Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1903-12-10


While this part Of the examination
was going on, Miss Wright was nerv-
GUS and wore a startled air, which
might be interpreted either as an
admission that she had been subject
ed to u line OF examination that she
had not expected, or fear that she
was giving testimony to the detri-
ment of her brother In some way
which was inscrutable to her. Crop
ing thus in the dark, she was growing
more and more agitated, and her self
possession was near to breaking down
completely. Fortunately she was not
subjected to any further inquisitorial
process, and, half dazed with fear
and uncertainty, she left the stand
and quilted the room, casting as she
did so n glance full of questioning de-
spair upon her brother.
The full significance Of this testi-
mony was now brought out by plac-
ing on the stand Detective Fenton.
He told a very plain and damaging
story.
yesterday afternoon" he said,
Herbert Wright was arrested on
suspicion, and, as is customary, he
was taken to the police station and
searched. All the papers and articles
found on him were taken charge of.
Among these were two pawn tickets.
These tickets did not arouse the
slightest suspicion in my mind, for
there are hundreds of poor people in
the city who have such tickets in
their possession. 1t has, however, al
WAYS been a custom of mine to take
the pawn tickets found on all pris-
oners and ascertain what articles
have been pawned. This has in a
good many instances enabled me to
bag some very important criminals.
More from force of habit than any
thing else I went to RosenthaFs and
Neckar's pawnshops. At the first
found that the ticket called for q
watch, pair of sleeve buttons, a
diamond pin and knife. The clerk
who took in these articles remem-
bered that they had been brought in
by seedy looking young man named
Abraham Jowatt about six o'clock on
the day the murder was committed.
The clerk was just getting ready to
close UP shop when Jowatt came in,
and the transaction was therefore
made about six o'clock, as that was
the closing time. The description
given by the clerk tallies with young
Wright's appearance, and the giving
| in of a fictitious name aroused my
suspicious. A visit to Neckar's pawn
shop revealed the fact that under
like mysterious circumstances Wright
had pawned another watch under the
name of Jowatt, and it was done
shortly after six o'clock. / obtained
from the pawnbrokers the various ar
ticles and turned them over to the
chief"
The witness then identified the ar
ticles already offered in evidence as
those which he had obtained from
the pawnbrokers.
Neckar and the clerk from Rosen-
thars were then introduced, and they
identified Wright as the young man
who under the name of Jowatt had
pawned the watches and other arti-
| cles.
The testimony was completed with
the evidence of the sheriff and the
chief of police. The material point
in their testimony was that they,
with the permission Of Mrs. Wright,
and in her presence, had gone
through all the private papers of beg
husband and had found no will. The
| significance of this fact was, OF
course, brought to the attention OF
the jury by the coroner, who stated
that in the absence of a will Mr..
Wright's property would be divided
without prejudice between his chill
dren, and consequently Herbert
Wright was direct beneficiary by his
fathers death.
The testimony given by the OFF,
GERS produced a profound impression
not only on the jury, but on the
crowd assembled there. Even Warde,
who had been inclined to entertain
a belief in Wright's innocence, was
staggered for moment. 1t was not
an easy matter to conceive an ex-
PLANTATION of the damning facts that
had been brought to light. AS for
Herbert Wright himself, he seemed
to be dazed by the chain of circum-
stantial evidence which had been
wrought around him. His face was
q strong psychological study, and
upon it growing horror depitced it.
self. Was it the despair Of innocence
surrounded by a network of appar-
emily unanswerable accusations?
Every hit of Testimony seemed to EN-.