Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1908-05-07
Former Citizen Accused Of
Killing Portland Jew
"DOc" MARTIN IS THE MAN
In The Clutches of the Law
Here-At 1t Again

T.. IL. MATtlu, VINO 66 one 6lmo |
was q citizen OF this county and in
the cluches of the law on several
occasions, has been taken in by the
police OF Portland and held for
the brutal murder Of Nathan Wolff,
. Jewish pawn broker. Martin, |
who is commonly known as "Doc,"
was a dope fiend with criminal in
stincts. He was arrested in the
Big Creek section of this county
February 1906 upon the charge Of |
burglary but it was understood at |
the time that he was being held
pending an investigation of the
murder Of q miner in the Thunder
Mountain district. Sufficient evi.
dence could not be secured and the
authorities released him. Later on
he was arretted for an attempt to
destroy the county jail but was
again released.
Near the close of the year OF
1905 he left this country and was
arrested while passing through
Moscow and examined a. to his
sanity. However, a. usual, he was
released and from that time on
dropped out of sight. The crime he
is charged with is one of the most
hellish imaginable. He entered
the pawn shop Of his victim and
after shooting him several times
struck him time after time over
the head with an az.
NThe story Of the police connect
ing him with the crime is az fol.
lows:
The clue in the chain which
points to Martins direction was
discovered by q bloody shirt in
North End lodging house. Laun.
dry marks on the shirt gave the
police clue which led to Martins
arrest.
He denied being the murderer
and explained deep wound on
his head and hand by saying he
had injured himself with an Ak,
some deep scratches on his neck,
he said, were inflicted by cat.
but the police are placing no re-
lance in these statments because
witnesses have been found to
to whom Martin is alleged to have
otherwise explained his wounds.
In addition to the material evil
cence in the hands OF the police
they have obtained from the &C.
cused mans wife what is alleged to
be practically a confession of her
Husbands guilt. Mrs. Martin
is q refined little woman and is
completely unstrung. She married
Martin in Syracuse, New York.
Mrs. Martin stated that she had
entertained suspicious that her hus.
band was implicated in the crime
from the moment he returned home
Friday night, with his face and
= hands cut, minus his shirt and
wearing q strange coat and vest,
He first explained to her that he
had been held up on bis way homo.
His next story was that he had
been playing poker in a saloon and
the game broke up in q fight and
he had been hit with chair. Mrs
Martins suspicious were only fur
ther aroused and ON the way +,
Catholic church Sunday, she pur
) posely took him by VOLTS shop
o There she said she askec him the fla
6 question il he had any thingto d,
with VOLTS death.
.. Mrs. Martin says he replied thai
he had not and II he thought sh
suspected him he would jump int
tho river. Later in the day tn
u subject was again brought up, sh
's says, and she begged him to leav
's her and not bring furthur disgrac
;. upon her.
a Mrs. Martin declared that he
i. husband told her that to allsy he
suspicious he would 60 to the saloo
and get the missing coat and vest
- She said he left the house and di,
not return. Martin used both moi
,, phine and cocaine, according {
his wife's statement, and thong
10 they did every thing to wean hir
!. from the drugs, their efforts ha'
,. been unavailing. She says one res
.. son for her suspecting Martin wa
" the statment that an AZ had bee
% used and that VOLTS slayer ha
been . drug fiend. She says be
husband had . hatchet conceale
,e and at night would on certain
~ occasions leave the bed and takiu
- his hstchet, would stand before II
= window and brandish it at imagil
ary foe.