Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-10-14
d. memory OF
BERTHA T.. BOTHANLEV. /.
Beloved wife ~ ::
Clement J.. Bothamlcy. :;

Contrary 20 the old saying. this
tombstone lies. BUT &c is a lie that viii
be forgiven us author because it was
Sngraven iu marble 90 cover the sin
Cf a woman. The rearing OF this mod
est marble slab marked che close OF
one chapter iu a tragedy that had It's
scenes laid i'm TWO continents ran che
whole scale 81 human emotions and
ended in murder
Il is seldom that an operative in the
secret service of che United States is
selected Co unravel crimes other than
those against the currency OF the coun-
try. 1fy connection with the Botham-
ley case came about through q request
made bv James Brooks. at that time
chief of the secret service for the fed
Dral department, of Justice John w.
Carr. secretary of the British Aseocia-
zion of Kansas had written Co the
Br.t'-h~ annie s1dcr at Washington.
asking tina. Dee sc.,cit the aid OF this
government in clearing uD the murder
OF Corutryuan and securing the CON
viction of che murderer or murdercrs
CHIEF Brooks assigned me t0 The work
because The crime had been commit
ted in territory with which 7 had be-
come famn'cr i1 the constant search
for CoUnterfcite-s.
70 often happens that the man who
make Che urrare'ins OF crimes pro-
fession is called upoa to take q case
long after the commission Of the crime
he is detailed 90 solve. such tasks are
the most diIW,t in the detectives
calliug Time is tho criminals strong
est protector. This is Illustrated al
most daily in ouv criminal courts. in
prosecutions which fau 90 result in
convictions CO me f-st trial. Before
second trial cam be held some Wit
nesscs die or disappear the recollec-
tiOn OF Others loses its Clgarlcss and
various cousidtra, ia favor of the
accused appear. These same consid-
stations work Co the advantage OF
criminal before TIE case gets into the
courts. This dicrcssion applies aptlv
90 the strange case am about 20 re-
late. Had the same efforts been made
IA the early part of certain October
rs were started che latter part of the
following January am convinced that
the closing scene OF this story would
have been laid az the scanold Had
certain significant incidents Ia the do
nestle history OF a man and his wife
in a small Dakota hamlet been care
fully investigated several months be-
fore was called upon To 80 over them.
I am certain they would have led TO
startling revelations that would have
proved one murder and prevented an
other.
Briefly stated. the mystery before me
was the murder Of Clement /. Bothan-
ley, q good-lookine. middle-aged Eng
iishman, wealthy as riches were COM
puted in the west at that time. and
while on his way over the Arbuckle trail
from Kansas 20 Texas. with 300 sheep.
The Arbuckle trail was one of those
great highways Of the plains that then
served the nomadic cowboy. sheep
herder and immigrant as wagon road
and railroad combined Its winding
course from Caldwell. Kan. 10 Fort
Reno. Indian Territory. was dotted on
either side with lonely graves, un-
marked and IN most instances spell
ing "hnis" 20 one of LIES tragedies.
In such grave the body of Botharaley
had been buried the same day he was
found dead his FINAL resting place be-
fng near a small post known by the
grewsome appellation Of Skeleton
ranch"
This border country was plagued by
imurderous Indians and white desper-
ADDE'S. one as much 10 be Feared by
the peaceful settlers as the other. and
each willing TO cut a throat or use the
deadly siX-shOoter at the slightest
prospect of gain.
Three months or more had elapsed
between the murder OF the Englishman
and the time / was assigned TO the
clearing up OF the case, and this made
IL necessary for me TO secure all the
data concerning the finding OF the
body and the incidents attending IL at
second hand. Fortunately, a 17-year-
old boy, Wesley Vetter by name. who
had been in the employ OF the muir
dered man. was in Wichita and dis
posed to tell an unvarnished tale of
the circumstances surrounding the
death OF his employer. With this lad
1 visited the scene Of the murder, 20
miles from Caldwell This visit re-
suited in nothing except the fixing in
my mind OF the events as related by
Vetter.
To reduce the statements Of his Kan
eas friends 70 a connected history.
Clement l. Bothamley had arrived IN
Florence. Kan. some months before
the murder ia company with a stately.
handsome woman. whom he introduced
as his wife While the appearance of
two personages Of such evident distinc-
ton and wealth at the frontier town
would naturally excite unusual inter-