Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-07-29


On Wednesday morning, the 2Ist,
L. Koch was going to Ellinwood with
load of wheat, when as he passed Mrs.
Graham's cornfeld about one and
three; quarter miles north of that town,
he saw the body of man lying IN the
cornheld about 200 yards from the,
road. He stopped to investigate, and
found the dead body of a negro man
about rs or 80 years old, with his
throat cut and two bullet holes through
him, one entering near the heart and
one in the left temple; he reported the
matter at Ellinwood, and the sheriff,
coroner and county attorney were tele-
graphed for. An inquest was held
which could find no evidence implica
ting anyone. The man, it is thought.
was shot with 81 calibre revolver, in
or near the stock yards at Ellinwood,
, put in a wagon by two men and hauled
to the cornheld, dumped out at the
road and drug to where the body was
L
more complete. his throat was cut
from ear to ear with razor or sharp
knife by one man who dragged him into
the cornfeld while the other man stayed
in the road with the vehicle in which
the victim had been hauled out. The
condition of the ground and the body
when found indicates this. The man
had nothing whatever in his pockets ex-
cept the business card of Hutchinson
salt company, on the back of which
was written the name and address of
"Parker Hatch, Hutchinson, Kansas"
From this card it was first thought the
dead man was Parker Hatch, but cyl
deuce was brought out that Hatch was
still alive and working for RENTS, near
Odin.
Three men testified that they had
seen deceased with two other men
. Tuesday, near Clalin, and one that he
saw the three coming toward Ellinwood
Tuesday evening, near dark. C..
Schwerdtfeger testified that he saw de-
ceased with companion sitting on a
mill pump platform about $3.50 We'd
nesday morning.
On Thursday (the coroner's inquest
having been continued from Wednes-
day. Sheriff Aber had found the negro
Parker Hatch, at the RENTS. Hatch
said, concerning the card that was
found on the dead man, that on Monday
he had been stopped in the road on his
way to Claflin by two men. One of
them he had known near Sylvia. in
Reno county, and to him he, Hatch,
Ead given the card with the address Of
Ibis mother in Hutchinson, and asked
dhis man. who SAID he was going to
Hutchinson. to call on his mother, who
ut appears ruas joint and disorderly
house at Hutchinson.
Sheriff Aber took up this supposed
clue, but found that the man Hatch
described could not possibly have beer
where Hatch said he met him. Il
further developed that when Hatch lef
Eilinwood after the inquest he went te
Hutchinson. although assuring the
sheriff that he was going back te
RENTS to work.
Ithas also developed that Hatch was
on the day before the dead man wa:
found. in the company of tough
character, white man, giving th'
name of 'Gunny- sack Red" Also
that Hatch has a bad reputation him
self, and has one brother IN the peni
tentiary.
On Monday of this week Hatch cam
back to .Ellinwood, and was immediate
ly put under arrest on suspicion @
being implicated in the murder. H
i. known to have had 81 calibre re
volser and razor, and the crooked
ness Of his stories put him in tigh
box. The officers think that if the
can get the mao "Guhny- sack Red
they will then have the murderers c
the unknown negro.
LATEST: Sheriff Aber turned th
negro Hatch loose again. and ther
does not seem to be much hope of an
one ever being apprehended for th
crime. It's too hot weather to bottle
about the capture Of murderer.