The Portland daily press., 1897-02-03

QuIChly AUDlDcU, anu DuulOA . PO,
connection with it suspected. A searcn
in the mountains disclosed the body OF
Weller and another of his victims
Tho detectives began at once to searcA
for Butler, who had disappeared from
sydney at the same time as Captain
Weller. The latest murder had been coin-
mitted in October. Fortune favored the
very little time that Butler had gone 10
Newcastle, which is about one hundred
miles away on the sea coast. The very
day that discovery was made, November
23, the Swanhilda sailed from Newcastle
with Frank Butler as one of the crew.
All haste was made by the detectives to
reach Newcastle and take up the trail
there. Tho first inquiry was made, there
fore, at the Sailors Home. No such per-
son as Frank Butler had stayed at the
home. But Captain Les Weller had been
guest there for niue days and on NO
vember 27 had shipped as an able seaman
on the Swanhilda, bound for San Fran
cisco.
The superintendent of the Sailors
Home was shown photograph of Frank
Butler "That is Captain Weller" he
said. The murderer had robbed his VIC
tim of his life his money and his name.
The detectives went post haste back to
Sydney. The next steamer for London
left on Decem bsr z, and John Roche, one
of the shrewdest detectives in Australia.
was passenger. He was chosen to
hasten to Scotland Yard to explain the
borrnr of the cIimes and to secure from
the foreign office demand upon the
United States for papers of extrad1tlon.E =
At the same time that Roche sailed for
London two other detectives, John Nc
Hattie and NJ. A. Conroy, caught
steamship boud for Victoria, B. @.
These men arrived in San Francisco ten
days ago and have been waiting for the
Swanhilda to arrive.
Butler was taken to the central police
station with a varied assortment of bag
gage This was examined bv the AUS
tralian detectives and local officers and
any amount of evidence found to convict
him. A photograph, gold brscalet,
brooch and ring, all belonging tn Mrs.
Weller, certificate Of examination in
chemistry, belonging to harwood, an
other of Buffers victims, cont ana vest
belonging to Preston. also murdered by
the prisoner and the shipping discharges
granted Weller, were brought to light.
A pocBetboo bearing the initials j.
H.FA., was found, which the detectives
believe belongs to one of the murderer's
victims. He refused to make any state
ment other than that he was Capt. Lee
Weller. When the detectives finished
making nm inventory Of his effects, he
signed it readily and in a bold hand
SO Lee Weller, 2-2-97'
After this he was taken into the pri-
vate cffice of Capt Lee, chief of the local
detective force and submitted to search
ing examination, the result of which is
not yet known. 1t has been found
that Butler left here four years ago, be-
fore the mast on the ship Star of Russia.
for Australia.
Capt Frazer Of the Swanhilda said
that soon after the voyage began, the
Australian steamer Talcot was sighted
and the second officer came aboard and
informed him that M urdsrer Butler was
a member of his crew. Frazer knew
nothing about Butler. The murderer
having shipped as Lee Weller, he paid
little attention to the visitors story.
A day or two later Frazer, in looking
over the newspapers the Taloott's mate
left, read about Buffers crimes and that
Lee Weller was one of his victims. He
thought at first he would put the mur-
derer in irons and then 1t occurred to
him that he had long voyage before
him with hard crew to handle, and
If oue of their members was In irens the
captain would have constant trouble.
He and the first mate denided that
the best plan would be to let Butler con-
tinue to perform his duties and keep a
close watch on him. He never mistrust
ed anything and Capt. Frazer says he
was the best sa ilor on the ship.