Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1916-08-18

1
my own investigations in the mean
while. While the hounds were follow
ing still other tracks and affording
sport for all the male population OF
Overton, was on my way to- Pales-
tine, division and Headquarters of
the International & Great Northern
railroad, some forty miles south of
Overton. Here / found the colored
porter, a light and rather good-looking
mulatto. He wore what were called
"sideburns," and a mustache of which
he was very proud. He had stated
that he would be able to pick out the
men whom he had seen board the train
at Overton, providing they were wear
ing the same clothing as on the night
of the tragedy. i was anxious to bring
him baek-as soon as possible. I be-
slieved the. guilty men1to be in Over
ton. but was afraid that the hounds
would be liable ito indicate some poor
unfortunate, but innocent person, who
would be more than likely to be SUBJ
jected by the mob to violent treatment.
Before proceeding to Palestine l had
telegraphed to one Of my men, Mike
McCabe by name, to meet me there,
which he duly did. TNtook the porter,
whose name was Davis, to a colored
barber shop. In Palestine, where had
Davis whiskers shaved off, as well as
his Inustache. The porter protested
vigorously, but finally persuaded him
into theychair. afterward had Davis
| don the suit of a common field hand,
I L II
worn by the field hands in that Sec
Aion. After Davis had been shaved and
dressed in his new clothes his own
mother would not have recognized
him.
I then placed the porter In the
charge of McCabe, who was unknown
in that part of the country, with the
following instructions: He was to take
the first train on the following morn
ing as far as the water tank above men,
toned, near Overton. There Davis and
he were to leave the train, and they
we're to walk into the village and go
around it, looking carefully at every
person who came near them. In the
event of Davis being able to recognize
one or both of the masked men he was
to inform McCabe quietly, and Nc
Cabe was to report to me at once.
I proceeded to Overton from Pales-
tine on a train that left on the preced-
ing night and waited for develop
ments.
A short time after McCabe and
Davis arrived they were passing a
blacksmith shop when Davis suddenly
recognized John Price as one of the
bandits. John Price, who was inside
the shop, had an apron on and was
shoeing a horse at the time. 1t was
then near noon, and the bloodhounds,
with the mob following them, were
seen coming down the hill into the
town, evidently having had enough OF
the pursuit, which, after knight and
Price had been indicated by the ami
mails, had become an aimless wander
ing hither and thither. AS the mob
4 drew near Davis recognized knight
among the front rank of the crowd, be-
hind the hounds. He told McCabe
and my operative promptly informed
me. then instructed McCabe to send
Davis back to Palestine and instruct
him to await further orders there.
Powers, the wounded brakeman, had
been conveyed to the railroad hospital
at Fort Worth, Texas, where he was
supposed to be lingering between life
, and death from the wounds he had re-
ceived., and had been informed that
Powers likewise could identify the two
bandits. AS Davis had already identi-
fed Price and knight, and his identif-
cation was corroborated by strong cir
cumstantial evidence, among which
was that the bloodhounds, l resolved
to put the two men under arrest and
take them to Fort Worth, so that Pow
ers might have an opportunity OF see
ing them. l therefore telegraphed
from Overton to Major Joseph Mer-
ron, general superintendent of the In
ternational G. Great Northern Rail-
road, at Palestine, in a cipher code
which we employed requesting him
to send special engine with coach
to Overton that night, and to arrive
about IL o'clock, by which time the
great majority of the inhabitants
would be in bed. l also requested
that he would send my man McCabe
to me aboard this special train. Major
Merron wired back to me that he
would comply with my request, and
that. if / desired it, he would come
himself and bring another man with
him. l asked whom he intended to
bring, and he replied that he would
bring Chris Rogers, who at that time
was city marshal of Palestine. Rogers
had held this position for a number
of years, and was terror to the evil
doors of the community, having killed
no fewer than seven or eight men
during his term of Office.