He was very large man, with immense
hands and feet, which were apparently as
much in his way as are those of a baShful
schoolboy. / was much impressed with |
the muscular appearance of his great, |
brawny hands, as he moved them restlessly |
about. They seemed to be just healing |
from recently inflicted wounds. His eyes, |
shining like those of beast beneath a |
tangle of bushy eyebrows, had in them the |
peculiar, crafty look. of a man who is de-
ceiving his fellows and is greatly pleased |
thereat. Breathlessly he listened until the |
statement was made. when he electrified |
the whole courtroom by rising slowly and |
addressing the court:
''May't please tn court, we might as
well cheese tn racket an save trouble.
Pm th' bloke as pulled tn shanty"
His counsel was Mortified, but the Judge
asked sternly:
$50 you enter plea of guilty?"
You've said Ter, jedge. Pm the cove as
done it,"
In spite of this confession his eyes seemed
to me to CLEAN with secret satisfaction,
and there played about his mouth smile
which l thought had in it a touch of pity
for the stupidity of mankind in general
and of this court in particular.
The court asked numerous questions as
to the motive of the deed, the manner Of
performing it, and whether he had had any
accompEces. To all these he replied, with
the same sly twinkle of crafty satisfaction
in his eyes-or, at least, so | thought. He
needed money to go to New Jersey to see
his wife; he had not had an accomphce; he
had done just as the lawyer had said; cut
a hole in the door, inserted his hand, shot
back the bolts and entered His sentence
was deferred until the close of the term,
when all the sentences would be an
The spectators filed out of the
courtroom and down the street, not few
in my hearing, on the case to
De tried on the morrow. The prisoner was
ed back to his cell.
AS / passed the store which Dix had
'obbed, curiosity prompted me to stop and
AXE look at the scene. Mechanically l
pushed my hand through the hole where
he thief had thrust his on that eventful
night. AS | did so thought struck me
\ thought so novel, so strange, so exciting
that l could not have been more agitated
( the bolts / touched had been heavily
charged with electricity.
Like an insane man, as l verify believe
ome of the people thought me, I rushed
pack to the temple of justice. When l
gain emerged, there was in the hands of
he sheriff subpoena, calling upon the
authorities to produce one Samuel Dix as
witness in the case of State versus Ford on
he 18th day of June. 1S7-.
Next went to the jail
May l see the man Dix" I asked.
''Shure an it's neself d be PLACED to adj
nit We, but me ordhers is that shtrict Oh
Ia 'sn't. Divil a sowl can see him the day.s
vas the reply.
When was he arrested"
"The sif same day afther his shport in
he shtore."
Has he bought any new clothes since
hen?"
''Divil a rag"