The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-02
STORY OF an OLD CRIME
RELATED ny OFFICER TOM HALLS,
OF THE L. 5. SECRET SERVICE.
Brutal Murder That Occurred I'm ILL.,
nois shortly After the Civil
War Ended.


mitted the most horrible murder which
ever came beneath my notice." said Secret
Service Officer Halls The story OF the
crime is rather long. but 1t is well worth
listening TO, because of its romance and
mystery
"A short time after the civil war ended
I was in Illinois trying to break up gang
of counterfeiters and general desperadoes-
Ny headquarters was at Champaign. for
the time being. with another detective
named Ritteahouse. / was young man at
that time and had many acquaintance
among the fair sex. One evening ! found
in my mail an anonymous note. addressed
and written In a neat feminine hand, re-
Questing me to meet the writer at certain
house in Champaign, where I was ac-
Quainted- The only attention I gave the
communication. which L regarded as the
silly within OF some young girl, was to tear
IL In pieces and throw 1t into the waste
basket. About a week afterward I returned
from an out-of-town trip and was about
ascending the stairway to Office when
Jeweler, who occupied the storeroom on
the street below, raped on his window to
attract my attention and then motioned
me to enter his store, which I did He
handed me a note addressed and, to
my surprise, the handwriting was the same
rs appeared on the one which 1 had de-
stroyed a week before. The jeweler told
me that the message had been left by lit
tie girl, who informed him that she had
first been instructed to deliver it to Capt
Halls at his Office, but. when was found
20 be out OF the city, the child was directed
TO leave it in care OF the storekeeper. The
note said: L wrote you letter one week
ago and am not now surprised at your
hot giving it attention Now I want to see
you very badly and must. My business is
pf the greatest Importance. If you get this
letter by Thursday Afternoon drop me
note in the postofice. 1 shall leave the
State Agricultural College between the two
towns CUrbana and Champaign at o'clock
In the evening. My route will be along the
sidewalk running north until l get on
line with the Catholic Church. There will
turn west, pursuing that walk until l get
on the corner near the gashouse, where /
will turn south until come TO the l., B.
& w. Railway. Please advise me where on
this route you can meet me. will trust
your honor as a gentleman to say nothing
about this and to come alone. You Will
know me, for am a woman and will be
dressed in mourning. Now. don't neglect
this. please, as it is matter of great i'm
portance.' The note was signed NJ. A.
. Hudson
THOUGHT LETTER A DECOY.
1.-THE State Agricultural College was at
that time about half way between the
towns OF Urbana and Champaign and the
road the writer OF the note proposed to
travel lay. for the most part, through an
open prairie. My first impression was
that the letter was decoy sent me by
member of the gang which 1 was trying
to run down. I thought they wanted to
entice me out on the lonely prairie and
do me up However, there was some
thing about the letter which made me
think the writer was in genuine distress,
and I resolved to take chances and meet
her. I accordingly sent her a note ap-
pointing a place near the gashouse for
our meeting and fixing the time at 1880
In the evening. Before evening 1 got to
thinking that perhaps / had better guard
against any accident by telling my part
ner something OF the affair. Therefore,
I showed him the woman's note. He read
It through and then handed it back to me
without a word. then went into another
room and changed my light coat and hat to
others OF a darker hue. When I came out
Rittenhouse said. You are not going
against that letter, are you? said L
thought would. at the same time placing
a big revolver in my pocket. I told him
that If 1t were 'set-up job I had just as
well go anyway, as the ones who planned
II would lay for me- and perhaps get me
18th II
guard. Rittenhouse insisted on accom-
panying me, so had to give him the Slip
started by a back street and went up in
the neighborhood of the gashouse. While
had mentioned that as the place for the
meeting had no intention of going there,
but wanted to draw the parties to the
place, If they intended to ambush me. If
the writer Of the letter was honest, how
ever. I could as well as not meet her at
some other point on the board walk run
ming between Champaign and the Agri-
cultural College. 1 accordingly walked to
the corner above the gashouse, from which
place I could see a long distance on the
board walk and at the same time keep my
eye on the gashouse. I saw nothing sus-
picious in that quarter. however. Pedes-
TRANS were coming and going along the
walk without making any unusual stops,
and no one entered the building except
such as J. knew TO be workmen.
1 was just beginning to think
the letter was hoax or
else a scheme to get me out of the city for
an hour or two. when. happening to glance
down the board walk, which stretched
away in the dim distance like white rib
bon on the broad prairie. detected what
appeared 10 be black speck AS looked
noticed that the speck increased in size
indicating that the object was coming to-
wards me- decided TO walk in that direc-
ton and meet ii, whatever II was. found
that IL was Mrs. Mary Ann Hudson. the
author Of the two notes which had re-
ceived a week apart. The woman's first
question. however, aroused my suspicion
Have you got warrant for T. ". Lane?
she asked Now. 7. NJ. Lane was the re-
puted chief OF a gang OF lawbreakers which
had long been wanted by the officers AS
matter OF fact, We did have a warrant for
his arrest and had received information
that he was contemplating a visit TO Ur-
bana on an important criminal mission.
but was prevented from doing so by fear
- ~ IL