Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-02
TRACING CRIMINALS.
THE HANDKERCHIEF AS 4 FACTOR
IN THIS WORK.

IN THIS WORK.
Some Prominent Cases In Which the
Little Square of Linen Was a Silent
but Effective Accuser of the Sus-
pected Culprit.
Among the various exhibits in fa-
nous criminal cases that have held the
civilized world spellbound with their
frightful disclosures it is interesting to
note how often an accused criminal S
life has hung, not by thread, but by
threads, by that little square of linen,
of lawn, of silk-a handkerchief.
apparel oft proclaims the man, y
and there are about 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 its size whether it be a
mans or woman's, by initials in one
corner, by its quality and by the laun-
dry marks upon it, as in the case of the
notorious desperate and stag robber so
well remembered by Californians-
'Black Bart. -
One of the cleverest pieces of detect
i've work ever accomplished in this
state was done in this case by J. B.
Hume, special officer for Wells Fargo.
When news reached his office on Nov.
8, 1888, that a stage had been held up
and robbed near Tuttleville and that a
handkerchief and some other articles
had been found behind some cliffs near
the place of attack, Mr.. Hume imme-
diatly telegraphed TO have the things
sent down TO him.
He carefully inspected the handker-
chief, plain hemstitched mans hand
kerchief, and noticed laundry mark
in one corner, F x07 Upon this evil
dence, a handkerchief, with that fatal
laundry mark. was Black Bart arrested.
Mr.. Hume 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 a sort of lounging
room, with tobacco stand on one side,
and here Black Bart, known there as
Charlie Bolton, mining man and cap
italist, spent a 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 of 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
felon, was at last trapped by handker-
chief. The shrewd criminal, who had
held the sheriff as well as the Wells
Fargo detectives at bay fer so long, did
not see that there was enough differ
ence between one handkerchief and an
other TO disclose a mans identity and
convict him of crime.
Two handkerchiefs figured in the
Durrant case. One, identified as 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 go
down as one of the strongest cases in
the criminal records of California of
the conviction of 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, case where all
the eloquence of California s 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
one saw how hard the attorneys for the
defense worked for days on that one bit
of evidence, trying in every way posi-
bic and impossible to break the 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 a
free womah
A handkerchief convicted her-a lit
tie white square of linen sent her to
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
a large and fashionable boarding house,
and at frequent intervals valuable
pieces of jewelry had been stolen from
the various guests: The woman, who
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 a handkerchief, dropped in
a hasty retreat from one CT the rooms.
The detective to whom the handkerchief
was given noticed upon it peculiar
perfume, a subtle odor used at the
boarding house only by Mrs, Wbjttep,