The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-04-26
TRACING CRIMINALS.
THE HANDKERCHIEF AS A FACTOR
IN THIS WORK.

Some Prominent Cases lu Which the
Little STunrc of Linen WINS a silent
but ETcctive Accuser of the sus-
pected Culprit.
Among the various exhibits in fa-
nous criminal cases that have held the
civilized world spcllbound with their
frightful disclosures it is interesting to
note how often IN accused criminals
life has hung. not by thread, but by
threads. by that little square of linen.
of lawn, of silk-a hanHkerchicf.
"Apparel oft proclnns the man. -
and there are about Il handkerchief GER
tain indications that can trace it to its
owner. or. rather vice versa, by the
perfumery or sachet upon it in some
instances, by it's size whether it be a
mans or woman's. by initials in one
corner, by its quality and by tho laun-
dry marks upon it, as in tho case of the
notorious desperate and stage robber 80
we'll remembered by Culifornians-
"Blnck Bart
Ono OF the clevercst pieces Of detect
i've work ever accomplished in this
state was done in this case by ]. B.
Hume, special officer for Wells Fargo
When news reached his office on Nov.
3, 1888, that stage had been held up
and robbed near Tuttlev;iio and that Il
handkerchief and some other articles
had been found behind come cliffs near
the place of attack. Mr.. Hume i,nme-
diatly' telegraphed to have tho things
sent down to him.
He carefully inspected the handker-
chief, plain hemstitc!ied mans hand
kerchief. and noticed laundry mark
in one corner. Fx07. Upon t;,is evi-
dence, handkerchief with that fatal
laundry mark. was Black Bart arrested.
Mr.. Humo set to work to find out
where the handkerchief had been laun-
dered, and after several days of careful
inquiry and diligent search it was
traced to laundry down on Bush street
kept by man named Ware. This laun-
dry office was also n sort Of lOunging
room. with tobacco stand on one side
and here Black Bart, known there as
Charlie Bolton. u mining man and cap
ltalist. spent great deal of his time.
When the handkerchief was brought
to Ware and he was asked to whom it
belonged. he said: "Why, that is Char
lie Bottoms handkerchief He brought
his laundry here just before he returned
to the mines short time ago
Detective Hume sent instructions for
the arrest CT Black Bart. Black Bart
after years Of depredations, during
which time he had robbed % stages
and had kept the stage drivers in con-
tinual fear Of their lives. this clever
fclon. was at last trapped by handker-
chief. The shrewd criminal, who had
held the sheriff as we'll as tho Wells
Fargo detectives Mt bay fer SO long, did
not see that there was enough differ
ence between one handkerchief and an
other to disclose mans identity and
convict him Of crime.
Two handkerchieis figured in the
Durrant case. One. identified us belong
ing to Minnie Williams. was found COW
cred with blood behind the Emanuel
church. where the murders were perpe.
trated.
The Botkin poisoning case will 90
down as o:ie OF the strongest cases in
the criminal records Of California OF
the conviction of a murderer based on
circumstantial evidence. What the key.
stone is to the arch so is the 25 cent
handkerchief sent in that fatal box Of
poisoned candy to the chain of evidence
In this famous case, a case where all
the eloquence of CALIFORNIA; most bril-
liant lawyers could not swing the jury
TO the side of acquittal.
The important part handkerchief
played in this case was apparent when
cQ hor h<, O.. -
defense worked for days on that one bit
OF evidence. trying in every way posi-.
BILE and impossible to break tho testi-
mony of the woman who sold the hand.
kerchief to Mrs. Botkin. If that little
cheap embroidered handkerchief had
not been slipped into that box of choco.
lates Mrs Botkin might be walking
the streets Of San Francisco TODAY q
free woman.
A handkerchief convicted her-a lit
tie white square Of linen sent her to O
cell with blackened character, where
she will exist Sans friends, sans hope.
sans name. sans everythingl
Mrs. Written, famous woman Grim.
inal in New York, was finally captured
and imprisoned by the aid Of certain
perfumed handkerchief. She resided in
large and fashionable boarding house,
and at frequent intervals valuable
pieces of jewelry had been stolen from
the various gnests. The woman. Win
was afterward convicted Of the crime.
was never suspected, as she, too, claim.
ed to be having her valuables stolen
from her room.
Detectives were put to work on the
case. and finally they traced the culprit
by means Of handkerchief, dropped in
hasty retreat from one CT the rooms
The detective to whom the handkerchief
was given noticed upon it peculiar
perfume. subtle odor used at tho
boarding house only by Mrs. Whitten
and to her the handkerchief was traced
and then the crime
Persons who have committed suicide
by jumping off ferryboats have, In
many cases. destroyed every othes
means of Identification except theis
handkerchiefs. These, thoughtlessly rp
tanned and bearing certain initials Of
marks, have led to the disclosure Of tbs