El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-02-02

4. 1851.
AT the same time that Roche sailed
for London two other detectives, Johr
McHattle and A. 9. Conroy, caught 6
steamship bound for Victoria, B. G
These men arrived in San Francisco
20 days ago and are there wait
ed for the Swanhilda to arrive.
Roche, in the mean time, has passed
through New York, and is
now in San Francisco.
The Swanhilda was expected to reach
San Francisco tomorrow or the next
day. Since her departure from New
South Wales the Swanhilna has been
spoken and her captain notified of the
presence of the murderer on board
ship. Can any thing be more dramatic
than this slow and awful Tightening OF
the chain around this fiend? 1t seems
as if at last all the world and all the
elements of nature had conspired to
bring him to justice.
The Swanhilda was signslled by the
Taupo in midocean. The Taupo is a
among the South Sea islands. On the
afternoon of December 9, her captain.
F. w. Macbeth, sighted and signalled
the Swanhilda sixteen miles south of
| L'Esperance rock, part of the Kar-
medec islands.
| The signal was answered and Captain
Macbeth at once lowered boat, with
file of newspapers containing what
was then the latest reports of the
murders and the investigation of the
police.
A note was also addressed to Captain
Frazer, warning him that the police
believed that Butler had shipped with
him as one of the crew.
"All right" signalled Captain Fraser
81 understand"
AS the Swankilda arrived today But
Ter was arrested and proceedings will
be instituted at once for his return to
Australia to stand trial for his numer-
Gus crimes.
The scheme of Buffers crime were
unique. He selected for his victims
men who had come among the Austria
liam colonists in search of gold. They
were mostly unknown men concerning |
whose disappearance it was extremely |
unlikely that inquiry would be made.
These men he would lure into the |
mountains upon the preteuce of show
ing them valuable mineral vien.
limits of human habitation he would
induce them to take axe and shovel
and dig into the earth. What sicken
ing picture it is! An unsuspecting
man digging and shovelling hole in
the ground, while his companion criti-
cally follows each stroke, waiting only
until the hole is big enough to serve as
the digger's grave. Then, from be-
hind, pistol shot or the stroke of
znife-without cry, without a wit
less
The murderer took from his victims
oorkets all the jewellery. money and
7aluable papers he could find. He then
buried the body in the hole, which the
7ictim had dug for himself, destroyed,
Is we'll as he could, all traces of the
rhine and then returned to civilization
or a fresh victim.
This he repeated again and again
md, unless he confesses, the world will
lever know the true number of his vic
inns. The authorities say he has
Killed over twelve men in this fashion.
lie may have done away with forty.
Like most great criminals, he finally
grew careless, and his carelessness will
be his undoing. He selected
or his last victim man who had many
rieuds. The man was missed and the
search for him revealed the crime.
The murderer unconscious of the fact
hat his crime has been detected,
adopted the name of his last victim,
who had been a sailor, and shipped as
able seaman upon sailing ship bound
,or San Francisco. Two detectives i'm
took passage upon a steamer
Tor British Columbia in order to reach
San Francisco ahead of the murderer.
At the same time another detective set
out for London to obtain extradition
papers.
The case is similar to the great trunk
crime that occurred in ST. Louis sever
al years ago when the criminal was fol
lowed to Australia and brought back te
this country, tried convicted and ex-
ecuted.
The Divorce Granted.
LONDON, February 2.-The action
for divorce taken by Countess Cowley
against her husband, Earl Cowley, the
trial of which ended yesterday, was
finally disposed of today by the court
rendering judgment in favor of the
countess. The decision was that of
desertion and adultery on the part of
the Earl which had been proved and
decree nisi therefore granted to the