Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-04-25

the landlady. Shortly after she heard
of the Olson murder and her mind
naturally reverted to the thought of
her recreant boarder and his COM
panion. Her suspicious were at once
aroused and she sent a postal to Chief
Smith asking that detective be sent
to her house. WOmanlike she forgot
the address and the request could not
be granted. Then the accounts of
the search for the murderer began to
be published and Mrs. Guimond be-
gan to see more strongly the resem-
blance between her former lOdger and
the mysterious A. A. Austin. At
this juncture it occurred to her to
look through an old valise which Ell
| lenson had left. 1t was this yalise
which furnished the clue to Ellen
sons identity. 1t contained letters
addressed tosJames E. Alsop, a will
purpOrting to be signed by J. E. al
sop in the same handwriting as Aus
tins and number of Tacoma papers
containing the account of the de-
frauding of G. H. Hollidge of that
city out Of 81, 971 by James e. Alsop
by means of fraudulent real estate
transactions. There was also in the
valise silk handkerchief which the
police have since identified as hav-
ing belonged to Harry Haywood.
Then Mrs Guimond wrote again to
the police department and Detective
John Courtney called at her house.
! The contents of the valise were gone
over and the detective concluded that
| the clue was a good one, Mrs. Gui-
mond recalled all the circumstances
which occurred during her acquaint-
ance with Ellenson as far as she could
recollect. Ellenson had claimed to
be interested in English estates as
Austin had declared himself to be
and at one time he had told her if
any letters arrived addressed to Aus
tin to reserve them for him. In an
SWer to her inquiries the queerly act
ing boarder had said that she need not
be surprised at anything he did as in
the brokerage business there were
many queer things. He had frequent
ly without success asked Mrs. Gui-
mond for money with which to specu-
late in wheat.
The police became active at once
Chief Smith obtained the page of the
Merchants hotel register on which
A. A. Austin had registered with
Lena Olson as man and wife. The
handwriting appeared to be Identical
with that of Ellenson and the same
peculiaritieS were !. apparent even
to the crossing of the "t's' and the
dOtting of the ''i's". Then Detective
Courtney was dispatched to Tacoma
and devoted two weeks to searching
the Pacific coast for Alsop, whom he
at last located at Seattle, where the
arrest occurred. Courtney had as
Sumed the guiSe of real estate deal
er during his search and in the course
of his inquiries picked up evidence
enough to connect Alsopp with the
murder of his first wife in Tacoma in
1882 He arrived in that city in '88
/ from Wa-Keeney, Kansas, where he
had been mayor. He engaged in the
real estate business and was reputed
at one time to be wealthy. In No
vember, 1890, Mrs. Alsop was killed
it is alleged, in runaway while driy-
! ing with her husband. AlsOp claimed
the horse had started to run while he
/ IL. e
Mrs. Alsop's went out a few weeks
later from the East and demanded to
have the body exhumed, claiming
that there had been foul play. The
ried a Mrs. Julie Minthorn, Divorce
in the following July. The couple
did not live happily together and
separated after year, Alsop coming
to Duluth where it is said he got into
trouble through forged conveyance,
although no one here recollects such
an occurrence or anything about the
man in his character of real estate
dealer.
IT WAS AUSTIN.
A dispatch from the special CORES
pondent of the News Tribune at Sc
attic received late last night says:
''Most damaging evidence continues
to pile up against James E. Alsop,
the alleged murderer who was arrest
ed here yesterday by Detective Court
ney of the Minneapolis police depart
ment. Those who knew him when
resident of this state and also Eastern
acquaintance are voluntarily coming
forward telling what they know of
the man. From evidence in the pos
session of Detective Courtney there
is no doubt but Alsop is the person
known in Minneapolis and Duluth as
"A Auctin Iodv livinu IN +l,;c