The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-09
JAMES DAWSON, HELD FOR MUIR
DER, PROVES A STRANGE
&, CHARACTER
HE IS VERY WELL EDUCATED
Admits That He Has Been a GRIM
inaI for Twenty Years-Weak
Point in His
Alibi.
nLOBE'S MINNEAPOLIS OFFICE,
il 20 WASHINGTON AV. SOUTH.

James Dawson, ex-convict, held by the
police charged with completely in the
murder Of William Marshall on the early
morning of the Fourth of July, is ar
enigma. Dawson is subject to frequent
fits Of nervousness. but it is said he
claims to Rave faced the Moose twice in
his life and believes ne will come through
this time
In many ways Dawson is remarkable
man. To ali appearances he is merely q
common hobo who could pass The aver
age detective with little consideration
Conversation causes surprise, FOR lie
proves to be an educated and widely read
man who car use ''hig words" and use
them correctly. His language is good and
at tire coroner's inquest last week he
proved a genuine surprise. He is short il
stature, rather stocky and of medium
complexion, with light mustacho, brown
hair and q rather peculiarly formed head
with noticeably receding forehead.
Dawson is not his right name. He
frankly admitted this on the witness
stand at the corOner's inquest and also
10 Detectives Murphy and Lawrence IT
is a name he claims to nave assumed IN
1893 for a reason which made it necessary
for him TO adopt d new name. lie is q.
daring burglar.
You Cont know me as Dawson" he
said to Detective Joseph Lawrence, you
win know me some day
According TO the story he has told De
tectiVes Murphy and Lawrence at inter-
walls, Dawson IS a machInist by trade.
His father 6ied when lie was eleven years
old and al that age ne began an attempt
TO earn his own living, learning the trade
of machinist and attending night school
10 secure an education. At the age of
fifteen he committed his first crime He
has been criminal for twenty years, be-
ing now thirty-tve years old lie claims
to have worked at his trade as q ma
chinist in the power house of one of the
Chicago street railway companies, at
Anaconda and to have been employed ON
the big Memphis bridge. He says he has
travelled all over the United States and
has been in every city of any Importance
in the entire country and in the more
prominent cities of foreign countries
How many times he has been in Jail he
won't say and nobody knows.
Dawson has no bad habits other than
cigarette smoking and he is an inveterate
slave of the little coffin nails" and has
a liking for beer. While in Saltwater
prison he was always reading Every
murder or hanging of prominence during
years is familiar to him and he can tell
AN about them.
When arrested by Detectives Lawrence
and Murphy, his first bad break was
A'-4lE ms mat A4C lldu q 4SNO4NGI OII Ills
person. He says that he denied this for
fear of being arrested and sent to the
Workhouse for carrying concealed Weap-
ons.
He denies all connection with the muir
der and denies the claim of the police
and Coroner Nelson that he said to them:
IF I Shot him it was accidental; 1 did
not mean to do it, III
He declined to make any definite state
to fIa
when arrested.
The weak point in Dawson's alibi is at
the hour the murder occurred when he
claims to have left lower Nicollet ave-
nue. bottling house about midnight. and
10 have gone to a Hennepin avenue saloon
trifie over three blocks away, and to
have spent about fifty minutes making
this trip, being, as he claims, obliged to
dart into doOrways to keep out of the
rain. The police will claim that between
the hour when he left the bottling house
and the hour when he reached the saloon
at Sl4 Hennepin avenue, Dawson COM
mitted the murder
Dawson believes that he will be clear
ed, although he admits that the chances
are very much against him. He intimates
that he really doesn't care much what
becomes Of him, saying that it is useless
Tor q man to try to live down the disgrace
OF being an ex-convict. The laws of the
government and the laws of nature. Daw-
son says, are both against the eX-convict
l am not wise man. he saws ''but
am Tar from being an imbeciIe. I know
mat people are prejudiced against me
simply because I am an ex-convict.
Know that the stain can never be wiped
out. Why worry over it?"
Sergeant E. E. Stevens, of the head
quarters, has photographed and measured
Dawson, and pictures will probably be
sent to other cities for the purpose of
learning Dawson's identity, as he is
thought to be a burglar of more or less
note. and may be well known in other
cities under some other name.