Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-23

4
behind a buch of crumpled papers
with which the flue was stopped.
1t is addressed to no one. and
there is no signature. Following is
the letter:
/, ben was fool enough to send me
to Kearney to see Leland and OF
course | had TO repay him. ] went
Tuesday morning at a. m. and got
to Kearney at $50 p. m.
Met Sweet Man.
II met the sweetest little man who
told me he was state sheriff and
would take Leland out of the reform
school and PITT him in bunch of
| negro convicts from the penitentiary
and ] had such nice time at the
Windsor hotel, Lincoln, that | did
not get home until 7:40 Friday eve
ming, but | had it all fixed with the
sweet little man 10 come to Brown
vile and stop at my house and to
let me know so | could work Ben
and be there. But | didn't get his
letter and came and found Ava. who
was in school there, and l had her
call me by phone and ! talked to her
so Ben thought it was needle-cratt
meeting and worked him all 0. K.
If | hadn't been so anxious to try
to get the sweet little man to come
and get me at 10 o'clock at night. but
Ben heard us talking and the sweet
little man was afraid to come and
! get me so Ben took me up to see
him next day, but l didn't have near
| as nice a time as | had at Kearney
and Lincoln for Ben was along and
when the sweet little man seen Ben
he was afraid of him and went right
back to Lincoln.
"He was not state sheriff or any,
thing else, but l had an awfully
sweet time and I though ! hadn't
paid Ben enough so on next Tues
day, when he was away from the
house at work, | left and tried to
get neighbor to take me away in
his car, but he would have nothing
to do with me.
Tells of Gun Threat.
"Then ! went to Auburn and
swore than Ben drawed loaded
gun on me, when l had stole the gun
last summer and he never had seen
it since, and it will cost him at least
$50 to pay my lawyers and the court
costs for my swearing to the lie
about the gun.
Then | went to his own uncle at
Shubert and tried to turn Ben
against him and told Walter and
everyone all the black lies I could
and made Ben all the enemies |
could. | put in seven weeks of this
and then thought | wanted some
little papers and stuff and that maybe
I got mixed so l couldn't rob him
as good | might fix it by going
back. The sweet little mans address
is 204 South Eleventh street, room
2OS. His name is A. E. Butler"
Leland Mrs. Meals Son.
The Leland of whom the letter
speaks is Mrs. Meals son. He was
arrested last fall for stealing gold
watch from a hired man at the home
of Charles Faulkner, farmer living
eight miles north of Auburn, and
sentenced to a term in the boys in
dustrial school at Kearney.
Ava is her l6-year-old daughter
by former marriage.
Last spring Mrs. Neal brought di-
vorce proceedings against Ben Neal
in the district court of Nemaha
county, alleging that he abused her,
that their temperaments were incom-
patible and that she could no longer
live with him. She requested a d.
vorce, division of the property and
alimony.
Divorce Case Withdrawn
Before the case was scheduled to
come up, she withdrew it. She did
SO, she says, because he promised
TO be more gentle in his treatment
Ct her in the future, and to "be a
different man."
Shortly after their reconciliation
she went to Kearney to visit her
son, Leland, in the industrial school.
On her return, A. L. Butler of
Lincoln is alleged to have visited her
in Brownville. 1t is alleged that he
represented himself to be a state
agent in the employe of State Sheriff
Hyers' office. 1t is also alleged he
offered to procure Leland a parole
and place as bookkeeper in one of
the convict road gangs of the state
at substantial salary.
1t is even alleged that he offered
Mrs. Neal position as cook in one
of the camps
Visit Causes Trouble.
Mr.. Neal, it is said, heard of this
and it caused a good deal of trouble
at Brownville between the different
parties involved. Mrs. Neal made
complaint to the state sheriff, who
investigated Butler.
1t is alleged Butler admitted he
had no connection with State Sheriff
Hyers' office, but that he was in a
confidential position where he could
influence the board of parole to
grant pardon to Leland. Butler
S reported to have been severely
-eprimanded by State Sheriff Hyers.
This incident became fixed in Mr..
Meals mind and he brooded over
It to such an extent that he would
talk about it to all his neighbors and
friends who would listen. He was
advised by his attorney to dismiss
the matter from his mind, as it was
of small moment.
The letter found in the house after
lis death evidently is in Mr.. Meals
Mrs. Neal, at the inquest, identi-
lied it as having been written by her
husband.
Theories of Letter.
The supposition is that he had
premonition that some tragedy
would hanna, ,,d y,-ot, A., 1.t+arl