The Somerset reporter., 1901-09-26

be talked and acted like any sane man
and returned to his business as soon as
released.
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 saloon keeper in town
a straight case against him, and the
man had been under arrest three or
four days when l came into the case
again. A young man named Salters,
who was student at the state normal
school, came to my house at 10 o'clock
at night TO make confession. He was
the 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 800. Not having the money
to pay with and being rendered des-
perate, he had gone to search the house
at night Salters told of the conversa-
ton when Higgins came down stairs
how he got in and got out and all the
details. l advised him to go to the
police and, as In the other case they
locked him up and felt sure that they
bad the right man at last.
was not retained by young Salters,
who announced that he would make no
defense, but | set out to clear up a few
points to satisfy my own curiosity.
was not long In ascertaining that he
Uag nor In louo with apVr oIr haH
never been known to write a 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 a
confession. She was woman of 40,
good looking and intelligent and claim
ing TO be widow and to reside In a
town 80 miles away. She 1t was who
killed Mr.. Higgins, and she had with
her the pistol from which the shot had
been fired. The deceased, as she claim
ed with many details, had wronged her
only daughter while passing himself
off as a 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 a last re-
sort she had entered his house and
made the noise that brought him down
stairs.
In my experience as lawyer l never
heard a straighter story, but before
sending the woman to the police, as in
the other cases. l 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 l 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 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, IL not attacked, he fired the fatal
shot and then escaped. 1t was more
than likely that he was a stranger to
the town.
You will naturally ask why those
people should have charged themselves
with crime that they were not guilty
of. A physician could probably give
you 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
mltted or how they would have COM
mitted it they got to the point of believ-
Ing that they actually did commit 1t.
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 a fair trial
for his life and liberty. There are peo-
pie. as every lawyer and detective
knows, who are anxious to be witness
es In a case and will perjure them
selves on the stand without seeming
to be aware of 1t, and 1t is In carrying
out this singular line of conduct or
train of thought that one may come to
accuse himself.