Beverly banner., 1925-11-27


asked Dingfelter.
Maxwell assured Dingfelter that his
friends would be perfectly safe in COM
ing to st. Louis, and that the police
would not get next to them, provided,
of course, that they were not already
known to the police.
1t was about five o'clock in the eve
ming when Dingfelter was released
from Jail on bond. and at that hour
the courts in the building had ad-
journed for the day, and the news
paper correspondents and all others
had left the building except for the
few attaches who were on duty. Thus
Dingfelter left the Jail unobserved.
He took a circuitous route to my
house, where he remained until a late
hour, when / sent him to New York.
| had instructed him to open CORE
spondence with Maxwell from that
city, SO as to get positive instructions
from Maxwell as to what the wit
nesses were to testify to when they
took the stand in his defense. He car
ried out these instructions to the let
ter. The correspondence was kept up
through the medium of Maxwells at
torneys, copies of the letters sent, and
the originals that came back, coming
into my hands. When the trial was
called Dingfelter, or McCulIoch, as he
may now be known again, returned to
st. Louis, his presence there being
unknown to anyone except myself and
Messrs. Clover and Mcdonald.
At the trial Maxwell took the stand
in his own defense and testified that
he had administered chloroform to
his friend Preller on the fatal evening
at the Southern hotel, for the purpose
of alleviating his pain. He saw fit to
mention a certain disease as the cause
of Prellers sufferings, whereupon a
second autopsy was made, which
showed concIusively that Maxwell's
statement on this point was untrue.
Dingfelter was among the first wit
nesses to be called by the prosecution.
After being duly sworn, he took his
seat on the witness stand. Maxwell
shot one glance at him, turned ashen
pale, and collapsed. He hurriedly
communicated to his attorneys the
fact that he recognized Dingfelter,
which caused CONSERVATION among the
party for the defense. The following
questions were then put by the as
sistant circuit attorney, Mr.. Marshall
F. Mcdonald, and were answered as
follows:
@. What is your name? A. John F.
McCulloch.
@. Where were you horn? A. Will
mington, Del.
O. How old are you? A. Thirty
years.
O. What is your business? A. De-
tective.
@. BY whom are you employed?
A. Thomas Furlong.
O. Do you know the defendant in
this case (pointing to MaxwelD :?
A. Yes, sir.
@. When did you first become ac-
quainted with him? A. In the city
Jail.
O. Were you a prisoner in the Jail?
A. Yes, sir.
@. What were you charged with?
A. believe it was forgery.
O. When and where were you ar
rested? A. l was arrested at the Me-
chanics' bank on the corner of Fourth
and Pine streets, this city, by Thomas
Furlong, who was afterwards assisted
by police officer, whose name l do
not know.
@. Why did Furlong arrest you?
A. He was commanded to do so by
the paying teller of the Mechanics
bank.
@. Why did the teller cause your
arrest? A. Because had presented a
check bearing what was purported to
be the signature of D. S. H. Smith,
local treasurer of the Missouri Pa
cific Railway company. The paying
teller told Furlong. in my presence,
that the signature was aiforgery.
@. Did you know it to be a forgery
A. did not
Q. Where did you get this check?
A. Mr.. Furlong gave me the check and
instructed me to present it at the
bank, as / did, and told me that he
would be at the bank when presented
it.
@. Was Mr.. Furlong there? A. Yes,
he came into the bank while / was
at the teller's window. That was
when Mr.. Warner, as believe the tel
ler's name is, told him to arrest me.
@. Then you do not know whether
the check was a forgery or not?
A. No, sir. l was only obeying the
instructions of my employer. Mr.. Fur
long. I guess he can tell you all about
that check
More CONSERVATION, but this time
among the police, who had been con
fident that Dingfelter was one of the
leaders of the bank robbers on the
Pacific coast. The moment Dingfelter
stated that he was detective one of