The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-22
CLUES TODEXTER'S MURDERER
HEEL MARKS FOUND WHERE He
HID BY THE ROADSIDE.
Just Ono Man Suspected BY Dexter's Law
yer. Who Brought the Body Here Ter
tertiay-No Expense to Be Spared 70

PunlSh-MOro AosaDolnot1ono Rf0d1cte0
The body Of Orlando P. Dexter, who was
assassinated on Saturday near his house at
Santa Clara. Franklin county, reached
here yesterday morning from Malone.
John P. Badger. Mr.. Dexters friend and
legal adviser, came with it. The funeral
will be at 10 o'clock Wednesday morning
from st. Thomas's Church.
Mr.. Badger went to 20 West Fifty-sixth
street. where Henry Dexter. the dead
mans aged father. is living. To Mr.. Dexter.
and later to reporters. Mr.. Badger told .
detailed story Of the murder and just what
clues to the murderer had been found.
Mr.. Badger said he believed the murderer
would be arrested, and Mr.. Dexter told him
to spare no expense to find him Mr..
Badger returned to the North Woods
yesterday afternoon, with Mr.. Dexters
instructions to stimulate the search In every
possible way and to telegraph II the aasigt.
ance Of city detectives was required. What
are supposed to be heel marks made BY IL
murderers shoes have been found behind
pile Of wood at the side Of the road near
Mr.. Dexter's house, and q man who had
been openly at odds with Mr.. Dexter 70
Gently is under suspicion L
As a preliminary to his story OF the murder
Mr.; Badger. yesterday described Mr.: Dex-
ter's place in detail. 1t consisted Of 10000
acres, a part being over the border In st.
Lawrence county. On the place were oot.
tage for the men and house in which Mr..
Dexter lived. This house stands beside tho
lake, which is three miles long and nearly
two wide. The forest around this lake,
Mr.. Badger said, is so well stocked With
Il . hnt fhoxyC no frovv1 hal
and the lake furnishes the finest fishing
Mr.. Dexter" said Mr.. Badger, started
at l24O o'clock Saturday afternoon to drive
to Santa Clara in a buggy. Santa Clara
is four and a half miles east from his
minutes after him with a wagon for freight.
While this man bert RusselD was har-
Messing in the yard he heard two reports
of gun. They were 80 close together,
he says, that they sounded almost like one
shot. Mr.. Dexter had then been gone not
over three minutes. Three minutes after
the shots were fred Russell started With
rods from the stable his horse showed signs
of fear, pricking up his ears and looking
from one side to the other. About twenty
rods further on Russell came across MIR.
Dexter's body. He was lying on his back
in the north wheel tracks. his head toward
the house.
"The spot was just seventy-eight rods
from the house by actual measurement.
Russell called another man from the stable,
and these two men remained BY the body
until the Coroner came. Mr.. Dexter's
horse was found some distance further ON.
bleeding from wound near the tail:
"The Coroner found that the bullet be-
fore hitting Mr.. Dexter had gone through
the back Of the carriage seat, which was Of
inch plank. 1t had gone through some
thick upholstery and then through Mr.. pex-
ter's body, Just under the left shoulder
blade, passing out just below the left
breast. The same bullet then hit the horse,
we're no marks OF another bullet. Mr.. Dex-
ter's watch was found a few feet away
from him. There was $34 in his pocket.
His cap was found thirty feet nearer the
house, and small pocket articles were found
scattered along the road, thrown out by
the violence Of his fall from the carriage.
Sheriff Sternberg, the Coroner and
found blood on the leaves in the road four
rods nearer the house than the body was.
He had been shot even nearer the house
than that, because it took time for the
blood to soak through the clothing. The
bullet was a steel-covered one else It would
have mushroomed in going through the
calibre.
"The Sheriff and the Coroner did not
reach Mr., Dexter's house until o'clock
that night, after a thirty mile drive from
Malone. We held the inquest that night
and continued our work the next day.
rods nearer the house than the body had
been. 1t was of cedar fence posts ten feet
long and was about seven feet high and two
feet back from the road. Behind this
woodpile Sheriff Sternberg found the tracks
of man. They led from behind the
pile into the road. The ground is covered
with leaves, and we could not get the outline
of the whole foot. We were able to measure
only the heel. 1t was a wide heelprint,
and was made by either 0 or 10 shoe or
boot of the heavy kind worn by the woods
men. The tracks led into the middle Of
the road and could not be traced further.
After these discoveries we formed the
conclusion, which we believe to be correct,
that the murderer had waited behind this
woodpile and that after Mr.. Dexter had
passed and was about to descend small
declivity in the road the man stepped out,
as his tracks showed, walked toward the
middle Of the road and fired twice at Mr..
ton of the first bloodstains we should
Judge the shot was fired at distance of
less than fifteen rods, which Is nothing
for the rife shots of those parts.
THAT the murderer must have known
of Mr.. Dexter's intention to start out We
think is certain, although how he knew
we don't know. 1t was Mr. Dexters GUS
tom to drive to Santa Clara several times
a week, and generally in the morning. The
house could be seen from the woodpile.
as the woods are very open just there.
Where the man went after numbering
Mr.. Dexter we don't know. The woods
did not offer a very good hiding place.
Nobody has been found who saw any
stranger in the neighborhood.
"The motive for the crime was I'M
doubleday revenge, but, contrary to the
reports, Mr. Dexter was not hated gen.
orally nor was he the victim Of what might
be called feud The only motive We
can hit on is furnished in a recent purchase
Of Mr.. Dexters, and not by the litigation
which has been referred to nor among
the woodsmen whom Mr.. Dexter had prose-
cuted. This land, which Mr.. Dexter had
purchased recently is over the line and Ia
in the town of Hopknton, st. Lawrence
county Through it runs stream Of
water, which has been used for a long time
mills below. Mr., Dexter was not inclined
to allow this use Of the stream after no
bought the ground, and considerable ami
mostly was manifested toward him by one
man. l might even say that this feeling
was one Of intense hostility. That's as far
as care to 20 on that line just now, how
ever. Mr.. Dexter never expected any
harm to happen to him and never was
threatened. He always went unarmed.
and his revolver was found on his bureau
on the day he was shot"
Mr.. Badger denied with great deal Of