The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-02-17
MURDER WILL OUT
GREEN ROBERTS CONFESsEs TO THE
PRATT COUNTY MURDER.
Two Women HAY a Prominent Pari
in the Recult-One OF Them Dis
covered the Crime and the Other
the Murderer-The Rob-
berry Charge is Denied.
Murder will out!

Parties who arrived from Pratt last
| night on the belated train stated that the
mysterious murder that had been COM
mitted near the Quaker church in Pratt
county last week was solved.
The solution was made by Green Rob-
erts. young man living III Naron town.
ship, who confessed the crime.
This murder was one of, if not the
greatest crimes ever committed in Pratt
county aud has aroused an extraordinary
amount of public interest Since the CON-
mission Of the crime the people were
wrought up to a desperate pitch of excite
ment and public meeting was called at
which Individual pledges were made never
to cease till the murderers were detected
One week ago yesterday au old soldiers
and highly respected and wealthy
farmer of Naron townshipin Pratt coun-
ty came into Pratt to draw his pension
money for wounds received during
the war. Next day, near the Quaker
church, a farmer named Nelson saw a
wagon with horses tied to it in a valley
near his farm and supposed it belonged to
a party of hunters. The wagon and horses
were still in the same place in the after
noon, and the keen instinct of woman led
Mrs. Nelson to see that there was some
thing wrong. Her husband told her that
he had examined the wagon and found
things ia manner that could not lead
to any reasonable suspicion. This
did not satisfy her and she insisted on
making a personal Investigation so strong
was the suspicion that took hold of her.
D,y ,ycforinnc in n bo
became convinced that murder had been
committed, and with her daughter and
hired man she started out to investigate.
They went to where the team stood un-
hitcned and found that the horses tracks
indicated that they had stood on the same
spot an unreasonable length of time.
They also found the taacks of
two men around the wagon. On still
closer examination they found that the
wagon had been first driven to where it
stood, then driven over hill and driven
back again. They followed the wheel
tracks over the hill and in little narrow
cut found the dead body of Jacob Baker. a
well known farmer of the township. His
pockets were rifed, his purse stolen and
no money found in his possession
ChStpU SOiIlC Al AC-
mote pocket AS Baker was a
man of considerable wealth and always
carried money about his person, it was at
once concluded that he had been murdered
for his money. A bullet hole was found
on the back of his head and the hair
around it was burned to the scalp, which
showed that the muzzle of the weapon
was put very close to the back of his head,
and that the assault was unexpected by
the deceased.
The neghborhocd was at once alarmed
and men with lanterns remained about the
corpse till morning, when the coroner Or
lered it buried.
No evidence could be gathered by the
coroner to offer the least solution to the
murder and the people became so greatly |
,xcited that they banded themselves to-
,ether and pledged themselves never to
give up till they had run down the MUIR
ierers
A woman discovered the murder and a |
woman discovered the murderers.
A Mrs. Brown in the neighborhood with |
he keen instinct of a western |
woman linked things together and |
sound just grounds for a sus-
)icion that the murderl was contrived |
lnder the roof of widow in the neigh |
iorhood and Mr.. Brown went to town and |
,wors out warrants for the arrest of |
Widow Hacker, Ellsworth Hacker, Steve |
Hacker and Green Roberts. The parti es |
we're arrested, but it seemed impossible to |
,et any evidence to convict them. The |
lnly hope was in working to obtain cou-
ession and this was so successfully done |
hat Green Roberts yielded and confessed |
o the crime.
His confession in substanceis that Baker |
While going home from Pratt called at Mrs |
1acker's house and remained there al |
iight That next morning himself, Baker
md Ellsworth Hacker started ont to find |
ome colts that Baker had mortgage on.
That they qnarreled over the colts and |
hat he and Ellsworth Hacker shot him. |
Roberts denied robbing Baker, but that
,art of his confession is not believed
The citizens of Moran township are ex.
;ited and IL is thought probable that the
prisoners will have to be brought to
" Nichita for safe keeping.
Green Roberts is All old rounder in |
Wichita He came here very often and |
Usually dissipated a good deal
4 POINTER ON BREAD