The Press., 1901-11-28
carcely done this when / was upset

had reasons to suspect that Higgins
had ruined his home. and when there
was no longer any doubt in his mind
he had determined to kill the man.
He told me in detail of his going to the
house. effecting an entrance. telling
Higgins. what he had done and then
shooting him. He wanted to be tried
for the shooting and believed that the
jury would acquit him. Acting on my
advice. he went to the police with his
story and at it's conclusion was put
under arrest.
III went to work on the case. but was
bowled over at the very outset. Mrs.
Otis declared in the most emphatic and
earnest way that she had never spoken
a dozen words to Higgins. her husband
had never ,intimated that he had the
slightest cause, for jealousy Of any man.
and. better than ALL she could prove
that from 10, o'clock in the evening
until two hours after midnight on the
night of the murder be was at home
and in bed and quite i'll. This she did
prove by three witnesses. Otis had
told me purely imaginary story. and
he stuck to 1t for several days. but at
length turned around and denied
everything. There were those who
said that he was off, in his head. but
he talked. and acted like any sane man
and returned to his business as soon as
released vS.,a as,ar
The police now returned to their first
theory The deed had surely been
done by some one who had entered the
house for plumber. After some days
they arrested a saloon keeper in town
about five miles away. claiming to have
"a straight case against him, and the
man had been under arrest three OF
four days when l came into the case
again. A young man named Salters,
who was a student at the state normal
school, came to my house at 10 o'clock
at night to make q confession. He was
tine murderer of Higgins. Higgins had
by accident got hold of some love let
tiers which the young man had written
and had refused to give them up for
less than $780,. Not having the money
to pay with and being rendered des-
p.sate, he had gone to search the house
at night. Salters told of the converse
how he got in and got out and all the
details. advised him to go to the
police, and, as In the other case, they
locked him up and felt sure that they
had the right man at last. -
1 was not retained by young Salters,
who announced that he would make nc
defense, but set out to clear up few
points to satisfy my own curiosity. I
was not long in ascertaining that he
was not In love with any girl and had
never been known to write love let
ter; also that on the night of the MUIR
der he was in town 20 miles away
When these facts became known to the
police, they had to drop their case.
though Salters protested to the last
that he was guilty. had lost my keen
interest in the matter when a strange
woman, who introduced herself as Mrs.
Haskins. called at my office to make
confession She was a woman Of 40,
good looking and intelligent and claim
ing 10, be widow and to reside in a
town 80 miles away. She it was who
killed Mfr. Higgins, and she had with
her the pistol from which the shot had
been fred The deceased, as she claim
ed with many details, had wronged her
only daughter while passing himself
OF AS single man. She had haunted
his store, but he had lodged her. She
had tried to meet him on the street,
but he had evaded her AS last re-
sort she had entered his house and
made the noise that brought him down
stairs. ~.
In my experience as lawyer 1 never
heard straighter, story, but before
sending the woman to the police. as in
the other cases, i began to investigate.
The very first move proved that she
was either mOnstrous liar or a bit
crazy. The lady, at whose house she
claimed to have stopped had never even
heard Of her. Then discovered that
she had no daughter and that Mr.. Hig-
gins, could not have, known her and
that he had not visited her town for
II years. To cap the climax. she was
home on the night of the murder.
There was one more instance. and 1t
partook of the ridiculous at once. A
one legged man named Wells, resi-
dent Of the town, gave himself up to
the police as the murderer. He claim
ed to be somnambulist and that the
deed was done while he was asleep.
He didn't think he ought to be punish
ed, but he wanted to be tried and &C.
Quilted Not one true statement did
he make in all his story. and he was
told to take his leg and get out. The
hunt for the true criminal was kept up
for a year. but he was never. discover
ed. The police Were no doubt right in
their first theory. The man entered the
house for plumber, and. being discover
ed. If not attacked. he fired the fatal
than likely that he was a stranger to
the town. 4
You will naturally ask why those
people should have charged themselves
with a crime that they were not guilty
of. A physician could probably give
you a clearer answer. My theory is
that they had taken an intense interest
in the case. and from argument with
themselves how the crime was COM
mitted or how they would have CON-
mitted it they got to the point Of believ-
ing that they actually did commit it.
Such cases are by no means rare, and 1t
must be for some such reason that
courts often refuse to accept plea OF
guilty and give the accused fair trial
for his life und liberty. There are peo-
pie. as every lawyer and detective
knows, who are anxious to be witness
es in a cage and will perjure them
selves on rho stand without seeming
to be aware Of 1t. and it is In carrying
out this singular line Of conduct or
train of thought that one may come to
accuse himself.
STRAIGHTFORWARD.
He-You mustn't believe every beg
gar who comes to your door.
She-Rut this WAS no common heggac.