The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-02-24

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with Deputy Sheriff Tom Brown, he
left for Eiyins about 1880, TO try and
get line on Powell, whom he did not
know, On stopping at soft drink
Iplace there and making some inquiry
in regard to Powell, they were In
formed that he was then in the lunch
room in the rear, with big gun on
him, The officers then decided lit
tie caution would be advisable, in or
der to prevent possible bloodshed, and
the proprietor Of the place was told
to call Powell and tell him someone
wanted to see him in front. AS he
stepped through the door, Sheriff
Hunt deftly slipped the bracelets ON
him. He submitted quietly and asked
what he was charged with. Deputy
Brown just then relieved him Of a
3S-caliber Colts, and holding it up
said this was the charge. But Sher-
if Hunt Immediately read the war
ran. charging him with the murder of
Birchall.
1t is also said that Powell was in
tending to leave the country, and that
he was expecting to leave Elvins fof
Bismarck to catch train about the
time he stepped from the lunch room
into the arms of the officers, which
may account for the easy manner in
which his arrest was made, as he is
reputed to be "bad actor. In fact
lit is said he has two or more notches
on his gun previous to this latest
charge. He has also been sentenced
to the penitentiary two different
times, once for murder and for high
way robbery. He was out of the pen
itentiary only short time previous
to the murder of Birchall last De-
cember. The developments in this
case are calculated to cause one to
look with more or less suspicion on
circumstantial evidence. If Boat
rights confession proves to be true
and there is absolutely no known tan
,gible reason why it is not true--then
all those who are more or less famil-
lar with the known circumstances
surrounding this case will perhaps
not so hurriedly make up their minds
as to the guilt of one towards whom
circumstances appear to point.
Now, just word in regard to Wal
ter Boatright's lcSs hslcnee in this
matter, even after Turley and Por-
rier had been indicted for this mur
der: He had good reason to believe
that Powell would make good his
threat to "get him" if he ever told
what he knew; while he was wit
ness before the grand jury, no ques-
ton was asked him in any way lead
ing up to what he afterwards con-
fessed. 1t is the report that it was
only after Chas. Meadows, also of
Iron Mountain, went home last Thurs
day and told him the grand Jury mad
found true bills against Turley and
Porrier, and that it was up to him to
go in and make a clean breast of
what he knew, that he got hold of
have told of this and other crimes in
tell all, and relieve his conscience,
which perhaps had begun to trouble
him somewhat 1t seems that Mead
ows had gained some knowledge of
the affair from conversing with Boat
right, Powell and woman with whom
Powell lived, and whom he is said to
have told Of this and other crimes in
which he had been implicated. 1t ap-
pears now, taken all in all, that the
work of the grand jury was success,
even though it failed directly in the
accomplishment of the purpose for
which it was convened. 1t may be
this was the only way in which the
truth in regard to the killing of Birch
all would ever have become generally
known.