The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1903-08-27
ever, he had heen hailed by a lady

go~tol the gam ana getiope OF a. prls-
oners to slip q white Spowder into
Wright's food. lie had paid a negro
whose name he did not know, to do
this. He did not know positively that
the powder was poison, but suspected
that it was. The flannel-shirt man
admitted very naively hat he was a
general bird-of=prey, who-didra all such
odd jobs and chores as this for the
requisite cash. COL. Franklin had
beensa particularly valuable client of
his and had always paid him we'll;
but when at last he had been cornered
the colonel had thrown him overheard
along with his friends, Padgett and
Hathaway. A contemptuous scowl
enriched the deepening gloom of
Franklin's face as he listened to all
this testimony, but he did not open
his lips. Just how these men were
caught and made to tell what they
knew was revealed further on in the
trial.
Frank Hillsman now took the stand
and told the following story:
Several months ago when Mr..
Wright's safe was robbed, and be-
fore the news was out, I met Tom
Morris at the n. & L. depot. He was
just preparing to leave on the out
going train. Seeing me, he came up
quickly and said:
"'I've got a paper here for the
colonel, but I've been called away
suddenly and will not have time to
see. him. 1 wish you would give it to
him and say that l will. write about
it. 1t is of the greatest Importance
that he should get it,
Il didn't see the colonel that day,
and the next morning 1 vas mildly
surprised that Norris had been doing
the light-fingered act, This caused
me to reflect, and I made up my mind
to look at the paper he had handed
me, which I had supposed was some
legal document. 1 found that it was
an old agreement between Wright
and Franklin, and that ON its back
were the words John T. Wright's
copy. etc. Putting nose and chin to-
gether, I concluded that Morris had
stolen this paper from his employer.
and that Franklin was aware of it. I
have always had a fondness for old
documents, curious subjects and oc-
cult information generally, and, as
this paper evidently did not belong
to Franklin. I saw no harm in keep
ing it awhile. 1t was possible, if it
we're of value to anyone, that a re-
ward would be offered for it, and
would naturally get something for
finding it. \ few weeks after this I
picked up from the floor of the office
a letter minus an envelope. I eX-
amined the contents; of course, to
see to whom it belonged, and as the
contents were rather surprising, I
kept the letter for my collection of
curios in croolledness. I have it
here
The witness paused and had the
following letter read:
New York. May 10Th. is. 81
Colonel Franklin: Send me money to
Yokohama through some one in New
York. l leave for the west to-day and
expect to sail for Japan from San Fran
cisco. l have enough money left to
get me to Yokohama. Suppose you got
the paper ali right.
Yours respectfully.
THOMAS MORRIS"
When this letter had been read and
the hum of interest incident thereto
had subsidized. Hills1nan resumed his
story: Whether Col. Franklin sent
him the money l cannot say; but !
heard no more of that agreement
until W. days before Mr.. Wright's
death. Mr.. Wright was in the office
hat afternoon and 1 heard him tell
Franklin to come to his place in the
morning and fix sup matters in &C:
cordance with the terms of the
agreement. I heard him say that he
wa going hunting in the afternoon
Of that or the following day, and he
wanted to settle the, business in the
morning. Well, the next morning, OF
the fatal day-it was showing, l re
member-the colonel left the Office
after looking over the mail. He Dor,
rowed my. arctics, l remember, too
and he did not return to the office
any more that day. remember it al
very well, for it was the day Mr.
Wright was murdered, and tina,
event created a great impression
upon me. | didn't see the colone
again until the next afternoon. HI
was sick then. complained of having
a terrible headache. One thing abour
the colonel struck me as strange
he kept his hat on whenever anyons
came in to see him, but in spite o:
this I discovered that he had beef
hit on the head. l put it up that h
mad been on a secluded bum, had go
whacked over the head some way
and naturally did not want anybod,
to find it out. He actually bough
himself a wig. with which he man
aged to conceal the wound when h
had to appear in court, he was s.
~squeamish about it,"
The witness. at this point wa
shown a pair of arctics, which he de
clared were his These were thel
compared with the sketches and fig
lures made by Irving Warde, which
had already been placed in evidence
and We're found to tally Herewith
thus establishing the fair inferenc
that the man who wore those rubber
on the morning of the murder wa
the man who made those track
,v.9io1 bod Ion~ -{,,IsoJ 5N -~J1o,.1