The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-09
FAMOUS MURDER CASE,
Continued from Third Paee,,

Continued from Third Page.)
 fore a. m., and were to have been al
 Hootchiku that day, and the chemica
 analysis of the contents of the stom-
 ach of all three victims after the re-
 covery showed that the food therein
 had been in the stomach three hours
 before death.
 Following up this, Captain Russell
 who kept the Minto roadhouse, where
 the victims were last seen alive by
 others than their slayer, says the men
 took breakfast there before leaving.
 These circumstances are all taken as
 indicative that the men were murdered
 about 9 a. m.
 The story of how the murderer was
 traced and captured was far more
 simple than that of the search for the
 missing bodies and the scene of the
 tragedy. Detective P. H. Mcclure, as-
 sisted by members of the mounted po-
 lice force, located the exact scene of
 the murder between the trail stations
 Of Hootchiku and Minto, eighteen
 miles apart, after the most laborious
 work.
 When the search for the bodies and
 the scene of the murder began in earn
 est six weeks were spent by Detective
 McGuire and Constable Pennicuick be- fore the trail where the murder was
 committed was located. Previous to the beginning of this six weeks search only cursory search had been made.
 First, all the trails in the vicinity of Minto and Hootchiku were searched, and for long time without develop ment. Finally trees were found blazed inside on trail leading from what is now conceded to be OBrien's tent, far back in the woods, down across the regular river trails, to the river. This was special trail. Further work dis closed the fact that the trail branched in two dim routes, cut out in thick trees, and ran off in "" shape, and third dim route led north to where 1t was later found the hole was made in the ice.
 The first finding of evidence of the crimes on these trails was made by a huske, or native dog, in the searching party. Detective Mcclure was alone that day. The spring had come. There was six inches of snow on the ground when the murders were committed In the spring there were several feet. The warm sun caused the frozen blood to give off its peculiar odor, and this at- tracted the nose of the dog and made him act strangely.
 This was enough. Constable Penni- cuick, who was away from the search for only a short time, was called back. The search was begun with renewed interest. The virgin snow was soon found discolored in various places. To made sure of getting all clues possible from the scene, a strip of snow was uncovered straight back from the river along the trail 125 yards in length and twelve feet wide. Z In this process the scene of the death of each victim was ascertained. The work was the most trying imagina- ble. Although the spring sun had melt ed the snow some. the cold of winter came on again, and at 40 degrees below zero the men worked day after day, sitting the snow, tracing tracks, looking l for minutest evidence They found | the trifiing articles and some of value | thrown from each man, and found even | an ordinary pin and pieces of a dogs ! hair, believed to be that of O'Brien's | dog,g and uncovered hardened tracks in the snow.
 Then the other trail was traced to the river and the ice opened. There acres of ice were blown up with dynamite Tn places it had been jammed and was sixteen feet thick. None of the bodies was found, but the bottom of the river was thoroughly searched with all man. aer of appliances. The bodies had been swept many miles below by the to where they were found in he spring.
 The capture of O'Brfen and the find- ng of the scene were not enough. It vas evident from the fact that there were two hunks in O'Brien's tent and supplies for two, and that prior to Christmas he had always been with mother man in the vicinity, that he had ! partner. The tracks on the scene of he murder also satisfied the officers hat there were two men. Ross had ,een given as the name of the other nan when O'Brien was around with i'm in the vicinity of Minto, but he is known as Graves. The theory advanced by the prose- ution is that the two men deliberately damned the murder watched with spy .lasses, which had been seen in )'Brien's possession, for victims to ome up the trail, and when they came topped before them and ordered them nto the woods. One of the robbers, hey say, covered the men, while the { ther shot them. The second trail in he woody labyrinth. they claim, was ,r one to steal up behind and shoot ne men while the other covered the ictims |. After the murder, they claim, Graves l ther escaped or was murdered by 'Brien. C One hundred and ten days were spent, c Il told, searching for the scene of the l urder and for the bodies in the prox- ! nity of the scene. t After the bodies had been found and . ,e autopsies held the work was not r 1t complete. Captain William Henry | earth, of the Northwest Mounted Po- q ,e, who had been detailed to take V large of the search in and around Il into, and the conduct of the case 0 in looking for the perpetra- 6 rs, witnesses and others, had the de- D ctive and other men continue on the o or& Thn VIlxop yunc coorro5 fror, | g