The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-20

| Up to his arrest the young man lived
| with his parents at the Great Wyrley rec.
tory. going to Birmingham by train.
upon The finding Of o't the mutilaied 'i bods
| of pony in a field about a half mile
from the rectory.
SUSPECTED YOUNG LAWYER.
The police suspected the young lawyer
because they discovered footprints lead
! ing away from the scene OF the animal $
death and almost Up TO the clergyman
| door. They insisted upon entering.
The pony was killed on rainy night.
end aIsla IN the the. Young lawyer wardrobe the
boots but suit of clothing so damp as
! TO be almost wet.
Moreover, on both the coat and trousers
| OF this suit the detectives found short red
hairs. which matched exactly 1.-The coat
| OF the slaughtered pony. On DE Of the
coat sleeves were solashes Of blood The
police also found four raZorS the blades
of which were stained a deep red. ap-
parently with blood
Edalji took his arrest coolly. and when
offered his freedom on ball said that he
preferred to wait his trial in prison, as
he knew he would be subjected to con-
tinual insult If he remained ct liberty.
One of the most extradionary features
of this strange affair is the remarkable
in IT
They began to pour in upon all sorts
Vi people soon aIter the beginning or the
mysterious attacks on animals.
First private individuals got unsigned
rli:sives. in which the writer's threatened
to do for their horses or cows-even
cefve mysterious epistles. posted from all
over the district and saving that their
author or authors knew who was respon-
sible for the slaughter and would tell
If rewarded But these obliging folk never
could be traced.
The letter which most frightened the
villagers was received by police Sergeant
and read:
There will be merry time in Wyrley
when We start on the girls for we will do
twenty women like the horses before next
March,
GREEK BOYS CONFESSION.
But the most extradionary of these
documents addressed to the police was
not anonymous. but was ostensibly writ
ten by little boy named Greatrtx, who
lived in the neighborhood. and who CON
fessed'' to the police that the animal muir
ders were done by a youthful gang, of
which he was one.
The names were given OF the different
juvenile members of this reported gang.
and they all were little chaps whom every
one in the village knew. But when young
Grea'rex was seen by the police regarding
his supposed confession. he declared that
he had not written it-that the whole
thing was a fabrication. and the boy
was able to prove that when the letter
Of Wight with his parents.
After Edalji had been arrested, II was
supposed that he must have written all
these screeds, but. just as the slaughter of
animals went on after the clergyman's
son had been clapped behind the bars. SO
were more anonymous letters received by
the police.
The horse killed after EdalJfs arrest be-
longed to young farmer named Green.
1t was attacked at night and ripped open
exactly as the other animals had been.
Al first II was supposed that Green him.
self. as friend of Edalji's, had killed the
horse in order to help the arrested man.
but. as the police have not taken the
farmer into custody. the belief evidently
had 10 foundation.