The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1906-08-17
A Woman 5 Way

couple made the best Of things. Then /
the woman's blighted ambitions made |
termagant Of her.
One morning, after the newly mar I
ried couple had been occupying the |
house about nine months, SHELTON ar
rived home after having been out all |
night. He had passed the night at the
village inn, going to bed at 10 o'clock |
and getting up at 9. He admitted that |
his absence from home was on &C
count of a quarrel. Ten minutes after
entering the house he issued forth and
spread the alarm that his wife was
not within and that there were evil
dences that she had been murdered.
OF course there was instant excite
ment. Among the numerous people ad-
mitted to the house was an understood
man Of middle age who had reached
the village the evening before and was
supposed to be government official of
some sort. What was found In and
around the house resulted in Skeletons
arrest. In the family bedroom were
evidences of terrible struggle. There
was blood on the walls; there was
blood on an ak lying on the floor; there
was a lock Of the wife's hair that had
been pulled out by the roots; there
was blood ON the stairs and in the hall
and on the back door STEP A body
had been dragged over the grass and
dirt to the river, distance Of over 100
feet.
The police and others saw all these
hWWA Il eft asA
bered that the little stranger seemed
more interested than any one else
Mrs. Shelton had been seen alive and
well the previous evening. The hus-
band could show that he arrived at the
White Swan at o'clock. played bill.
lizards until 10 and then went to bed
Unfortunately for him, he had been
given a room on the FIRST floor, and II
would have been dead easy for him to
have opened the window and stepped
out. He could have gone home. com.
mitted the deed and returned without
anybody being the wiser.
The little man went with the officers
to examine the room at the hotel, and
here again It was seen that he was
more critical than the officers. Mid
way between the house and the river
was sandy spot. The officers follow
ed the trail across this. The little man
did more. When the officers retired he
took plaster casts of some footprints,
Then he returned to the house and
quietly possessed himself Of won.
ans shoe. When Harry SHELTON was
removed to Jail there was not q person
belonging to the village that did not
believe him guilty Two days later,
when arralgned for examination he
was promptly committed to the assizes,
OF course the river had been dragged
for the body of the victim. Not being
found after days search, word had
been sent on downstream. A thou
sand people perhaps looked for the
body along the banks as far down as
Brldgenorth. but II was not to be
found. A wOman's dressing sack with
one OF the sleeves torn out was dlscov-
cred hitched to bush and was identl-
fled as belonging to the missing wife.
Skeletons lamentations and protesta-
lions had no effect upon any one save
the little man. Although perfect
stranger, he promlsed his aid. lie left
the village within week and was not
seen again until Just before the asslzes.
He employed counsel for the prisoner.
and II was whispered about that tho
counsel expected t. clear him.
Bets were made that the jury would
convict him without leaving the box,
II was referred 10 as the crime OF the
decade, and people travelled a hundred
miles to be present at the trial. The
puzzle in the case was that no body
4 had been found, but that matter was
explained In several ways. The popu-
| lar belief was that II had sunk 20 the
bottom of some deep hole and been
caught on a snag
The prosecution made out strong
circumstantlal case. There were peo-
Die who swore to hearing shelton
threaten to murder his wife, and 9TH
era that they had seen him skulking
on the streets at midnight OF the night
OF the murder. Not a witness for the
crown was cross examined. When the
prosecutor was through. the defense be-
gan exploding It's bombshells. Il prov
I'll tudt Iue utouu CaAhe AtVAh y SNOSPs
that the smear on the Ak was the same;
that the weight dragged across the
ground was coal in bag: that It was
a woman who dragged 1t; that no body
had been cast into the river. AS q
grand climax Mrs SHELTON herself was
produced and admitted that she had
put up the job In hopes 80 get her hus-
band hanged.
1t was simply a good piece OF detec-
tive work on the part OF the stranger.
Who he was even SHELTON never ascer-
tanned. He was some amateur who
was unattached and worked for thu
fun OF II. In this instance he spent
two months time and f1O0 to carry
out his theories. and the fact that be
saved a human life by 80 doing was
doubtless some consolation TO him.
The wife was found a hundred miles
away. employed In a family as seam