The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-31
BROUGHT TO TOPEKA.
One of Men Believed to Have Killed
BOdIey-A Confession.

Special Agent H. H. German of the
Santa Fe secret service. returned from
Ottawa. this morning where he was sue
cessful in effecting the capture of Rob-
ert McDaniels. A. W. Pearce and Jesse
Bruce who are charged with the murder
of Santa Fe Watchman o. G. Bodley,
who was shot last Wednesday morning
at Y minutes Of o'clock
Boxcars have been systema tically
robbed for some time past in the yards
at Ottawa and Bodley had been assign
ed to watch for the thieves. On the
morning of the murder he was secreted
in the yards and it is supposed that he
surprised the men while they were in
the act Of robbing one of the cars.
Special Agent German left for the
scene of the crime on the early train
and with the assistance Of the local
officers was able to secure a clue which
when followed resulted in the arrest OF
Robert McDaniels, a negro man en-
ployed in the company's shop at that
place.
When not working for the road Nc
Daniels Travelled about the country
preaching. When his home was search
ed considerable stolen goods wer3
when confronted with this and other
evidence he confessed duplicating
Pearce and Bruce.
Pearce has been employed on the
track gang and Bruce was employed
about the freight house. Suspicion had
been directed towards the men under
arrest for the reason that no mistakes
were ever made in breaking the seals
on cars which did not contain merchan-
disc.
The first clew to the case was fur
nished by Sheriff William Cody who
learned that McDaniels's house was bet
ter furnished than his circumstances
would justify. A warrant was obtained
and the place searched and some smoked
meat of a peculiar brand which had
been stolen a few nights previously was
oil od xf1o4 Arp-
Daniels had recently purchased a revol-
yer of large calfbre from the officer who
was murdered.
His home is but a few rods from the
scene of the murder and he admitted
that he was awake at the time that the
shots were fred but insisted that he did
not hear them. After a half hours
questioning he broke down and told the
story in it's minutest detail.
The plans for the robbing of the cars
were completed last March and the
thieving has been going on in a syste-
matte manner ever since. On the night
that the watchman was killed McDan-
iels said that the trio had gone to the
car which had been previously marked
and broken the seal and that he had en-
tered the car and was handing out the
merchandise to Pearce and Bruce who
were under the car.
He claims that the first that he knew
that they had been discovered was when
he heard two shots fired and heard the
were fred from under the car and they
were so close together that he thinks
that Bruce and Pearce fired simultane-
ously.
The shot which caused the officers
death struck a steel buckle on the belt
which held his scabbard and the belt
fell to the ground. When the men who
ran to the officer reached him he was
tottering and fell into their arms His
revolver with the hammer up, lay on
the ground where it fell from his hand
when the ball struck him and it had
never been fired, showing that the men
under the car had fred from the dark
ness before he was aware of their pres
ence.
After the confession of McDaniels the
three men implicated in the murder
were hurried out of town secretly to
prevent an attempt of lynching as the
murdered officer was exceptionally pop
ular in Ottawa.
Bruce was taken to O1athe. McDanieIs
who has confessed was taken to Gar
nett and Pearce, the other member of
the trio was brought to Topeka where
he is now confined in the county jail It
is not known whether Pearce has con-
fessed and the officers deny that he is
IN the jail in this city and admission Is
denied to his cell though there is no
j. lie