The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-06-29
was the principal whose agents had

cepr the evidence which would have
revealed the truth to me, so that. no
longer trusting to agents, he himself
had come in desperation to prevent
my learning the facts? l realize fully.
Avery, that by means Of you my blind.
ness and my reputation have been
used for five years to conceal from the
public the fact that Matthew Latron
had not been murdered, but was still
aliver"
Santoine heard Avery get up: he
stood an instant and tried to speak,
but his breath caught nervously; he
made another effort.
II didn't have anything to do with
convicting Overton, or know anything
about it until that part was all over;
| never saw him till | saw him on the
train. didn't know Warden was
going TO be killed"
But you were accessory to the rob-
berry Of my house last night and.
therefore, accessory to the murder Of
Wallace Blatchford. Last night. too,
knowing Overton was innocent Of ev-
erything charged against him, you
gave orders TO fire upon him at sight
and he was fred upon. And what
were you telling Harriet when | came
in? You have told the police that Over
ton Is the murderer of LatrOn. Isn't that
so the police will refuse TO believe
anything he may say and return him
TO the death cell for the sentence to
be executed upon him? The law will
call these things attempted murder,
Avery"
The blind man heard Avery pacing
the floor, and then heard him stop in
front Of him.
What is it you want TO know, sirY'
who killed Warden?"
John Yarrow is his name; he was
a sort of ~hanger-On of LatrOn's. I
don't know where Latron picked him
up"
WAS it he who also made the at
tack on the train?'
Eyes"
who was the other man on the
train-the one that claimed the tcle.
gram addressed to Lawrence Hill
ward?'
"His names HolIock. He's titular
owner Of the place on the Michigan
shore where Latron has been living.
The telegram / cnt night before last
was addressed to his place, you know.
He's been a sort Of g0-betWeen for
Latron and the men-those who knew
who were managing the properties.
id never met him, though, Mr.. San
tome, and l didn't know either him
or HollOck on the train. AS | said,
I wasn't In the know about killing
Warden"
when did you learn who Eaton
was, Avery?"
THE day after we got back here
from the West | got word from La
iron: they didn't tell me till they
needed to use me-" Avery hcsitated;
then he went on: you understand,
sir, about Latron's pretended death
a guide at the shooting lodge had
been killed by a chance shot in the
woods; purely accidental some ono
Of the party had fired at a deer,
missed, and never knew he'd killed A
man with the waste shot. When the
guide didn't come back to camp. they
looked for him and found his body.
He was q man who never would be
missed or inquired for and was very
nearly Latron's size and that gave
Latron the idea.
AT first there was no idea Of pre-
tending he had been murdered; it was
the coroner who first suggested that.
Things looked ugly for a while, under
the circumstances, as they were made
public. Either the scheme might
come out or someone else be charged
as the murderer. That put it up to
Overton. He'd actually been up there
to see Latron and had had a scene
with him which haH been witnessed.
That partial but the evidence which
showed that he shot Latron after
ward-was perfectly true. He thought
that Latron. as he was about to go
to trial, might be willing to give him
information which would let him save
something from the fortune he'd lost
through Latron's manipulations. The
circumstances, motive, everything was
ready to convict Overton; 1t needed
very lItlic InOIt " COllDltlc Tic CdS6
against him."
$50 1t was completed"
But after Overton was convicted,
he was not allowed to be punished,
sir"
S%antoine's lips Strengthened in con-
tempt. He was not allowed to be
punished?"
"Overton didn't actually escape, you
know. Mr.. Santoine - that Is, he
couldn't have escaped without help;
Latron was thoroughly frightened and
he wanted 1t carried through and
Overton executed; but some of the
others rebelled against this and saw
that Overton got away; but he never
knew he'd been helped. l understand
It was evidence Of Latron's insistence
on the sentence being carried out that
Warden found. after his first sus-
picions had been aroused, and that
put Warden In a position to have La