Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-03-08
BULLETS IN HIS BODY
Thrice Wounded Stranger Enters
Police Station, Asking for Surgeon.
SMALL CHANCE TO SAVE HIS LIFE
Refuses to Tell Police Facts About His
Mysterious Case.
GIVES STORY THEY DO NOT ACCEPT
Detective Savage Thinks Him Crook
from Denver.
HE SAYS HE LIVES IN CLEVELAND
Hospital Examination shows One
side of His Body Black
from Long Presence
of shots.
YES STORY THEY DO NOT ACCEPT
Detective Savage Thinks Him Crook
from Denver.
HE SAYS HE LIVES IN CLEVELAND

Though he may be on his death bed. J.
b. Preston. the man who limptd into the
police station yesterday calmly asked for
the surgeon and later was found to have
three serious bullet wounds in HIS body,
stil refuses TO talk or to give the police
any information about himself
Tho man was examined by Poll Surgeon
Fitzgibbon when he arrived at the station
Saturday noon. One side Of tho body was
found to be entirely black from the efft ct
of the bullet wounds which had evidently
been inflicted at close range. One OF these
was IN the groin, one in the upper part OF
the right thigh and the other in the upper
part OF the left thigh.
Preston said he had come here from
the Panhandle part of Texas. He sad he
had been shot by a negro on Ninth street,
between Dodge and Douglas streets about
a. m. Thursday with him at the time,
he said, were r. ]. Metcalf and a man
they called Billy. He alleged they took him
to house, where they had a room, near
Twenty sixth and Farnam streets VIII rs
he said they had kept him fun OF whisky
from the time of the shooting.
story Does Not Pan Out.
The mans story was punctured by the
detectives Immediately Inquiry at tho
house number which he gave as the placa
where his companions took him shove
that no persons of his description hsd
been there The place is a high class
boarding house of irreproachable respecta-
bility and people of this type could hardly
get room there.
Also the detectives point out that It
would be impossible for three revolver
| shots TO be fired on Ninth and Dodge
streets at any time of the night without
arousing the neighborhood. Yet there was
no report of any shooting from there at
that time.
| Chief of Detectives Savage and his men
~ not place the slightest confidence in
Prestons story. They do not believe his
name is Preston and Chief Savage thinks
| he came from Denver and not Cleveland
Their theory is that he was mixed up In
some job of crookery, was wounded In
some manner but escaped with his pals
The gang then took the train and in pass
ing through Omaha they dropped him off
| to seek medical attendance. This theory
is upheld by the fact that the man came
to the police station only as last resort.
He called on the county commissioners at
| an early hour yesterday morning. They
referred him to County Physician Swoboda,
to whom he went with a plea to get into
the county hospital. BY DIR. Swoboda he
was sent to the police station
Soaked with whiskey.
| Preston is well built man, about %
years old. He was fairly well dressed.
His eye was clear and he did not have the
! appearance of a man who had been soaked
in whisky. as he alleged He was very
reluctant about giving any information
| about himself. Finally, he said his home
| is in Cleveland, o., and after more ques-
! tioning said his father, j. B. Preston, lived
! some time ago at 2617 Archer avenue.
There is an Archwood, but no Archer
| avenue in Cleveland.
| Four detectives were sent to st. Josephs
! hospital after Preston was taken there.
! But he refused to give any further inform
alton about himself TO all their ques-
tions he returned only a pleasant smile or
| hearty laugh, being apparently much
entertained by the mystery with which he
had surrounded himself.
photograph was taken of him for the
use of the police.
| The bullet wounds are not deep but
may result fatally, because OF having been
! neglected.
The police have sent no word TO the
address given at Cleveland. as they have
no idea he came from that city,