Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-26

GERS. there had been a crime committed,
and somebody must die. At that time the
Washington officers had not visited the
prisoners. They wanted 10 begin operations
at the scene of the dastardly crime, and
then see the men IN custody later on, but
States Attorney Kilgour was anxious for
them to Interview the men first. He realized
1ull we'll the danger under which the pris-
oners were laboring and he thought a State
ment from the Washington officers might
at least delay action On part Of The crowd.
II they really were bent on taking the law
In their own hands
But, remarked one of those who favored
Judge Lynch" taking a hand in the case,
the Washington officers can't fool us out
OF tne men the way the Harper's Ferry peo-
PIE We're fooled out of Ford
All this time the evidence against the
prisoners was strengthening, so the people
thought. Circumstance after circumstance
even more suspicious than those heard of
s stsn was ADDED to he chain OF circum-
stances mentioned IN yesterdays dispatch,
untli most of the citizens thought the chain
was complete. The arrest of the two boys,
aha,. ts OF Neal, and their statements
apout tne shirt and blood, had the effect of
furnishing the missing link to the chain of
clfcumStantial evidence and, not satisfied
WIN this States Attorney XiIgour sent
s soru 10 nave the colored woman Emma d"
u 800 She was supposed to have known
an about the affair connected with the Civ
ing ing or the clean shirt In exchange for the
s Stood az snirt OF the murderer. IT, indeed,
she dld not actually hand out the shirt
Some of the indignant ones stood abopt
.ne ROAD win reyolvers in their belts while
o.ners carried them in their pockets and
neeeu particuiarly anxious that their
weapons should be exposed while one man
mad a shotgun They were still discuss
ing me sad affair, and information that a
yhching party was being formed at barnes
tot. reacheu there before the detectives
ielt LOT Rockville to have an interview with
the prisoners. -
Not Satisfied.
Go down there with your. minds made
up that they are the men," was wha. the
othcers were told, and they then went to
Rockville, In company with ex-Justice
Stcnestreet, who had been deputized to ac:
as sheriff during the temporary absence
of the sheriff, who was engaged in con-
dennatlon proceedings in another part of
the county. number of newspaper men
ana several citizens also went to Rockville
ana all eyes were the officers Their
appearance in the village attracted al
tehtlon, and behind them a large crowd fol-
loved until the Jail was reached The front
aoor was wide open, but the inner iron
door. which separates the jailer's apart
ments from the Jail proper was closed and
heavily barred. This was soon swung open
ana the ofhcers admitted. Then the crowd
was ordered out, and while the officers
were In the little stone structure quite A
crowd or persons assembled outside and
awaited the time for the officers to leave
as they We're DESTROYS of hearing what the
prisoners would say about the crime but
IN TINS particular their curiosity was not
satisfied, and the officers reformed here to
pursue the investigation
are they the men who committed the
crimeE was asked the officers at almost
every turn.
Il don't know" was the answer each
time. But" the officers would add Il
would advise you to hold on for a dav or
loo nP
The officers had obtained from the pris-
ohers nothing in the nature of an admis-
sion. Indeed, they had been made to be-
lieve that the men were probably inno-
cent.
If they are the men who committed the
crime, remarked Detective Weldon, they
are certainly remarkable prisoners
The officers in their ques- Joining had
asked almost every conceivable question
They had examined and cross-examined the
men, separately and together and nothing
was SAID by either prisoner which would
heard of the other before their arrest.
Complete Stories.
Randolph declared that never before had
he known seen Neal. He belonged in
Georgia, he said, but had been near Brad
dock. Pa, and while there he was arrested
and sentenced to the house Ct correction
for ninety days as a suspicious person.
IN prison, and therefore he had not met
Neal, as was claimed, in the Maryland
penitentiary.
Concerning his wearing crIy an under
shirt and no coat, he said he had been
robbed of his coat in Georgetown. He was
sleeping in a mill there Saturday night,
and while asleep his coat was taken. When
the men got after him yesterday for the
purpose of arresting him he said he ran,
for ne thought they were after him for
having slept in the barn over night.
Neal repeated the story he had told ear
lier in the day. He had gone out to get a
man TO play base ball, was his excuse for
having been out early in the morning
Concerning the statement of the small
boy about the shirt Neal says he heard
10 conversation such as the boy relates
but the boy declares that he must have
heard it, for he sleeping with Neal
his half-brother, and the latter had just
said something tc him when he heard the
man come to the door and speak to Emma
Another statement is that Neal was heard
talking to his mother about the shirt cpl
sode.
When almost every effort to get from the
men confession had failed Detective
Weldon Conversed with the prisoner Neal
on the subject of death. In a quiet man
ner he informed the colored man of the
possibilities, which one seemed to real
ize more fully than did Neal, and advised
him that it would not be out of the way
for Kim to make his peace with God.
Il don't know what they are going to
do with me- said the prisoner, who was
as cool and collected, if not more so, than
any man in the prison, but no matter
how much I'm tortured or hung l will
never say I'm guilty, for it would not he
the truth" During all the rigid cross
examinations neither prisoner showed any
signs of weakening.
Searching for Clues.
Upon their return here from Rockville,
the Washington officers were prepared to
give opinion as to the guilt or innocence
of the prisoners. Nothing had transpired
in Jail which in any manner convinced
them that the men were guilty, but on the
contrary, indications were that the prison.
ers were strangers until they were arrest
ed. This visit, however, was not enough
to convince the officers one way or the 9th
er, and they started out to make a more
thorough investigation among the relatives
friends ia