Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-08-09
TIE CASE AT
CANE HILL

w
liams.
John Carnes was arrested for the
murder He couldn't explain his
whereabouts on the evening previous
for good reason. He was robbing n
house. Another man suspected of be-
ing an eX-convict. Joel Fisher, was ar
rested. who also could not give his
whereabouts on that evening because
he was robbing freight car. 1t was
believed that he and Carnes Were part
ners in the crime;
Still another man was arrested. n
single man who kept house for himself
While no money was found, it was ar
gued that, he had buried the sum Sc
cured from Williams, and for three
days more than 100 people were ran
sacking his house and barn and every
foot of his land in hopes TO unearth
the treasure.
The name of the third party arrested
was Black. He employed me to defend
him. My first idea naturally was to
prove an alibi. He claimed to me that
he had not left his house during the
evening, Living alone, we had only his
unsupported word for this, and by ac-
cident l ascertained that he was lying
to me. Three different persons had call
ed at his house between and 10
o'clock and found him absent. Then
Black made q confession to me. A
farmer with whom he had quarreled
had a large barn on the farm three
miles away, and Black had gone there
to burn it. His intentions We're bad
enough, but the fire he kindled went
out, and the barn did not burn. To
clear himself of the one he must own
up to the other.
As if the case was not complicated
enough. the sheriff took another step.
He worked at the two men first arrest
ed until they confessed" that Black
planned the whole affair, did the kill
ing and that they only watched to see
that he was not interrupted. The pros
ecution now felt assured that it had 4
straight case, while realized that
Black must run the gantlet for his
life. The sheriff naturally wanted TO
convict Black. and when Carnes and
Fisher We're pressed" they cooked up
a very plausible confession
L had verified Blacks story. l had
gone to the barn and found a candle in
a box Just where he had told me to
look for it. had timed his journey to
and fro and found it occupied the inter-
val stated. | had found mud on his
boots which had come from a spot
near the barn. However,. when the
case was cSlled in the higher court 1
was appalled, at the strength Of the evil
dence against my client.
l could only prove one thing in de-
fense-previous good character. Black
boldly confessed that he had intended
to burn the barn and thus accounted
for his time, but it only hurt his case.
Everybody jumped TO the conclusion
that n man who would commit arson
would not scruple at murder. 1t was
shown that he was hard up financially,
that certain men We're rather afraid of
him, that he had been heard to make
dire threats, and they could not have
painted him blacker had he been onR
of the Younger brothers.
On top of all this came the "confes-
sion" Carnes and Fisher had occupied
the same cell for days and therefore
agreed in all the details. They swore
to meeting Black just outside the viii
lage. They entered the town TO look
for Williams and found him on the
street. Fisher swore that he accested
him and directed him to the mill race.
telling him that the owner of the mill
wanted to see him. After the murder
all went back to Blacks house. where
the money was to be divided. He had
given Carnes and Fisher $50 apiece
and put off the division for n week.
While neither saw the blow struck nor
the body flung into the water, both
agreed as to what Black said on the
way home. He had told them that
williams seemed suspicious and was
about to run away when struck down.
lost my case, of course. The jury
went out simply for Appearances sake
and in seven minutes returned with
verdict of guilty. You, may ask what
had been done to trace Williams. Very
little. He had said he was from Chi
cago. No one knew his full address,
The affair had been published in the
Chicago papers, but no one had identi-
fed williams as Williams. He seemed
to have neither relatives nor acquaint-
ances.
Black was to be sentenced to death,
and Carnes and Fisher were to get off
with a term in state prison. They had
not yet been sentenced when Williams,
the man who had been murdered and
buried, returned to town as quietly as
any other traveller. He left town on the
night of the murder at O'Clock, going
to Milwaukee to see about a bank safe
and other things. He was taken i'll en-
route and left the train at q small vii
lage where he had relatives. He had
been sicl4 with fever for weeks. and
nothing whatever was known of the
case
My case was won by the reappear-
ance of Williams. 1t was for his MUIR
der that Black had been tried. Who