Omaha daily bee., 1908-03-09
PRESTON STILL AN ENIGMA
Man with Many Bullets Smiles as He
Sees Both Shores.
BUT STICKS TO FOOLISH STORY
Finally Says He IL only a Teamster
from Higgins, Texas, with a
Secondhand Denver Hat
from KawtOwn.


authorities, J. b. Preston, who walked into
the police station Saturday with three dan
gerous bullet wounds in his body. only
smiles as he contemplates the possibility
OF his life being withdrawn from the sum
of human existence.
The mysterious stranger has given up
some more information, but there is little
! to indicate that he is more than a private
among the powers that prey and drift with
out compass on the ocean of human life.
As he lay In ST. Joseph's hospital Sunday
he said that his last place OF employment
was in the Panhadle part of Texas, where
he was teamster for L. ]. Smith. Santa
| Fe railroad contractor.
This part of the mans story will be in
vestigated today by the police. wires having
been sent to the small town of Higgins in
the Panhandle country.
Between the smiles and the glinpses
/ which Preston takes at both shores he
| sticks firmly to the story that he first told
| that he was shot about 3 a. m. Thursday
| morning by a negro, near Ninth and Doug
las streets Then he goes on to tell how he
| took several RUNNER glasses of whisky at
4 the request Of his pals, and walked almost
a mile to some house near Twenty-sixth
and Farnam streets.
One Bullet Extracted.
But Captain Savage has another idea Of
the story. When DIR. F. ]. Schleier clipped
a bullet out of Preston"s hip Sunday morn
ing. where he felt 1t just under the skin,
It was discovered that the lead was fired
from 45-caliber gun. 1t is an unusual
sized bullet. To detectives it would appear
that such bullets are used further west
than Omaha, where the same sized cart
ridges are used in revolvers and rifles. The
captain has received information that a
safe was blown last Tuesday morning at
Brighton. Colo, just twenty miles from
Denver. Two OF the robbers were captured
the third escaped wounded. Preston
wears hat with the name of Denver
firm in 1t. The suit which he wore when
he dragged himself to the police station
Saturday was evidently not the suit he
wore when shot. 1t had no bullet holes
In II.
| Preston's hands do not appear to bt
those of a man who ever took such vloen
exercise as pulling a pair of bell cord,
over the backs of a team of mules on {
railroad grade Life has treated him well
at least up to some time last week wher
he stopped the bullets.
The fact that Preston says he came from
|
from Denver was mentioned to him by ,
representative of The Bee.
Secondhand Hat story.
II bought the hat in a secondhand stor
in Kansas CITY," said Preston.
Were you working in Kansas City?"
mo; just came through there"
Where were you working last?"
"In Higgins. Tex"
For whom?"
For L. ]. Smith. He's a contracto
grading on the Santa Fe. l was teaminl
for him."
The map Of Texas shows that there is
town called Higgins, that It is in the Pan
handle of Texas. in Lipscomb county, ant
on the sante Fe railroad.
The fact that Preston cannot now Civ
the exact location of the house where h
says he was taken, though he gave it Sat
urday, is considered a shaky part OF hi
story.
II think it was five or six houses fror
the corner" he said; 'but 1 was prett
drunk, and so were Metcalf and Billy. l
seemed to be all OF a mile walk, though"
what do the doctors say about you
getting well?" he was asked.
They say It's a very serious case" h
replied. Blood poisoning might set ir
and, II it does, of course I'm a goner."
"And If 1t should set in. would you hav
any change to make in the statement yo
have given?"
Looking into the face of death, Presto
answered:
'None at ALL"
DR.. Schleier believes there is a goo
, chance for the man to recover.