The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-22

confidence reposed by him in the mai
Butter. and who Jointly with Mr.. Luck
ham, journalist, with whom Weller wa
also ON terms Of intimacy, warned hin
IN no doubtful terms against the folly O
entering into quasi-partnership with thi
| wholly unknown man.
These brutal murders had no ostensi
BILE object beyond the capture Of VIVA
might be found upon the persons OF TIT
respective victims; but as Captain Lee
Weller is said to have left Sydney plen,i
fully provided with cash. besides con.
siderable quantity OF jewelry, this par,
Of the speculation may after all have MOI
panned out so badly.
A third victim named Burgess has been
referred TO. This one. also in mis- early
manhood, was in reality the first of But.
ler's known victims, although the lates.
| in the order OF discovery. Here the venue
| is changed. The Black Range, about
four hundred miles from Sydney, is the
| scene Of this particular tragedy. Bur
| CESS was last seen in Buffers company
near place called Burberry on Angus:
last; but there being nothing at or
abou; that time 10 suggest the presump-
| intimates that ne might have betaken
| himself for purposes Of legitimate min
| ing adventures 10 West Australia OF
| other distant gold fields. The discoveries
| OF the bodies Of Preston and Lee Weller,
however, pointed 10 the probability OF
another and more tragicE conclusion in
Burgess case, and an investigation Of the
ranges by searchers, moved by the hope
Of earning substantial reward, which
had in the meantime been announced, re-
suited in the discovery on January 20 OF
his body. done 10 death by a bullet wound
fired from behind in the usual way. In
this instance. and owing to the longer
interval. the flesh of the face, scalp. and
neck had become decomposed. and per-
sonal Identification was well-nigh impos-
siole, but other means Of arriving al the
truth were not wanting. after the
murders OF Weller and Preston" OBJ
serves a Sydney newspaper, some OF
the effects Of the man were appropriated
by the murderer while other articles, es-
pecially clothing, were flung about any
wnere, as If the culprit had become too
excited and anxious 10 know what ne
was doing. There are evidences Of the
same trepidation or frenzy after the
Black Range murder. Burgess must have
taken off his coat near the spot where
he began digging the hole in which ne
was afterwards buried. The coat was
found about twenty yards away, and
seemed ID have been thrown down as the
murderer was hurrying out of the scrub
back to the track leading down TO the
camp
Fortunately Butler had, In a moment
OF unusual exuberance of sentiment, left
a photograph of himself with a respec-
able waitress at Gilnam's dining douse
in Sydney. As soon as the hue and cry
set in. this WIS at once placed in the
hands of the authorities. 1t is not over
stating the case 10 observe that in the
absence Of this one link-this blunder. so
to term it-Butler would to moral GER |
tainty have been free man today, with !
every opportunity Of making further dis |
tirction for himself in the art of exter- !
his species. At every stage Of |
the various inquests reduplicated copies |
q this sun-picture led to his immediate |
as, in each instance, the |
partner or companion Of the murdered /
men. Even then his case had not been
4 hopeless one but for second act Of !
almost incredible folly. The effects sto-
en- from Captain Lee Weller included
me seagoing certificates and papers Of
hat gentleman.
Proceeding to Newcastle On. S. W.
lbout November II. Butler had the au-
lacity to adopt the name along with the
tile deeds; and after loafing about the
,lace for rather over a week ne shipped
S able seaman, Lee Weller" on board
ne sailing ship Swanhilda, which left
Newcastle FOR San Francisco with car
% of coal on the Ord Of that month. Al
nat date the Disappearance OF Preston,
Weller and Burgess We're disappearance
nd nothing more. Suspicion had not
cached the acute stage. But in early
December the full murders stood reveal
4, and the criminal was badly wanted"
Detective Machattie, a highly eff ;cient |
Iemoer Of tie consta bulary stationed at
,ewcastle, had a sufficiently acute recol-
elton of spotting the spurious Lee Wei
.r' while that person kept lettering
round the port and when it came to be
nown that the real owner OF the name
ad TO a practical certainty met with
,ul play, Machattie, who on November
first obtained a view of one Of the
,pies Of Buffers likeness, evinced no :
in al once pronouncing X as
oubly representing the able seaman Of s
re Swanhilda and the missing malefac- I
IT. Conroy, who fortutously Joined the {
olice force in Sydney the very day the
lef. Newcastle, and whom I
utter had some little time before tried c
victimize in the usual fashion, was
so able 10 recognize his man in the
,py CT the photograph exhibited 10 him 7
= Detective Roche. superior officer OF
e force; but the connecting link. the
cognition OF Butler az one and the
me person with the able seaman OF the
was Machattie's notable con-
ibu.ion to the location OF the murderer. .
Il further doubt wac from this point at :
end. and the machinery was al once
{ in motion for the interception ot the :
u, derer before being made free OF the =
ore Of San Francisco. Roche. Macha:-
. and Conroy We're the officers de- {
ched for that purpose. task which, | =
IN many vexations delays in carrying
q case through the rather formi1 s5.e | a
mplica tons OF the American cou-ts I d
ey have successfully and most credit
~ accomplished, reaching Sydney with
cir prisoner on April q.
SOUTHERN NEGRO POsTMAsTERs
body Know. the Trouble They See, o