Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1909-08-04
SAM BITLER CAPTURED
Notorious Belvidere Murderer Ap=
pretended in Memphis, Tenn.
Brought Home to serve
Life Sentence.

X
er near Belvidere and several
months ago escaped from Jail in
Hutchinson after being convicted
OF the crime, was arrested in Mem
phis, Tenn, early last week and
brought back to Hutchinson by the
sheriff of Reno county the latter
part of the week, from whenceit
is said he will be taken to the state
penitentiary this week, to begin
serving life sentence.
Bitler's unusual height made his
Identification easy. He made
no resistance when the police took
him. He admitted that he was
Bitler when first accosted. This is
a strange contrast with his written
declaration that he would not be
taken alive.
The Hutchinson News has this
to say concerning Bitler'S capture
and his atrocious crime:
"Bitler lost his chance to appeal
his case to the supreme court, said
County Attorney Beck of Kiowa,
who is here today, "when he ran
away. He stayed too long and the
time has elapsed for the appeal to
tie made. Consequently when he
is brought back to Jail he will be
taken TO Lansing, either by Sheriff
Duckworth or by Sheriff Ham Bell
of Dodge City, in whose care he
was when he escaped.
"His attorneys had filed bill Of
exceptions in the Ford county dis
triCt court. This was to have been
heard a few days after he escaped.
When | went there to argue against
this for the state the fact of his es-
cape lost for Bitler. In the event
that this point was lost, as turned
out to be true, Bitler had chance
to appeal his case to the supreme
court. But that limit has also
expired during his absence and he
will have to go at once to Lansing
and begin his term there"
The sheriff left Hutchinson for
Memphis before it was known that
Bitter had been captured. He had
been on the trail of the man through
the officers in different cities and
knew that the time was about ripe
to get him in Memphis. But the
sheriff was on his way there when
the message came which told of
his arrest.
Sam Bitter was sentenced to
serve life term in the penitentiary
at Lansing for the murder of Mrs.
Rosenbergcr Of kiowa county, last
year. He was kept in Jail here
until his preliminary hearing was
held in Greensburg. Company Z.
X. \. c., was sent with the officers
to GIeensburg at the time of the
trial in the district court there
when a change of venue was Sc
cured to Ford county, owing to the
fact that it was next to impossible
to secure a jury in the county
where the crime was committed.
The military company didn't have
to do anything and there was no
trouble. The trial was held this
spring in Dodge City and the jury
brought in a verdict of murder in
the first degree, the evidence being
Circumstantial. Bitler was then
sent back here for safe keeping un,
til his case was disposed of in the
district and supreme courts.
Bitter has cost the state a good
bit of money. The county COM
missioners of Kiowa county offered
a reward of $500 for his capture
and Governor Stubs offered a re-
ward of $500, making $500 in all
Cor him. This will go to the off.
GERS catching him.
So the chances are that Bitler
will be sent to the state peniten-
tiary at Lansing in a few days,
there to begin his term. Even if
he was able, through any legal
technicality, to get out of the mur-
der trouble he would be convicted
IN the Reno county district court
on the charge of breaking Jail.
Bitler was found in a resort at
Io2 South Third street, one of the
toughest portions of the city, where
he was keeping company with
friends OF very questionable char
-acter.
Several messages and kilograms
were found on him, dated at Hutch
inSon and Eureka, Kans., signed by
his wife and mother, cautioning
\ him to beware that the officers
were on his trail.
II was due to the last mentioned
articles that Bitler's arrest was
brought about, and to George
Duckworth, sheriff of Reno county,