Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-07-13

above and L. the rear Of the ear, was a
wound sufficient. the medical examiner
stated. 10 cause death. That portion Of
the skull had been crushed in 10y blow
from some blunt or Jagged instrument.
The condition of the lungs indicated
that the man had been drowned before
death could eusue as a result of the
blow
At the investigation that followed
the facts concerning Burke's quarrel
with Chaplin were learned and also the
fact that Burke had last been seen alive
at 10 O'Clock the night before 10y Dob
son Burke's boat was found at the
pier on the east or observatory side Of
the river, secured in the usual manner.
TIE key ring upon which with other
keys was attached the one TO the boat ;
paddock was found in the right hand
hip pocket Of Burke's trousers, his
usual place Of carrying it. a pocket
handkerchief was found in the same
pocket His watch was found in the
vest pocket where he usually placed it
and his pOcketboOk, containing $50 won
that night at the card table, together
with about sac more, was in its Gus
tomary place in an inside vest pocket.
Nothing of any value seemed to be
missing. If he had been murdered, the
motive for the crime had not been rob
berry.
An examination Of the road between
the hotel and tn. west pier showed no
evidence of any struggle. At one place,
however, were footprints pointing in
both directions. as if some one had
walked back and forth a short distance,
searching for something. These foot
prints were all made by the same per
son and cOrresponded exactly to prints
made by the shoes on the feet Of Burke
when the body was found. At this spot
-four burned matches were also found.
1t looked as if on his way home Burke
had dropped something and spent a
few minutes searching for il. Dobson
remembered that Burke had two rods
of steel in his hand when he left the
hotel. As they wer- some 10 or s inch
es hong, he could not carry them easily
in his pocket. They We're not wrapped
in paper Sheriff Estes, who had un-
dertaken the task of unraveling the
mystery, concluded that ono Of these
rods had slipped from Burke's hand
unnoticed and fallen to the ground.
He would be apt to notice it was miss
ing very soon and doubtless had been
obliged to search the ground for no
great distance before finding the miss
ing rod These rods were the only things
missing when Burke body was found.
The spot where the footprints were
seen was nearer the hotel than the pier.
1t was about two thirds of a mile from
the latter point.
When Chaplin left Dobson 5 hotel the
night before, he carried heavy walk
ing stick, as three or four persons, Dob
son among the number, bore witness
to. The stick had an oxidized silver
handle, rough Of surface and rude Of
shape The sheriff visited the room oc-
cupied by Chaplin, which was in
boarding house in Jackson, but no
trace of the walking stick was found
there. Mrs Meadows, the landlady,
remembered the stick very well and
the place where Chaplin usually kept it
when not having it with him. To the
mind of the sheriff the absence Of the
stick from its customary place looked
suspicious Questioning him afterward,
Chaplin was not able to give what the
sheriff regarded satisfactory account
OF his whereabouts and dolngs between
10 and II q clock the night of his
quarrel with Burke
The story Chaplin told was that when
he left the hotel he was in much heat
ed temper, what with his losses and the
chagrin felt at being constrained to
apologize for his words TO Burke. He
was in no frame cf mind to meet any
one, and so wandered off along tie river
bank He went az far north as the
bluffs, and there sat down, letting the
refreshing breeze from the water cool
his hot blood. He sat there and smoked
for "A long time, becoming interested in
watching the many meteors flashing
across the sky He had noticed one
specially brilliant one, which lighted
up the landscape around him. At last
the calm and peace of the night, the
cooling breeze and perhaps more than
all else the gazing into the great uni
verse that is revealed in the darkness
of a clear night soothed him, his pas
sion passed and his troubled mind grew
calm and philosophic He did not start
TO return TO his room in the village till
he heard the town clock striking II.
He started then and reached the house
at about 20 minutes past / /. All except
Mrs Meadows had retired She saw
him enter and talked with him for
moment He then went TO his room,
and Immediately went ta he'd
Such was the story Chaplin told, and
Mrs Meadows uorroborated it as far as
the time Of his return was concerned.
At this time Chaplin was ignorant of
Burke's death, or assumed TO be. After
learning of it he still adhered TO his
story, but admitted it would look bet
ter for him if he could give better
account Of himself during the hour be
tween 10 and II that night Believing
the evidence against him sufficient TO
warrant it, the sheriff placed Chaplin
under arrest.
The afternoon of the arrest Chapin's
stick was found among some rocks be
low the bluffs north Of the west pier.
1t was here that Chaplin claimed he
had sat while smoking and gazing at
the stars. When asked how the stick
came there, he could only say that he
supposed it must have slipped over the
bluff while he was sitting there. When
he arose to leave the place, he had for
gotten that he had the stick with him,
and, in fact, had not thought Of it
from that time to this. A close cxami
nation Of the handle revealed in two
places on its rough surface minute
stains. which experts declared to be hu
man blood.
When Chaplin learned this, his face
whitcaed little, but he still affirmed
his innocence, explaining the presence
of the blood by saying that his right
hand was cut by ring on Burltc's fin
ger when he was warding off the blow
the latter had aimed at him. Some Of
the blood from this cut must have got
upon the handle when he was walking
out to the bluffs. In support Of this
statement he showed partly healed
cut on his right hand.
The sheriff believed the story to be a
fabrication and in his own mind had
little doubt that Chaplin had killed
Burke. Tho money loss incurred through
him and the humiliation aftcrward re
ccivol at his hands were to the sheriff
mind ample motive for the deed
The presence Of Burkc's boat IN its
usual place on the east side of the river
. /.