The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-02
RETICENCE OF THE POLICE
Detective Thornton Goes to Chi
cagO After McAfee, a Suspect.
The Third Man to Be Arrested Here
Story of a Blood-COyered Wagon
to Be Told.

yesterday evening on a warrant sworn out
by Edward Harris, a member of the police
department, charging him with the crime.
Patrolman Harris signed the warrant in
Police Court. yesterday morning, and at 4
o'clock yesterday evening it was placed in
the hands Of patrolmen Hart and Spears.
officers drove out to Castleton, eight
miles northeast of the city, and in a field
near the city. found Cole at work. He
looked up in a startled way as the blue
coated officials approached, but heard the
reading of the warrant without any out
ward display of agitation. He said: 81
don't know anything about that murder"
as he started with the two patrolmen for
the house. His daughter lives with him
and she grew frightened at the presence
OF the police in the house, but on her
fathers advice Gained herself and set
about preparing him to come to the city.
Cole had little to say during the ride to
the police station. Once or twice he
preached the subject of the murder, but
continued TO insist that he knew nothing
about 1t. At the station he was charged
with murder and locked in one of the rear
cells. 1t was 6 o'clock before Cole was
placed behind the bars and Immediately
after the clanking iron gate closed him in
patrolmen Hart and Spears hurried from
the station.
1t was understood that the officers were
on the hunt for another man who is to be
charged with completely in the murder.
The police claim to have information i'm
plicating three men in the murder, one of
whom is a man named McAfee. He is
supposed to be in Chicago and detective
Ben Thornton left the city at 11:0 o'clock
1ocf pfUhf IN coarah of him The mama Of
the man being sought by patrolmen Hart
and Spears has not yet been disclosed.
The prisoner Cole is ffty-four years old.
He is an immense specimen Of humanity
with a face and features of a type not
readily forgotten. He has bushy hair and
beard. His mother was a white woman,
while his father was a full-blooded Indian.
Cole formerly lived in Indianapolis, on
West Eighth street, not far from the scene
of the Watterson murder. He said that he
had not lived there for eight or nine years,
but the police say that he recently resided
in the northeastern part of the city. He
rents a few acres of ground near Castle
ton and keeps a team of horses and wag-
on. The farm on which he lives Isl owned
by attorney viii Rocker, of this city, and
Cole said, last night, that he expected to
nave Mr.. Rocker defend him. He had not
seen him at a late hour but said that the
attorney would apear for him in Police
Court this morning. Cole claims that ne
never saw w atterson and all that he knew
of the murder was what he had read and
had heard talked of by his ~neighbors. de
positively asserts that he was at homo in
Castleton on the night of the murder. The
colored policemen say that they have a
strong case upon which to work and con-
hdently expect to have the other two men
under lock and key within a short time.
The killing of Watterson will be remem-
bered as one of the most noted or the
murders that have been committed In In
dianapolis the last year. on Christmas
morning, two hours before dawn, he was
stabbed to death while protecting a citi-
zen's property and was found lying in
the commons at Tennessee and Seventh
streets. The condition of his body and the
circumstances surrounding the affair led
the police TO believe that he lost his life
in a desperate battle. The discovery or
tracks leading to Hall Place and the find
ing OF a bloody, broken butcher knife and
a pool of blood in an out-building near by,
convinced the officers that one of the old
mans assailants had been wounded. With
this slender clew the detectives began the
search for a man with a wound. The
rumor that the murderers had been seen
in the vicinity with a wagon was strength
ened by the discovery of wagon tracks
leading from the rear door of the little
,Ninth-street butcher shop where the strug-
gle had occurred. These wagon tracks
were traced as far as Twenty-second
street. where the trail grew so obscure
that il was abandoned. The entire police
and detective force was put to work on
the case, and for two or three weeks were
busy with innumerable clews, many of
them of a vague character. The famous
Seymour bloodhounds. held to be intiallible
on account of their keen scent and man
hunting natures, were put upon the trail,
bu. they were a day too late, and after
leading the detectives a tiresome chase
over half the county gave up the hunt.
After weeks of untiring work, the detec-
tives grew discouraged, and the Watterson
murder was r~elegated TO the past. One or
two persons were arrested on trivial
charges in order that they might be thor
oughly investigated, but in each case it was
found that they knew nothing of the affair,
and were released. Cole, who was arrested
yesterday. was the first TO be actually
charged with the murder. For a month past
the colored patrolmen, Hart. Harris and
Spears, have been endeavoring to locate
some VAGUE IuIllOlo III hC NACaSt pat VI
the city, in which a blood-stained wagon
was talked of freely. Two or three times
a week the patrolmen would come to the
superintendent of police with some fresh
bit Of gossip concerning the Watterson
murder, and within the last week a number
of postal cards were received at police head
quarters. These cards were invariably writ
ten in a disguised hand, but all contained
some startling sentence regarding the Wat
terson case. Two days ago patrolman Har-
rs went 10 the superintendent with a story
that bore a truthful and substantial color
and il was decided that warrants should
be sworn out for three men. IL was not in.
tended to make the arrests for several
days, but yesterday the contemplated ac-
ton of the police became SO widely known
in the northeast part of the city that fur
Their delay was considered dangerous. IL
was arranged that Hart and Spears should
arrest Cole, and that the arrest of McAfee
in Chicago would quickly follow. Detective
1 Thornton was instructed 10 leave for chi
cage yesterday morning, but missed his
4 train and was delayed until last night The
other suspected murderer is thought to be
in Indianapolis, and the police expect TO sc
him to-day. 1t is understood that one OF
the other men not yet under arrest wa:
more closely connected with the murder Of
Watterson than his companions. The three
colored patrolmen are reticent as TO the
character of the evidence they have Sc
cured, and decline TO talk of the arrest OF
Cole. Before making the first arrest, yes
terday. they were cautioned By Deputy
Prosecutor Cady 10 make no statement!
until the other two men have been found
Cole talks freely, but appears anxious ant