The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-29
'REQUISIT!ON
FOR COFFELT
Alleged Assassin of Mont
gomery Arrested
I'm LONE STAR STATE
He Has Been Suspected Since
Night of Tragedy
VERY STRONG EVIDENCE
Has Been in Possession of
Secret Service Men.

An indirect important DEVELOPMENT has
been maze in the montgomery assassina-
ton case Of Winfield. For several weeks
the Eagle has mad absolutely reliable in
/ formation that o. w Coffelt, of ranch
/ 'lo1" near Bliss. o. T, had been sus-
! pected Of the assassination OF Mont
gomery, but for prudential reasons did
not divulge it until assured that Conelt.
who was a fugitive, had been located
within the certain reach Of the law. That
assurance has now come. Coffelt is IN
der arrest now in Texas at a town named
Do Eio, and Governor Ferguson Of Ok
( iahofpa, has issued q requisition for him
j ne requisition however, does not spec
ify that Coffelt is wanted for the muir
der IF Montgomery. but for a minor
crime committed in Oklahoma and for
which he was under $500 bond L is no
secret. however. that Cofelt was located
by the Santa Fe detectives and il is alto
gethcr probable that he VIII be neld in
Oklahoma for The minor offense only for
the convenience OF the Santa Fe secret
service men and only until such = time
as they will be able 10 mako clear case
against him IN other words, they deem
that il Is safer to hold him on a charge
that is self-evi5ent than ore that is not
yet absolutely complete. Had Coffelt
not escaped from the territory soon after
the murder. the secret service men would
have had him under arrest long ago At
one time they were ready to take him
in, but could not present a requisition
upon the governor of Oklahoma for him
without violating a promise made not to
disclose the identity Of woman who
possessed the evidence against him
After the murder Of Montgomery, II
viii be remembered that footprints Of
Importance were found. TIE next thing
to be dore was to find the merchant who
sold boots to certain men at the '10l"
ranch This was accomplished aud the
very number OF the boot which nade
the footprint was identified. In the early
morning after tho murder a man got
pint " whisky in = certain joint between
Winfield and Bliss. which cut quite a
figure in the chain of evidence being
worked up. This joint was run by
man who formerly lived in Wichita md
his testimony viii he very important.
in due time tie buggy was traced to
point several miles from ranch ''l01' and
it was identified positively as one that
two men took out of a livery stable in
Arkansas City between five and six hours
after the murder This buggy was OF
4 neculkar make and il left tricks that
challenged attention. The detectives as
certained who mad this buggy that night
They die il in a very clever way and
the story concerning it will be one OF the
most interesting IN the trial after the
mon accused of Tic murder of Mr.. Mont /
golnery are arraigneG.
1t is said that Coffelt was absent from
the .Im" ranch taat night and did not
reach It until 1 o'clock in the morning /
1t is also said that The Santa F'e secret !
service men knew who admitted him |
into The house after ne came back and |
the exact words that were spoken. At
this particular point in the 1oings OF /
that night they have some very valuable |
and it viii make thrilling /
chapter IN the history Of the crime.
Cofelt wa sreared near Caldwell and 4
was she son OF parents well known IN 4
that section lie was brought up On q /
farm and is now not far from % years Of (
age. The Santa Fe detectives have at 4
an tines been so positive that he was 1
the ASSASSIN OF Montgomery that they /
never pursued any other person, except !
as a blind.