The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-07-03
BOGUS LORD IS IN
/ A TIGHT PLACE
s. Seymour nLord" Darlington
Laid Clever Scheme to
Murder McCann.
WAS BLACKMAlL VENTURE
Intended to Woo Dead Mans Wife I'm.
til He Got Control of Her Money
Met Is Being Drawn Closely
Around Him.

Met Is Being Drawn Closely
Around Him.
ST. Louis, July 2.-It is now be-
lieved that +. Seymour Lord"
| Darlington in Jail at Clayton,
charged with the murder of John P.
Mccain Of this city, not only killed his
friend and benefactor, but after the
deed returned to the home given in
charity to WOO the widow that he
| might get her money as profits Of the
| crime. Up to this hour the evidence to
convict Darlington Of murder, which
will be presented to the grand jury
and at the trial is:
Darlington and Mccain went to Bon
ills station June 18 on trolley car and
there was no evidence of trouble at
Suburban garden. Darlington was
taken back from Bonfils station wear
ing McCann's hat and admitting that
stains on his clothing and shoes were
| from blood. McCann's cane and other
property We're found concealed in the
| trunk that Darlington was anxious to
get out of town. harrington had Nc
Cann's watch and diamond when ar
rested. Darlington admits in face of
former denials that he went to Bonfils
station. McCann's fatal wounds We're
from 3S-caliber revolver. Barring
ton had a revolver of that caliber in
his trunk. The cartridges found near
the quarry were the same. Barring
ton tried to allay the suspicious Of
Mrs. Mccain by sending her notes
written by himself purporting to come
from Mccain and persons with him.
Darlington then listed the services of
his friend, Asa Mitchell of 119 South
Broadway, to write notes for him, ex-
planning the whereabouts of Mccain,
and also to telephone Darlington and
Mrs. Mccain to the same effect. The
reports of two shots soon after Bar
rington and Mccain had left the car at
Bonf1ls station, which harrington, adj
mttting that he was there, had failed
to explain. Mccain was shot twice.
Chief Desmond's Theory.
Chief Desmond analyzed today the
Mccain murder.
my theory is that the murder of Nc
Cam was part Of a plan to extort mon
ey from Mrs. McCann through black
mail
with this in view Darlington in
duced Mccain to let him make his
home with him. Darlington became
a willing slave to Mccain, and Incl
dentnlly an enemy Of Mrs. Mccain.
The Missouri river flood suggested to
harrington the ideal location which he
selected to commit the crime. The
high water extended to the quarry
Z
and Darlington was Of the opinion that
when the water should recede it would
carry with it into the Missouri river
McCann's body from the quarry pond.
''My idea Is that Darlington lured
Mccain to the SPOT with the intention
of first trying to frighIen the latter
into giving him all his money, and in
the event of that failing, to kill him,
and then tell Mrs. Mccain the re-
markable story about the alleged as
,i1I,
Darlington claimed Mccain assaulted
a woman and afterwards fled from the
/ city to avoid being arrested.
when the finding of McCann's body
was reported and the subsequent dis
covery of the blood stained clothing
belonging to harrington was brought
to my attention, considered Mrs. Nc
Cams silence on certain points in the
, case as suspicious, but when it devel-
oped that Darlington and not Mccain
had sent the note telling of McCann's
| alleged hiding place I readily became
convinced that Mrs. Mccain had been
| frightened into maintaining silence. I
do not think Darlington had an ac-
con1plice to the murder"
Barrineton's Friend Arrested.
| A. E. Mitchell, who claims to be
| agent Of a spring water company has
! been arrested on suspicion that he
knows something of the murder. Mitch
| ell admitted that he was personal
friend of Darlington, and that on June
| 22 he wrote a note to Darlington which
read: Fred, I am all right; don't send
| what L asked for
The note was signed ':Jin." This is
| the noie Darlington received and
showed to Mrs. Mccain to convince
her the missing husband was out Of
| trouble.
Sheriff Mencken secured from Bar
rington the statement that he and Nc
Cam were alone at Bonfils the night Of
| the murder, June 1S, when they had
| trouble and threatened him several
him (McCann) and Mrs. Mccain when
! they had quarrels. Sheriff Mencken
| found out that Darlington spoke Ger
| man huently and with an accent which
| makes both the sheriff and others who
| heard him talk believe that he is a ma
| tive Of Germany and not an English
man.
| AS the officers took Darlington from
| the court house yesterday across the
| bridge of sighs," which leads into the
second story of the county Jail, they
| passed over the trap door through
| which several men have been hanged
At present the local fire department
| has a bell on the Jail, with rope
which hangs down near the trap door
| for use as a village alarm. The pris-
| oner's attention was called to the rope
and the trap door as he went into the
| Jail. His cheeks turned an ashen
| color and he quivered.
An intimate friend of the late Nc.
| Cam stated yesterday that the re-
volver with which he was killed was
| purchased only a few days before by
Mccain, at the request Of Darlington
| He said that Darlington went to Nc
Cam with a story of robbery near
| his home, which he used as an argu-
| ment in favor OF keeping a revolver In
has (Barrington's) room. q
| "All right; IL you want to assume the
role of night watchman for the plac,
I will get gun for you,' McCann II