The daily morning Alaskan., 1903-11-05
4 CASE OF
 SUSPICION

| LUMN tN ONlN anu elNNA Na AlhN m hAs ! community as any other young mau
 there. There was only one incident iu
 the year past Co regret A young man
 named Albert White and l had been l rivals for the affections of a girl named l Ida Walters. and ou several occasions
 had had hot words. but when ] with
 drew from the race we became friends
 agaln-at least there was no enmity between us.
 One night In m.dwiuter when I had
 returned to the store to post up the
 books White upned at the back door, and ! f,t him iu. He had seen my ught through Che shutters and called In friendly spirit The door sagged a little. and when White opened lt there was resistance. and bis nose got a bump. It was bleeding as be entered, but ! got & handful of snow and as- ! sisted him Co cheek the flow.
 Before noon next day lt was known an over town that Albert White was
 missing. Before night men were look ing for him in every direction A ciu- zen had remembered seeing him at the
 store door. and. ot course. l was Ques- ! toned. l told of his visit but did not
 mention the uidug accident at the
 door They asked no questions to bring | lt out That night ] was arrested on a
 warrant sworn out by his mother as the murderer of Albert White, and cir ! cumstantai evidence piled mp against me at the examination A week later
 satisfied everybody except my employ
 CT that ] was guilty of the crime. Mr. and Mrs. Walters swore that White had told them that hc feared me, as had threatened bis life, Miss Ida swore ! to the same thing and added that she bad always fegred ] would shoot him when We met at her house They found blood ou the store floor. and that
 meant that ] had killed White as be
 sat by the stove.
 This young man. this red handed murderer" shouted the prosecutor
 had asked the girl In marriage and had been refused Fired with jealousy aud burning with a desire for revenge. be began planning this deed We know
 that White feared Lim. and he would
 not have gone to the store unless be
 was lured there"
 All Of which was false-eyery word
 The great question, Of course, was
 what had become 0f the body. lt was
 supposed that had carried it to some
 hiding place. Around the town were
 as many as fifty old coal and Iron
 shafts from fifteen to forty feet deep.
 Some were covered up and some open. All about Us were huge suOwdr.fts, and the idea was that ] had buried White under one 0f these OF dung the
 body into an open shaft More thau 500 people searched for the body for
 week or more. but DO trace of it could
 be found When ] told about the nose
 bleed. no one believed me Ihe saloon
 Keeper could have set things right. but
 be maintained silence. ufJerwarl ex- painiug that be feared White had been overcome by drink aud perIshed .u the storm Those who came Co che store
 Co question me testified Co ali sorts 0f false things of which this was typical
 "The prisoner nesitated to admit that he had lately seel tle missing man ! He was nervous and lt was very eyi dent that be knew more than he was
 willing to teii'
 Three young men swOre Co having heard me threaten Albert Whites life. What had become Of Alber, White3 ! All the searching had failed to get trace of him. After ] had been held to ! the higher court certain incidents oC- cured to me for the first time. r,- mcmbered that White carried a basket Of groceries as be caue into the store. ! I remembered tlat be said be must go straight home when be left He lived a mile beyond the saloon where be had stopped. but be could shorten the dis tance by cutting across a field. ] had never crossed this dcld. but felt surc there were three or four old shafts
 scattered about ! thought 1t al over
 as I lay on my cot iu Jail one night and next day my employer was direct ! ing a search. At the bottom of a thirty foot shaft which was not over 25u ! feet from Mrs. Whites front door and | tue mouth of which was almost con cealed by a suOWjrlft they found Al | bert This was tle seventeenth day after my arrest He bad attempted a short cut going home. Blinded by the storm. be bad fallen into the pit The i've or six feet of snow at the bottom had broken his faiL la his basket were | a loaf of bread. two or three pounds of | beef. some sugar and a dozen eggs ! He had consumed everything and was
 a very hungry young man when finally discovered. He had figured that the
 saloon keeper would give notice of his leaving there at 1O45, because both ! had remarked the time He reasoned ! that search would be made and that
 the old pits would speedily be exam | med.
 ] was at once restored to liberty as a
 matter Of course. but ] want you to
 note a curious phase of human nature ! Neither the prosecutor DOT the town marshal took me by the hand aud ut- tered word of reorganization. Not one single witness who had testified against me evlnced the slightest desire to rejoice. S0 far as ] could judge at least one-half the population of the
 town felt a grudge against me for spelling the case. This feeling also eX- tended to White After be had been
 murdered and a good case made out against me it was doggone mean to ! o.-.. -o L--. .-L ---- L aLL- s-r.n.a.L