Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-20
SEARCH OF BLAkE's BRANCH
SEWER AND VAULTS BRINGS
OUT NOTHING DAMAGING.
M YSTERY UNSOLvED
Diamond Sold by John Junkin Stands
Alone Against the Colored
Man, Who is Sail
in Jail.

roborative evidence to strengthen the
| suspicion surrounding John Junkin has
characterized the efforts of the police
department The prisoner will not be
released until the minds of Chief
Gallagher and his assistants working
on the case, are entirely free from the
suspicion that the colored man is the
man who committed the brutal murder
of Clara Rosen or that he possesses
some knowledge of the guilty party.
Despite the sweating process admin
| istered to Junkin upon several oc-
casions, the police have been unsuc-
cessful in moving him from his first
story, in which he declares that he
found the stone on the sidewalk of
Jefferson street and that he was
asleep in the house owned by his
mother Amy Junkin, on Norris street
near Dutro's grocery store on the
night of the atrocious crime. To iden-
tffy the plain diamond stone sold to j.
Redman by Junl1in as that worn by the
girl, is an impossibility, say the police,
and unless their search bears more
fruits than it has thus far. 1t will be
equally impossible to fasten the crime
to Junkin.
Sewer is Investigated.
Clothed in rubber boats reaching to
the hips and long waterproof coats
and bearing lanterns, some of Chief
}Gallagher's assistants this morning,
thoroughly investigated the Blakes
branch main sewer, part of. which
lies within block of the fateful cor
ner of Dare and Cara street. The
searth was fruitless. Yesterday the
vault in the rear of the Junkin
dwelling on Norris street was cleaned,
and again nothing was found that
would further incriminate the colored
man under suspicion. The house, too,
was thoroughly looked over, but no.
in clothes or the other stolen jewelry
of the dead girl could be secreted.
Continue Their Search.
The fact that little success has been
found in the searches made thus far,
does not deter the police in continuing
to ferret out this diamond clue. Resi-
dents who live along the streets trav-
eled by Miss Rosen are being quizze1
and considerable pressure is being
brought to bear upon the actions OF
Junkin on the fateful night His iden-
LITIGATION by Pawnbroker Redman as
the man who sold the stone, together
with the unsatisfactory statement he
gives as to his whereabouts when the
fearful crime was committed, makes
the police believe his detention should
continue until every possible informa-
ton relative to. the various avenues Of
search are visited His police record
too, Is not of the best, and the fact
that he returned January 10, 1909,
from the penitentiary at FIT. Madison
after. serving three years and nine
months on felony charge is held
against him. The crime for which
Junkin was sent to FIT. Madison was
committed near the corner Of Wapelio
and Main street. He struck a woman
by the name Of Step and when she
called for help, he grabbed her purse
and made his escape. Shortly after,
however, Officer Charles Wilkinson
arrested him at the union depot and
he was subsequently found guilty and
sent to prison.
Police Are Quiet.
The same reticence that has charac.
terized the police department since
the return of Chief Gallagher contin-
ues to confront the inquisitive. Fear
full that some clues on which they are
working might lead to the covering
up of some damaging evidence, the
police are saying little or nothing.