Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-12-27
EVIDENCE.

The value OF circumstantlal evidenc
is too serious u subject to treat witt
levity.
Dick Corbett, ut II, was editor OF TIT
Daily News of Aurora, Ill. Jake Sles
mund owned the paper ana set TN
type.
Journalism in Aurora was then II
the genial stage. Every man who NJ
ured In print, whether he was notable
for beneyolcnce or burglary, was de
scribed rs 1.-THE genial Mr.. So.and-So
The stories told across back fences
IL proven In court, would have illlet
the Jails with genial citizens. These
possibilities, however, were studlouslJ
overlooked by the editors of the loca
papers.
Corbett was n bright young man
He believed that editors were great
men, and his Ideas about proprictoIt
were somewhat vague.
Therefore, when Sicsmund sold oul
TO Willis ). Hawkins, Dick was sur
prised almost rs much as he was
grcycd to find that his own share. In
this transaction was represented by
the key Of the street In II tin box.
When, In the course Of some days,
Dick discovered that, after ALL he was
only the cube root of himself, he went
10 HAWKINS and asked for II job.
Hawkins was editor and Siegmund
was still sticking type, so that there
didn't seem to be any great demand
for Dick, but his entreaties prevailed.
"Your work." said Hawkins, "will
be to get some one sensation week.
For some months this was easy.
All the good old yarns that had been
ready for so long were spun, and Dick
made from one to dozen deadly enc
mics every Thursday, That was scan.
dial day with the News" and 1t b.
came much more popular than Sunday
In Aurora.
But ut last the crop was reaped,
There came Il Wednesday when Dick
had no sensation. He announced that
fact to Hawkins In the morning,
Hawkins looked at the young man
severely.
IL see that I'll have to manage this
affair for you" he said. eco home
and get your silk hat, that one you dis
cnrdcd last week. Bring II hero
wrapped In paper"
When Dick appeared with 1t llnw-
kius drew n revolver from drawer In
his desk ana said; "Comc with me"
They went out to the outskirts of the
town, and In II deserted gravel pit, I'M
der the shelter Of Il high bluff, set the
hat on n mullen stalk. Then llaW-
kIns put bullet through It,
"Now wen call on DR.. Gibson said
he, in an encouraging tone to his young
assistant, land get him to cut hole
In your head"
The genial DR.. Gibson was n stern
faced old follow, who liked Joke bet
ter than any other man In Aurora.
In those days all Aurora went TO the
postollice Immediately after supper
On the day In question the vas the
usual crowd ut seven o'clock.
At that hour Hawkins and Dick
walked up the main street and scpa'
u
throng. Corhctt walked down across
a street which led toward his house
FIFTY wards from the main street he
came to an alley which was quite dark
Nobody was watching. He took of
the high hat with the hole In It, and
rubbed the wound In his head To make
II bleed. according to the directions ol
his medical adviser, Then he fired Il
revolver In the air, flung II Ms far n
he could up the alley, and fell on The
sidewalk.
There was II crowd around him In ne
time. lie was tenderly raised FROM
the ground and borne into a livery
stable near by, whore he was laid uror
bench. Among the first TO arrly'
was pr Gibson
The hat with the hole In II was
passed from hand to hand. 1t wa>
openly said that the assassin could OK
poet to ornament Il lnmp.poSt hcfor,
morning, If he should be caught. TIL,
MAYOR stood nj the door of the Stahl,
and officially offered 500 reward rol
evidence leading to conviction.
The News had its sensation on The
following day,
Hawkins offered 81, 900 and undyin!
fame to the detectives who shout,
solve The puzzle The news spread II
a twinkling, and the size Of the re
ward brought all the amateur detcc
tives within hundred miles to An
rora.
And these fellows did more thar
pose on the street corners; they 20
evidence. They got more of II THAI
any human being could tell what TO d
with.
The pistol was found in the alley
and the ownership was traced To somt
thing like hundred different peopl,
These early developments llawhn
handled with comparative ease. Blu
presently the case took Il more seriou
aspect.
A baker who had shop on the col