The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1916-06-29

The conviction of the murderer oil
Clarence Preller, man named Hugh
M. Brookes, was one of the hardest
pieces of work ever performed by me
The true story, which | have never
before disclosed, has a remarkable
psychological interest, in that | kept
my assistants in ignorance Of the part
that each was playing, while my own
recompense consisted only in con
fused eye and a number of scratches
bumps and bruises.
The Preller murder occurred in the
summer of 1885, in one of the rooms
of the Southern hotel, St Louis. Clar-
ence Preller was a young Englishman,
representing important commercial
interests. Brookes, the murderer, was
also an Englishman, of respectable
parentage, but a criminal past. How
ever, until he met Preller on the
steamship which conveyed them to
America, his worst crime had been the
theft of some property belonging to
fellow-students at a law school
Brookes, representing that he was
man of title, succeeded in ingratiat-
ing himself with Preller during the
course of the voyage. They journeyed
TO Boston together, and Preller, who
was en- route for New Zealand, by
way of San Francisco, proposed that
they should reunite at st. Louis.
Brookes. passing under the name of
Maxwell, engaged a double room at
the Southern hotel, and was there
joined by Preller a day or two later.
Breokes. or Maxwell, had learned
that Preller had in his possession
seven one-hundred-dollar bills, and
had already resolved to murder him.
On the Sunday after the reunion,
after dinner, Preiier complained of
stomach trouble. Maxwell, claiming
TO have some knowledge of medicine,
administered hypodermic injection
of morphine. giving his victim enough
to kill. Just as Preller was breathing
his last the murderer poured guam
tity of ehloroform upon Presler's lips.
completing his work. When the man
who had trusted him was dead, Max
we'll stripped the body and placed a
suit of his own underwear on it, Max
we'll was short in stature, being only
about five feet five inches in height,
while Preller was much larger, about
six feet tall. Maxwell's clothing was
marked with the name of Hugh NJ.
Brookes, and his obvious design was
10 have it appear that he had COM
mitted suicide, or had been murdered.
leaving the police to search for the
dead man as the murderer.
Brookes emptied out the trunk be-
longing to Preller and thrust the body
into 1t. Then, strapping and locking
It, he put his own, as we'll as Preller's
effects, into his own trunk and retired
for the night.
The next morning he paid his bill,
stating to the clerk that Preller had
gone out of town for few days, but
would return shortly, and that he de-
sired the room to be held for him, as
his trunk and effects would remain
there until he called for them. He
added that he had to leave that morn
ing, but expected to rejoin Preller
later in another city.
Brookes had already made that fun
damental error which all murderers
seem to make. He planned to leave
his own effects behind him and to
ship the trunk containing the body to
a distant place. where the dead man
would simply be known by the marks
on the underelothes. But he had given
wrong instructions to the porter, or
else the porter made a mistake, for
the trunk brought down was his own
and not that containing the body
Brookes became very much alarmed
He took a ticket for San Francisco,
and thence sailed for Auckland, New
Zealand. to which spot Preller had
been bound, apparently still trying to
carry out the substitution of identities.
The body was discovered, the de-
tectives got on the trail of the muir
derer, and he was arrested ON the ar
rival of his ship at Auckland and
brought back TO St Louis While in
jail he employed two lawyers to de-
fend him, and 1t was then that came
into the case.
A few days after Brookes had been
lodged in jail Mr.. Ashley C. Glover,
circuit attorney OF St Louis, and his
assistant. Marshall F. Mcdonald, drove
out to my residence. ] was then spe-
cial agent for the Missouri Pacific
Railroad company, and my visitors
were well known to me.