The herald., 1898-12-02
ON TRIAL FOR BURGLARY
PROSECUTING WITNESS SECOND
WIFE OF BIGAMIST
STOLEN GOODS IDENTIFIED
Boughton Trying to Explain How
Mrs. Myers Flatirons Came to
Be Under His Roof

The trial of William Boughton for burg
larry was held yesterday before Judge Smith
and a jury He was charged, in company
with Dollie Bcughton and JOHN Grady, with
having entered the house OF Mrs. w. A
Myers near tho Rosedale cemetery, on or
about September Goth. and with taking
therefrom quantity o; clothing and house
hold utensils and furniture, including a
cook stove, fatirons, etc. A part OF the
property was discovered in the house OF the
Boughtons. a search warrant having been
sworn out, and complaint was issued under
which Boughton and Grady were held TO
answer to the superior court, but Mrs.
goughton was discharged.
Separate TRIALS were ordered for the two
men and Boughton's was the first set. He
was defended by D. Allen and Deputy Dis
trict Attorney Willis appeared for the pros
ecution.
Mrs. Myers testified to the loss of her
property during her temporary absence
from home, and the subsequent discovery OF
much of it at the house OF the Boughtons.
On cross examination she Ead she was mar
ried on May llth last and her husband lett
her in the latter part of July, being now
in Chicago. Being asked il he was not a
fugitive from justice, the witness hesitated
and objection to the question by Mr.. Willis
was sustained by the court.
The facts with respect TO the matter,
though it was impossible 10 bring them out
in this case are that Myers as wanted for
bigamy. A former wife appeared and a
warrant was issued for his arrest. Myers
got an inkling OF what was going on, as
some alege, by the treachery of certain de-
tectves, and he fled to the country. Off
GERS were sent out to hunt him, but he went
under an assumed name and evaded arrest,
eventually leaving the country altogether.
This breaking up of the Myers household
was the cause of the house being left vacant
and the burglary was the result of such tenn
porary Abandonment.
Grady was implicated in the burglary, as
he was living with the Boughtons and had
been seen acting suspiciously around the
Myers premeises.
Mrs. Bertha Muegenburg testified to
Boughton's coming to her house, near that
of Mrs. Myers, in September and nquiring
if the latter was for rent. She did not
know and he remarked that he supposed 1t
would do no harm for him to look it over.
He went there and entered the house.
Detective Hawley testified to going to the
Roughton house and searching the premises.
As he arrived there in company with Detec-
tive Aube Mrs. Boughton was seen to enter
hastily and when the officers went in Grady
was Just passing into another room. They
started to follow him and were forbidden
by Mrs Boughton to do so. They disre
earded her command, went in, took bun
de from Grady, brought it ont and opened
it, whereupon Mrs. Myers Immediately
identified the contents as property belong
ing to her.
On another occasion Mr. Hawley had
climbed TO the roof of the house and re-
moved some shingles which by their color
and the newness of the nails which held
them appeared to have been nailed in place
recently. A cavity was exposed in which
the fatirons were found, rolled up in pa
per. Mrs. Muegenburg had seen Boughton
on the roof when he was mailing the shingles
on.
Boughton had denied all knowledge re-
garding the clothing in the bundle found in
Gradvs possession and explained the nail
ing on of the shingles as having been done
by him because of the discovery of the hole
in the roof He professed astonishment be-
cause of the discovery of the fatirons in the
cavity.
Detective Auble corroborated Hawley's
testimony Other witnesses substantiated
the story of those here quoted and the de-
fense was mainly directed to an attempt to
throw the responsibility on Grady. The
trial will be resumed this morning.