Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1910-03-05
Police Locate Boys Who Saw
Miles Shoot Bessie
Stiff.
SLAYER BADLY SCARED.
Wife Lives In Strengthened
Circumstances in Third
Floor Back.

Louisville, KY May 4.-Eye wit
nesses to the murder of Miss Bessie
Stiff, or Mrs. Bessie Miles, as she
was known, by Arthur Miles, her
husband, at Clay street and Broad.
way, Tuesday night at $3.50 o'clock,
have been procured by detectives
working under orders from Maj. Pat
Ridge, night chief of police, and the
commonwealth is assured OF telling
testimony against the prisoner, when
his case comes up for examining
trial March 8. Miles, charged with
the murder to which he confessed,
was arraigned in police court yester-
day morning, and his case continued
until that date.
Although denied by Miles and
scoffed at by Chaplain John Carney,
of the Detectives Department, all
developments of the day tend to
show that the slayer of Miss Stiff
was really married to her, although
unlawfully, his own statements and
those of relatives of the girl convey
~ the fact that he lived with her.
Her father was in Evansville at the
time Of her marriage.
Evidence given by the keeper of
the boarding house, where Miles and
the Stiff girl lived, and by the vic
TINS sisters showed that the prison
er had practiced deception in telling
her that he was going out Of
town" when in reality he was living
with his first wife. The fact has
been established that Miles, instead
of discouraging the girls love for
him, which was apparent, had cult
waited it by constant attention and
by living with her at various times
when not out on the road as a trav-
cling salesman, which he represented
himself to be.
MILES PHYSICALLY PERFECT.
Chief of Detectives Carney yester-
day took the Bertillon measure
ments of Miles. He said that the
prisoner was the most perfect man
physically for his size that he had
ever seen. The slayer of the girl is
five feet four inches tail and weighs
100 pounds. He claims to be "a years
old, the exact age of his victim, but
looks several years older.
FATHER is POSTMASTER.
Miles has engaged Attorneys Jas.
Edwards and Aaron Kohn as his
counsel. The prisoners father, j. A.
Miles, is postmaster and general
storekeeper in Bennettstown, Chris
tian county. KY, a hamlet Of less
than so people, near the southern
border of the state. He was notified
yesterday. and will come at once to
Louisville to aid in his sons defense
The prisoners mother also lives
there, and a brother, Allie Miles, re-
sides in Hopkinsville.
No bail was allowed in police
court by Judge Boldrick. Miles
seemed very nervous. His wife. Clara
Miles, and daughter of four years.
Lois, were present in court and
watched the proceedings with eager
watchful eyes. Miles talked to a
reporter at the Jail yesterday
Il don't know just why ! did it.
God knows that woman bad troubled
me enough. She knew | had a wife
and baby here and threatened trou.
bic continually. She made me so
mad that it set my brains awhirl
when she talked about my wife, and
SO just pulled my gun, and it was
all off. l just lost my head and it was
aNsoVer with.
~ met Bessie Stiff on the station
platform in Evansville four weeks
ago, he continued, land have been
living with her most of the time
since then. Tuesday afternoon,
left Belknap's. where was working,
and started home. When | got off