Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1898-12-01
A THIRD STATEMENT.
W. W. M'KINNEY TALKS ABOUT
THE PART HE TOOK IN THE
sUBLETTE CASE.
he Says he Told the Truth in His
Confession, Which the Evidence
VIII Eubstantiate- Why Did
Mckinney Tell the First
Story Of the Affair."

To the Editor OF the Ledger.
MEXICO, NO., Nov. 26.-Dear Sir:
Please allow me space in your valua-
BILE paper to explain my actions in re-
gard to my connection with the Sub
lette case.
Upon reading my confession three
questions naturally suggest them
selves:
First. Is it true?
Second. lis true why did I do it9
Third. II did 1t why did confess
the wrone2
I shall endeavor to answer these
questions separately.
First. It is true and can prove 1t
by letters from partiee implicated-by
one Of the heirs who was present at
the time IL was decided to make some
grave answer for P. W. subIette's
grave, II failed to find o genuine one,
and by eircumstantial evidence.
/ shall mention no names, but will
do so II pushed to it.
Below are few extracts from few
of many letters Of the same nature re-
ceived by me while out West, which
l have preserved;
"Do not tell - any more as she
talks too much.n
"It you cannot succeed you must
make q success.n
"You must not find the grave at Ft.
Laramie rs Milton Sublette is buried
there and there might be flaw picked
In the evidence"
Besides these, clrcumstantlal evil
dence all points to the truth of my
confession. For example;
First. Before I started upon my srip
one or two Of tho heirs invested sew
eral dollars, buying out the interest Of
other heirs. Part OF the heirs who scld
ont live in Mexico. The buyers must
have been very sure Of success for
they are comparatively poor people.
Second. Judge Shirk, in his inter-
view with the Post Dispatch, states
that Mr.. Crews saw old man Comtois
and that he knew nothing.
Now, Mr.. Crews cannot deny that
he has, or had, an affidavit made by
old man David Comtois that P. W.
Sublette was buried on the Fontenelle
Greek, near its mouth, where it
empties into Green River In Wyoming,
and that he, Sublette, was called Bill.
This in 1855. Judge Shirk also states
that they have witnesses who were
with Sublette when he died and who
helped bury him. Again, Mr.. Crews
went West and secured the deposition
of man by the name of YandelI.
have seen the deposition and know
what l am talking about. Where do
you suppose their good witness, Mr.. |
Yandell, who says he was with him
when he died, says Sublette was
onriedf On Fontenelle Greek, near
where it empties into Green River
In Wyoming, and that he died in 1855.
Now, then, IL old man Comtois
knew nothing neither does Mr.. YAM
dell, or old man Comtois has the
power Of second sight or something
else; or, what is most probable, they |
neither one know anything. It looks
very much like some one had whis-
pered this story about the loo alton of
the grave to Mr.. YandeIl and he re-
peated 1t, all parties concerned being
ignorant of my intention to confess the
falsity of old man Comtois' affidavit.
Mr.. Yandell also says sublette's name
was "Bill.n
They who have attacked my state
ment attempt to prove old man Com
tois' statement to be false (and agree
with them) by producing another
witness who swears to the same thing
old man Oomtois did. Judge Shirk |
also says the defendants are not de-
pending upon my evidence to win
their case. This is immaterlal whether
they are or not and has nothing to do
with the truth of my statement. He
also presumes to say the attorneys for
the defense do not believe my state
ment. On the contrary, they say
they do believe it. Anyone desiring |
to ascertain the truth of this can write |
or call upon Messrs. Christie, Orr,
Bates & Co., 18th Floor, Union Trust
Building. Thinking l have proven
almost conelusively that my statement
is true, / shall endeavor to answer
qustion No. 2.
Why did aid In perpetrating this
fraudG In the first place, was in
structed to do SO by part Of the heirs.
For the reason l carried out their
Instructions read LIST Timothy, 9Th |
chapter, 9th and 10th verses.
In answer to question No. 3, I will
say that aftermy return I have thought
over the matter and have taken a diff |
ferent view. There are people living on |
this property whohave spent a lifetime
saving and denying themselves tha;
they might have place they could
call home-some place in which to
spend their old age-and now to
deliberately turn them out in the
streets on. . fraudulent claim to
ownership would be almost inhuman.
devilishs and / will not aid In doing
this. No, thousand times, no. am
poor and know the meaning of the
word want, yet I shall always remain
90 II I have to stoop TO crime ike
this to be otherwise. Those who win
condemn me most are the ones who
wanted something for nothing-who
wanted the fruits OF another's toll
and would have me periure myself
that thev rafOhf auooaad