The evening times., 1897-04-03
ADMITS KILLING PRESTON
Butler CenfeSSes One of the Mur-
ders Charged Against Him.
HE CLAIMS SELF-DEFENSE
Says His Victim Was 9uarrelsOme
and Threatened to Shoot Him
He Killed Him to Save His Own
Life-Story Not Credited.

San Francisco, April 81 killed Ar
is the startling confession that Frank But
leT, who leaves for Australia today, where
ne will bc tried for a half score of muir
ders, made to a deputy sheriff in the
county Jail on Thursday night. 1t was
the fist time he had admitted that he
was in any way concerned in the killing
of the unfortunate man whose death was
laid at his door, and the confession was
ali the none startling because it came un-
solicited from the lips that have, since
the iIon clutch OF the law was laid on
Butler, maintained their owners inno-
cence
Il killed him. resumed Butler, but l
had TO DO il to save myself / advertised
for mate with mining experience, and
Preston answered it, lie claimed TO have
done scme work in the mining business, and
! did not ask him any questions. We went
into the Blue Hills and prospected for a
while in a locality thought ought 10 pro-
duce something, and then moved toanother
place. Here we had 10 better success
and Preston began TO grow impatient
ing whatever about prospecting, and when
he proposed TO move further north ! re-
fused, because I knew that there was no
gold in that direction. Then he became
angry, aud said he would leave me and
20 on his own hook. l WIS perfectly sat
isfied, for he was no use to me, but was
angry. too. AT the way he talked, and told
him that he had deceived me about his
qualifications as a miner
we parted that night to search in diff
ferent directions for gold and were to
camp together at night for the last time.
we came together again at dusk he was
ugly and wanted to know why l had
brought him TO place where there was
no gold / told him 10 go back if he did
not like 1t, and he grew furious. One
word led to another, and then he reached
for his gun. Ny rifle was standing close
at hand, and l grabbed it and fired hastily
at him. The bullet struck him in the nose
and went through his head and he fell dead.
Il WAS very much frightened at the re-
suit of the quarrel. for though knew that
/ was justified, l mad no witnesses To
prove my innocence of murder. l con-
Guided that the best thing l could do was
'
which ] did, digging a hole the next
morning and placing the corpse in the po-
sifion i'm which it was found As God is
my witness, l fired in self-defenSe, and
would not have done 80 had he not tried 70
draw his gun on me.
"As to Capt. Lee Weller I do not know
just how he died but l feel sure he com
mitted suicide He was one OF q party
In which / was travelling, and tie was
very gloomy over the death of his wife,
who had died a short time before under
peculiar circumstances. He kept apart
10y himself most of the time and one night
when he did not return to the party we
started out TO search for him. We found
his body on a hillside with n revolver
beside il and a bullet hole through the
head.
Il wanted to report the case TO the au-
thorities, hut the rest were against it,
saying that it would only result in our
being detained as witnesses and prevent the
prospecting tour on which we had just
started Ii was finally agreed to bury
the body and divide the effects among the
party The articles that were found on
me and in my baggage when | got here
on the Swanhilda represented my share"
Those who heard Buffers tale were not
with his versions OF the Preston
killing for il has long been settled con-
NiCiiOn i'm their minds that both Preston
and Weller were murdered by the sailor,
hut il removed any lingering doubt in their
minds tnat he was the Culprit.