The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-27
ISTHE MURDERER AN INDIAN?
A CHEROKEE FLEEs FROM TIE SCENE
OF THE RIGHTLEY TRAGEDY.

Him After Reporter Had Interviewed
| Him Circumatnntiai Evidence In the
shape OF Money and Tobacco Strong
| Against IIin,-Keporters Got the Clues.
| NEwTowN. Pa. Sept. g. The two first
| suspects OF tho murder on Sunday morn
| ing OF octogenarians Samuel NJ Rightley
and his wife Lena in their little farm
house homo at Holland about two miles from
| here. who were BARLEY Rightley. the nephew
| OF the old couple and the mysterious negro
tramp. who seemed to have lowered for some
time around the place, have been cleared. and
now suspicion rests on half breed Cherokee
Indian. Wallace Burt. who has lived and
| worked In this neighborhood.
| The authorities are weaving strong chain
OF circum stantisl evidence around him.
| warrant has been sworn out for his arrest but
| when the officer went to serve 1t late tonight
| Burt had flown. The evidence against him
| has been almost entirely secured by five Phila-
delphia and New York newspaper men, the
authorities here having done the looking on.
| Burt is about 35 years OF age. tall and mus
| cular, and known hereabouts as n drunkard
| and worthless character in general. lie was
! once student at the Indian school at Car
lisle but was expelled some years ago. He
| has only been around this part of the country
for little over month. and has earned his
! living doing odd jobs around farms. About
three weeks ago he did a days work for Mr..
| Rightley. moving the grass In little grave
| yard which adjoins the Rightley farm.
| He took all OF his meals. while doing the
| work. in the kitchen OF the farmhouse. and
when he was through he was paid 10 cents by
| Mr.. Rightley. Many people argue that tho
man had good opportunity while in tho
| house to get O general idea OF things. and
also say that he must have known OF tn
Az ,;,,y bn,
| RIghtley kent all OF his funds in this box. and
may have displayed 1t while paying Burt.
! The clue which involves Burt is n piece OF
| plug chewing tobacco which was found in the
| yard OF the Rightley house under tho window
| which the murderer entered. Tho tobacco is
known as I" big chew" and is a cheap brand.
A chunk had been bitten of OF one end and the
marks OF teeth were plainly visible on 1t.
franklin Cornell. the proprietor OF grocery
| and tobacco shop in this place. examined the
bit OF tobacco. and immed lately identified 1t as
a portion OF two chunks he had sold to the In
dian on Friday.
The man had no money at the time. SO Mr..
Cornell trusted him. On Monday he came
around and paid for the tobacco. at the same
| time purchasing n number Of cheap cigars.
! A great deal hinges on this piece Of tobacco.
which is now in tho hands OF the District At
| torney. MIR. Cornell remembers distinctly That
| big plug and he identified the piece found in
the yard AS the piece he cut OF Despite this
| damaging evidence. nothing whatever Nas
done at the time toward apprehending the
man; T.
wss s9 Scrk on ne nr ct
| Cooper. some miles outside of N1ewtown. and
| he went there and saw The man. Burt is good
! very muscular. He was attirod in pair Of
F9Hsh shirt and fanEfs coat e
According to Testimony Mt the inquest both
men had been seen together on the night be.
he knew young RiGhtley. but acknowledged
that he had hoenl with q man on satur Jay
asEes ne som. nS he had
fused to give it to him. He had then gone to
f D hse he sa to aa a aer
getting some cigars. started down the street.
He had been drinking rather heavily. and
further down the street, and tried to get in:
punt s the
branch Of the Phiatdephiaa apa head tIns fa
In this place Burt says he spent the night.
In the early moEpinG he WI" kSd to the resi- Ia
| stopped there for few moments. he said. and
| then resumed his way to Mo9dburn. which IS
negro oe' named Johnson ' Stewart lves at
Woodburn, and it is with this family that Burt
the man said that he did not. When asked II
had oHe
Did you not have some trouble with him 7"
Nh me q pbnE das YAK
The man aeknowiadged that he had eaten
since the day, he did the work for them. When
he didn't recall buying any OF Cornell. He
finally acknowledged. however. that ne had
cessss Of hs o Coat produced long piece Of
"big chow" tobacco.
An eXa%ination showed that piece ,6 had
know what had become Of the niece. The re-
porter tried to freshen his memory. but he
had become Of the piece. He was sure that he
hadn't given 1t away. he said and was almost
chewed it, He refused to talk further. and
TIE Sun man made tour Of the PLACE where
Sunday morning. and succeeded in verifying
a. Of his Ate Hrcs Se the ms one SetR S
12H o'clock Saturday night and Z o'clock sun
day morning Is unaccounted for save ny the
The toll gate keeper at the turnpike remem-
hers seeing the man pass at about oclock IN
reporter that Burt came to his place Mt about
1880 o'clock and purchased nine cigars. three
xsne s al csns sak IN
payment and when Mr., Widman asked him
y ne didn,t nave something smaller ne SAID
Mrs. Edward Granger who lives a little
further along the road. said that Burt came
there little be ore = o'clock on Sunday morn
Ing and asked her for some breakfast. Mrs.
Granger boiled some eggs for him, and lie
gave her two one-dollar bills several plugs OF
tobacco and some note paper asking her TO
keep them for him.
lie then went away, telling Mrs, Granger
that no was going to New York. He went III
rect to Johnson Stewart's house after leaving
the Granger's. According to Mrs. Steward.
Burt was trembling aud apparently greatly
worried when he came in. The family were at
breakfast and he sat down and ate with them.
- =" He said no must go to New York, said Mrs.
TE8wed my husbands GOAT and started to
and told us he had missed his train. He
seemed more worried than ever. and said to
me; 'Therell be trouble for me II don't get
to New York. must get there and right away
too
He then went on and told me that he had
been drinking on Saturday night. and finally
asked me how, much no owed me. AT the same
time no pulled out and opened a pocRetbook.
noticed that the pocketbook was lam full OF