The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-06-25
sraRY OF wrsT.s GENIE.


Following "a sho-; story Of the crime
.o- which the man wes, is wanted. II is
cause celebrs not only because Of the
crime. bu, because thu murderer has 80
log eseapei justice The arrss; al seeuln
was =; mrs, though; TO be the man wanted,
b.: from the above special to The Post,
The search uus' sun 40 or.
The Annie Anho:t case had unique,
afro, ous and mysterious features, such as
cause crime 10 be ciessed IN s4ugu.nary
history As "grsat' crime. Il was one OF
the most notable murders ever committed
10 81 Louis.
william Thomas Abbott West Wa. a ma
tive o. London. ontario, He was educated
FOR The Me-; hctlsi ministry. but was not
scholar IN the real sense OF the word. There
was coarseness in his makeup. combined
with cunning which made him an adept.
.n = way. at half dozen trades. Where
he met or married his wife is not known In
ihis city. But il Is known that by her he
had six children, and when the first scene
o. The tragedy was enacted. was living with
her in Chesterton Ind. where he held the
pastOrAte Of Methodist church. Shortly
before the last child was born. Susie Beck.
the pretty daughter Of one Of the deacons
IN Vests church, was employed as a ser
,
young inexperienced aud soon fell Il
victim 10 the Establishments OF her minister.
One day ore or Vests older children dis
covered his father aud the pretty servant
IN a criminal situation, and told his mother.
Just what happened Is not known, but the
next day the preacher and the deacon's
daughter disappeared II was supposed that
they had left Chesterton together \ few
days later Mrs. Beck received a letter from
her daughter. who was in Chicago. but who
made no reference to West. The preacher
also wrote TO his wife from Chicago most
Of the letter being devoted to a hypocritcal
screcd on the beauties OF heaven.
On the morning Of July l. w. T. Clark
station agent at Woodlawn, st. Louis coun-
ty. found faded pair on the platform as
he went 10 open the station house. They
looked weary, and explained that they were
Thomas Abbott and wife and had broken
down on their way from 81, Charles. The
man said they had DO money and that he
and his wife had slept in a wheat field tht
night before 4. h. Heusekamp. a dry
plate manufacturer, heard the story, helped
the pair to reach s.. Lonis and told mia
foreman 10 give Abbott a job.
West proved to be a good workman. WIFE
Susie Beck he secured lodgings at 7l3 Noril
jefferson avenue, and there they lived APP
parcntly happy and in way that aroused
| no suspicion until the middle of July. TheI
| the girl was taken sick. Dr. l.. r, AlbiI
was called. and he thought she was suffer
| ing from heart disease. superinduced by
| cholera morbus On the 18th she died.
| West borrowed $50 from his employer
| and plunged into state of the most ex
! trayagant grief. Tho day after the tunera
| he disappeared. a few days later arsenic
was found in the place where West ha'
| worked although he had no use Tor IL II
his trade. Then the neighbors began u
talk. and the mans record was invesu
! gated The matter was brought 10 the al
! tention OF Circuit Attorney Glover ny .
persistent newspaper reporter. and, a'te'
Investigating the facts, Attorney Glover or
| dered the coroner to eNhume the BODY
| This was done. and the viscera submilto
to Professor Charles Luedeking of WASH
| ington university for chemical Analysis
large quantity OF arsenic was round
But. stranger than this. was found
new born babe. This bad not heon in eNi
dence when the body of the woman ma
been prepared for burial ana the thcor
Immediately suggested itself that west ma
given the girl arsenic under pretense OF al
ministerlng an abortive drug, mat II ma
had the effect of producing abortion aite
death. and that. after the neighbors ha
prepared the body for tho grave West ma
removed tho cofiln lid and thrust ihto
the material evidence OF his Euii'y i.'a
lions with the girl This theory was
part substantiated by the discovery OF IN
fact that few days before he had houei
two and one-half pounds OF arsenic ,roi
tho Mailinckrodt Chemical company
, The search for West at once began
very heavy reward was offered and oe'e,
tiyes were sent all over the country. II
WAS traced to Utah. Canada, England M
Mexico where the officers finally LOST u
trail. lie is said 10 have rich and prom
, n men relatives in England.