Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-06-12

ROOU lOOH1uS SiTl VI 10. 4uls AaS9 uP
peared Of so little value to the few cog.
nizant of it that it came out only by ac-
cident.
At this point there was split be-
tween the sheriff and the detective, and
it came about in q singular way. A
tramp entered the town of Warren and
gave himself up as the murderer Of
young Yates. He soon satisfied the sher-
iff that he had committed the deed, ex-
planning that robbery was his motive,
but little Mr. Gray smiled and shook
his head and pursued his Investigations
alone. There was no reward or hope Of
reward, but he followed the case from
love of the work and q desire to prove
that he was correct in his conclusions.
He paid visit to the farmhouse to ask
few questions. Yates and the girl were
not engaged She was a country coquette
and had five or six young men on the
string. The two most favored, however,
were Yates and a young farmer named
Lee.
1t happened in nearly every instance
that these two called at the same time.
The girl admitted that they were not on
friendly terms, though no open rupture
had taken place. Each had proposed for
her hand, but each had been put off
without being rejected The farmer was
county official and an influential man,
and the father of young Lee had wealth
and standing. The detective had to
move carefully, and he took no one into
his confidence While he gave out that
he had abandoned the case he was fol-
lowing up the threads with great persist
ency. He dropped into every store in
the county to look at cutlery. In one of
them he found such knife as the doc
tor agreed was probably used to inflict
the stab. Out of a dozen of the same
pattern young Lee had purchased one a
year before. A farmer was found who
had come upon the two young men on
the highway one night as they were in
dulging in wordy quarrel At store
in Medina, 10 miles from Warren, it
was found that young Lee had purchased
a pair of fine boots only three months
before the murder. On the night of the
murder there was party at farmhouse
five miles from Warren. Young Lee had
appeared early, but had suddenly disap-
peared for couple Of hours, claiming
to have returned home for something.
Next morning the farmer at whose house
the party was given found one Of his
horses wet and muddy as he stood in the
stall and was much mystified over the
circumstance.
The strange tramp who had given him.
self up for the murder was sharper than
any one gave him credit for. He had
broken into q farmhouse and nearly kill
ed farmer in all adjoining county, and
he figured that by being arrested for the
greater crime he would not be suspected
of the other. He had heard some of the
particulars Of the crime before giving
himself up, and he went on to tell how
he pried the bars off the window and
was robbing the money drawers when
young Yates came down :airs. He told
where he threw the knife, but though 30
men searched for it the weapon could
not be found. He claimed to have got
about $2S from the money drawers, and
this sum he buried at q certain spot Oh
the highway When taken out of jahl
under guard, he could not identify the
spot. 1t was argued that no man would
give himself up to be hung unless guilty
of murder, and the tramp was duly ar
raigned, examined and held to the high
er court Just at this time little Mr.
Gray suddenly disappeared off the stage,
and everybody said he had abandoned
the case. He disappeared at one end of
the line to bob up at the other, however
One day sewing machine agent drove
up to Farmer Lees to make sale, but
was suddenly taken i'll, and it was 4
week before he could 60 Oh. During the
last three or four days Of his stay, ;,s
was afterward known, he was prosecu-
ting q search. In an old tanning mill in
the barn he found a bag Of money, just
the amount Merchant Shields had been
robbed of. On q beam III the wagon
shed, where no one but a detective would
have looked for it, lie found the knife
with which young Yates had been stab
bed. Had the money been scattered
broadcast or buried and the knife dis
posed of he would have had his work for
nothing.
When little Mr.. Gray was all ready.
he laid his case before the prosecuting
attorney, and young Lee was arrested
for the murder of Yates Then began !.
fight which divided the county and was
farreaching in its results. While tic
tramp persisted that he was the murder
er, tho detective was not 10 minutes in
proving him liar when he got at it.
The man was caupht nm on a dozen diff