The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-02-12
South DalQta's Foremost uQsteIQ
a Sherlock Holmes Is Needed at Miller to Clear
Up the Strange and Fascinating Criminal Ruzsle.

plot or more complete mystery than
the Hattie K. Pitcher case. There's a
job for Sherlock Holmes in Miller, S. D.
With practically every citizen of that
little town in Hand county turned
sleuth, little more is known of the affair
of the night of January II than was
apparent the morning of the 18th, when
Wilbur Quirk was found bound, gagged
and drugged in the Collins drug store,
and Miss Pitcher, the school teacher,
shot through the shoulder in her room
at the Henshaw hotel, a half block
away.
VIII the mystery ever be solved?
Sentiment is about equally divided on
that point. Most of the business men
of the town believe the truth will come
out-sometime. But when? No II
can say.
There is a determination, however,
Notwithstanding Miss Pitcher was set
free, to get to the bottom of the mys-
terry. When, after Justice Douglass a
rendered his decision, friends and SYM
pathizers OF the girl, wrought to a point
Of enthusiasm by Judge Pusey's speech,
were taking up a collection for her in
the court room, in another part of the
town a crowd of business men were
contributing to q fund to employ a de-
tective work on the case. states At
torney Cole. Sheriff Abbott and other
county officials declare the investiga-
ton shall go on.
Did Miss Pitcher have anything to do
with the holdup OF QuirlS? The ma
jority of the citizens of Miller believe
she had, or if she was not actually one
of the robbers, hat she knows who
was.
There wasn't a man, woman or child
In Miller who failed to take the most
Intense interest in the case. 1t was
talked at the fireside, on the street, at
church-everywhere. While the trial
was in progress the court room was
damned. Business men left their
stores and offices In charge of clerks d
half day and her allowed the clerks
20 attend the other half day. The Mil
!er school teachers a few pupils to
teach the first day or two, resulting in
an order by the school board that pu-
pills absenting themselves We're liable
20 suspension. Even then it was i'm
possible to keep the children from
playing hockey" Those who did at
END school rushed to the our room
he moment they were released at 4
o'clock and with them came the teach
arS. The ministers of the churches, Of
which there are five, We're present with
practically their entire congregations.
A singular circumstance in connec-
Ion with the case was the unanimity
il lllt lcSDSlSIlul cllulGll IlltIIlDclS III
heir hostility to Miss Pitcher, who was
% member of the church, and of the
Christian Endeavor society and on the
social committee of the latter organi-
cation with Mrs. U. G. Lacey, wife Of
he pastor. At the trial Rev. Mr.. Lacey
vas strong in his statements assailing
Miss Pitchers character, although APP
Sarantly basing his opinion upon ru-
nor, the authors of which he couldn't
or wouldn't name. Rev. d. e. Murray,
pastor OF the Methodist church, was
also active in the prosecution. He at
one time studied law. He consulted
with the states attorney during the
first two days of the trial. Rev. MIR.
Murray was also n of the half dozen
prominent citizens Of Miller who signed
the complaint asking for the arrest of
Miss Pitcher. He and the others who
signed the complaint We're questioned
closely by the defendants attorney,
and admitted they had no positive
knowledge as to her guilt, but figured
she was guilty on account of m
1t was evident the defense laid the
foundation for damage suits, all the
signers Of the complaint being men Of
property and responsible.
The state examined about thirty
witnesses-the defense ffteen-the lat
ter almost solely on character of de-
PENDANT. From the mass Of rumor.
sidelights, facts and guesses, the state
was able to CLEAN but f~ragmentary ev-
idence tending to show that Miss
Pitcher was one of the robbers. These
were the points upon which the state
based it's case:
The shooting of Miss Pitcher the same
night that Wilbur Quirk was assaulted in
the drug store.
The smaller of the two robbers was left
handed. Miss Pitcher is left handed.
The fact that in accounting for the rea-
-. $3.50, l~n 81 h. .1nt at -El1 L.. y1a
evening-when she claimed she was chloro-
formed and pistoled by her sister-in-law
with whom she had been at outs-that
the woman used a ''noiseless gun" The
robbers who held up and drugged Quirk
told him they would kill him with noise
less guns ii he refused to DC their bid
Miss Pitcher told the landlord Of the no.
tel, when she heard of the robbery at the
drug store, that it was likely her sister
in-law dressed in mans clothing and did
the job. Miss Pitcher was believed to have
been SO disguised.
At 10 O'Clock the morning after the rob-
tery and after the girls wound had been
dressed, the Henshaw house chimney
burned out, giving off smoke heavily laden
with the odor Of burned clothing and kerr
osene. No one was near the office stove
whence the fire came except Miss Pitcher
or possibly an accomplish, an employe of
the hotel who is now under suspicion. 1t
was the theory Of the state that the
masks worn by the robbers and the suit
WI ny oIlS u lhc lOOsCl 6-pl VI y
Miss Pitcher, was burned at that time.
The conflicting stories Miss Pitcher told
to account for her condition. She first
said she had been shot by a sister-in-law
then that she was shot accidentally and
lastly that she attempted suicide. The lat
ter story she adhered to.
The fact that she was penniless and
owed for her board, the motive being rob-
berry. which was only averted by the
strategy Of the drug clerk who concealed
the cash when first alarmed.
Miss Pitcher claimed she had returned
to her room about 8 o'clock in the even
ing and had remained ounde all night.
The landlord, Charles Henshaw, testified
he had examined her room at l o'clock in
the morning and she was not there.
This was the strongest testimony the
state could offer. The defendant from
the beginning denied any knowledge OF
the drug store holdup and persisted in
this declaration to the end. Efforts
were MADE to get the girl to confess tc
her lover. Dick Romig, who visited the
Jail repeatedly and had interviews with
her in the presence of Sheriff Abbott
Others talked to the girl before her ar.
rest five days after the crime, but the
sheriff, who was criticized severely b,
the public for permitting indiscriminate
interviews with the girl, PRACTICAL,
locked the stable after the horse was
gone" as one citizen expressed it. Afte1
that h was kept secluded, until sht
agr&d to tell ex-Representative Rober
Sedan and his wife, old friends of thu
family, the truth. To them she mad,
her last confession which was attempt
ed suicide. She ole about where tn,
| piStOl which she sto1a FROM, n r,ooor,