The San Francisco call., 1897-02-04
LAUGHS At
/. THE SLEUTHS
Murderer Butler Seems to
Be a Moral Mon
Ster.
A NEW STORY FOR EVERY
VISITOR.
He Says That His Mining.Mate
Made Away With Captain
Lee Weller.
SELLS SIGNATURES BY THE
WHOLESALE.
Australian Detectives the Victim, of
His Willing to Be Taken
to the Colonies.
SELLS SIGNATURES BY THE
WHOLESALE.

As moral monstrosity Murderer But
Ter, who now occupies cell at the City
Prison, ranks above any criminal that has
ever been seen in this City, not excepting
Theodore II. I. Durrant.
Though his perusal of the daily papers
has shown him that the meshes of the
law are tight about him. he bears q brazen
'front.' and answers even the most search
ing questions with a nonchalance that
amazes his hearers.
The cruel 6end of the Australian bush
seems to take particular delight in telling
stories that, in the beginning, sound like
confessions, but later on turn out to be
jokes at the expense of his auditors. He
pretends to take liking to some visitor
who has given him a cigar. and after
putting awhile at the weed says:
"Now, say, this talk about my MUIR
dering Lee Weller has some foundation
after all. OF course. did Lot kill him,
but 1 know something about the matter
just the same.
"He went out on prospecting tour
with me and my mate and my mate killed
him. That's how got these things. My
mate went away and the trinkets were
left in camp and they fell to me-"
the dramatic Australian sleuth, yester-
day afternoon, and when the latter be-
came so interested that he knocked his
own hat off trying to get his head through
| the bars and catch every word Butler
quietly confided that the murder was
| done in Chile.
| This is on par with the other stories
that Butler tells, and all are given with
| Ill - L. -
| to those who watch him closely.
He seems entirely oblvious to the
hangman's moose and laughs when the
subject of his reception in Australia is
mentioned.
1T will be all right when get there"
| he says, with a heavy accent on the last
| four words. "At present l am doing first
rate. Frisco is great place."
His main concern yesterday was to get
pipe and tobacco and change of clothes.
with all these nice ladies calling to
see me-" he remarked, 81 ought to have
some decent duds to receive them in. l
want white shirts and some clothes that
will make me look like gentleman"
Butler did rushing business yesterday
selling his autographs to those who called
! at his cell. He was not high priced, but
signed for all vino cared to pay half a dol
,ar for name scribbled on a piece of
paper or card.
81 sign any name they like, I" he said.
Butler or Weller; it is all the same to
me. Most people want the name l used
on the ship. and they get it all right when
they put up half a dollar"
To the Australian detectives Butler is
particularly pleasant in his general de-
| meanor, but the expression of his eyes as
| he glances at them through half-closed
lids is not pleasant to look upon. The
glance plainly says, II wish had you out
| in the bush alone"
| He spent several hours during the after
noon in conversation with Constable Con-
roy and told a different story every half
| hour. He denies knowing Conroy except
since his capture, and takes particular de-
! tight in refusing to remem Der incidents
/ that the young Australian tries to recall to
his recollection. Detectives Roche and
McHattie spent some time yesterday in
| trying to convince Butler that it was no
use TO fight against going to Australia.
They told him that they could take
him back by the steamer that sails to.
morrow if he was willing, but if he
allowed his lawyer to conduct his case it
would be at least a month before the long
sea voyage could be begun.
Butler shrugged his shoulders and re-
marked that the matter was out of bis
hands and that his attorneys were doing
all his legal business and had told him
not to bother his head about his case.
"Ill make the best of it here until see
my way clear" he said. "but 1 may as
we'll tell you now that am as anxious to
go back as you are to take me-"
Butler was in the midst of his auto
graph-writing yesterday afternoon when
he was called out of his cell to interview a
press representative. His cellmate, who
is also a hard-looking customer, took adj
vantage of the murderer's absence to
write Lee Weller several times on cards
presented for that purpose at so cents a
signature and those who paid the money
went away none the wiser.