The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-13

hands and knees" In the l. u sent
| McNutt a dime as Christi. -rnt.
saying it WAS the last piece of lno4ey she
bad. This letter and the dime remained
in the EAGLE office for about ten years.
| On the corner of the envelope was a
caution to the postmaster here TO
| let no one have the letter but
McNutt, and If it did not reach him,
to be sure and send it back to her only"
After this letter entered the hands OF the
authorities there was no more doubt but
what McNntt and Winner were bad men,
and the officers began to get more active
, in their attempt to solve the mystery
| On the oath day of January the coroner's
| jury rendered verdict that ''W. w.
| Sewer or a person unknown Came 10 his
/ death at the hands of Arthur Winner and
Joseph McNutt and the killing was pre-
meditated" After the verdict was rem
dered Justice Jewett issued complaint
charging Winner with murder aud ne wa 5
| Immediately arrested.
On February 10, intelligence
| reached the officers here that Men ut was
| in Missouri and Immediately Will Smith,
ex-sherif of the county, who had been
! where be found that McNutt was getting
mail At New Garden post Office under the
name of Leahead At that place the post
master informed him that McNutt alias
Leahead was working on a farm about a
mile from town. Smith borrowed shot
gun from the postmaster and started out
on the trail OF his game. Arriving at the
farm he saw McNutt splitting wood
and drawing close up to him be presented
the shotgun and called on McNutt to throw
up his hands McNutt said. you have
got me at last" and surrendered. The
prisoner was brought here and at the pre-
liminary held before Justice Jewett he
was bound over to the district court.
On May %, 1874 the case was commenc-
ed in the district court and lasted several
days finally ending in the conviction OF
the murderers w. p. Campbell was
judge of the district court at that time
aud Henry G. Siuss, now judge of tbs
United States court of private land
claims county attorney. They handled
the case admirably from beginning to end.
as seen by the papers which are still pre-
served at the court house. The following
jury rendered a verdict of guilty: | J.
Lane, Payne township; W. H. Harding.
Gypsum township; H. Eastman, Rockford
township; Charles Setter, Attica township;
+. 3. Dodge, Gypsum township; S. b.
Gibson, Gypsum township; J. q. Brown,
Waco township; W. H. Croker, Union
township; J. NJ. Garrett, Union township;
d. r. Allen. Grant township; Harvey
Washburn, Kechi township; NJ. H. Bruce.
Waco township.
The following witnesses testified:
Thomas johnson, Mike Meagher, Fielding
Scott, j. p. Allen, George Armstrong, w.
J. Brown, w. A. Richey, James Richey,
+. F. Sheets. John Bows, Nelson McClees,
Martin McGrath, john Farris, w. H. H.
Oatley, J. 5. McIvor, William Dibbs, II.
G. Cox, William Smith, j. L. Martin,
George Smith, w. B. Pride, DIR. Owens
and DR.. White.
The sentence of the court was that they
be taken to the penetentiary for one year
and then hanged. 1t appeared from the
evidence that McNutt and Winner put up
the conspiracyto kill someone and burn the
house to hide his identy, and then Winner
to state that McNutt was killed in order
that the life insurance might be procured.
They sent to Kansas City for man. but
he got drunk and failed to come and this
is one case where bowl too much
acted as a life preserver. They
then sent for Siever and
he came down on Christmas night. They
either killed him outright or got him
drunk, then saturated the bed he was
lying in. with oil and set it on fire. McNutt
disguised himself and left town on the out
going train while Winner hacked himself
with knife in different parts of the body
in order TO give his subsequent story of
murder and robbery a show of FEASIBILITY.
One Of them met Sewer at the train and
escorted him by round about way to
their rooms, so as no one could see him,
where he WAS murdered.
1t is the most interesting murder case in
the annals of Kansas.