The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-11-28
Thew alkley-Russell-
Hinton Mystery
By HOWARD N. BRADFORD

hotel to the proprietor. II can't get a
reply from No. 43. The door is locked
and the key inside"
The landlord remembered that No.
43 had been taken the night before by
q James Walkley. man with bald
head and mutton chop whiskers. He
wished for No. A also. which commu-
nicated, but II had been taken by a
small man. named Russell, who had
come in only half an hour before
Walkley and left $500 in the hotel safe
to be kept till morning.
The landlord went to No. 43 and was
obliged to force the door. The room
was empty. and the bed had not been
slept in. He passed through the con.
Meeting door to the adjoining room. 1t.
too, was empty. but the sheets of the
bed were bloody.
Evidently Walkley had murdered
Russell. But how had he got away
with the body? This was soon ex-
planned. Russell was a travelling sales
man, taking orders for laces. He had
brought with him an oblong sample
case about five feet in length. so light
that he had carried 1t to his room him
self. A shopkeeper opposite who lived
over his store and who rose very
early. on looking out of his front Win
dow, saw man emerge from the hotel
carrying something that looked like a
long. low trunk and walk away with
his burden. He said the man carried
1t as If it were tolerably heavy.
The landlord, putting these facts to.
gether. made up his mind that Walk
ley bad known Russell had money
about him. had followed him to the
hotel and had taken the adjoining
room purposely to rob him The at
tempt to rob had resulted in murder
Walkley had packed the body in his
victims lace sample case and had car
ried it away early in the morning
Whatever plumber he had acquired he
certainly had not got the $500 that
Russell had left with the landlord for
safe keeping.
The matter was reported to the po-
lice. but the mystery was not solved.
though 1t was further suggested by the
inspector that Walkley had seen Rus
sell draw the money from the bank
The landlord was directed that II Rus
sell returned for his money to make
the fact known at once. and efforts
were made to trace Walkley. A hack
man was found who reported that u
man in the street had hailed him earl!
in the morning Of the murder and ask
ed him to carry himself and an oblcng
trunk to a railway station. But the
cabman reported that he had lifted the
trunk on to his box beside his seat
and 1t could not have weighed more
than twenty-five or thirty pounds.
About the time that this Walkley.
Russell affair happened certain Ed
ward Hinton disappeared. leaving be-
hind him a wife and three children.
He kissed his wife one morning previ-
GUS to going to his Office and was never
afterward seen by any one who knew
him. Mrs. Hinton reported his dis
appearance to the police and had
thorough search made Of the hospitals
without finding her husband. The two
mysteries were not thought Of as hav-
ing any connection with each other
but II they had and the date of Mr.
Hinton's vanishing had been compar
ed with that of the occurrence Of the
Russell affair it would have been
found that on the evening Of the day
Hinton disappeared Russell and Walk
ley put up at the Kensingmore hotel,
Three months after Hinton's disap-
pearance his wife was summoned to
hospital. where she found her husband.
He did not appear to be seriously Ill.
but said that he did not know how he
had come to be there. It seemed to
be case of loss Of memory. He was
taken home. and. though he seemed
somewhat dazed for few days. with
in a week had returned to his daily
duties.
One day he went to the Kensing-
more hotel and asked for a private in
terview with the landlord. Being
closeted together. he offered to reveal
the Russell Walkley mystery on condl-
ton that the matter be kept a secret.
The landlord gave the required pledge.
and Mr.. Hinton said:
II am really Hinton. but besides be
ing Hinton am Walkley. Russell was
and Is woman. became infatuated
with her and for her deserted my
wife and children. determined to go
away from them with her. but that
We might not be traced we determined
to disappear. Dressed as man. she
personated travelling salesman and
took one Of two adjoining rooms at
your hotel. ! followed. taking the
other. Early In the morning she got
into the sample trunk. l smeared the
sheets with blood from a cut in my
own finger. then carried her in the
trunk downstairs. out and up the
street to her room. where she got out
OF the trunk then took 1t out again.
hailed cabman and was driven to
station. The woman afterward Joined
me In another city.
I'VE lived together for few months
then quarreled. l settled sum of
money on her, she agreeing to leave me
and keep our secret. Then. desiring to
return to my family. l invented the
scheme of pretending to have lost my
memory"