Evening star., 1932-08-13

| This was learned yesterday from Clem
| Eidt, supervisor of the Auburn Golf
Club, who said that Dana played clas-
! sical selections for more than an hour
on the afternoon of August 4, leaving
at $50.
The man seen by Mr.. and Mrs H. F.
| Baker entering the Merrill grounds that
| evening wore an overcoat with the COL
| lar turned up. An overcoat identified
| as the property of John Geiger, for
merly occupant of "Skunk's Nest" a
road house on the Dana grounds, where
| he lived for five days, moving out about
| two weeks before Miss MerrilTs death,
was found in the room where she ap-
parently was killed.
No Forefnger Print.
On the collar of the overcoat were two
| or three hairs. Mr.. and Mrs. Baker
said that in the gathering darkness they
| did not notice whether the overcoated
man was a white man or colored. Au-
| thorities who examined the overcoat
| found in the Merrill home say that the
hairs on the collar obviously came from
a white persons head.
Geiger's parents told officers that he
was at home that evening until $50.
He said he had left his overcoat hang
ing on a nail in "Skunk's Nest"
| Now comes one of the most curious
condolences Of this curious and battling
story. Smeared fingerprints in blood
! found in Miss Merrill's home were
made in several places by the hand of
person who made no print with the
index finger. The bloody prints were
made with three fingers. Some of the
prints look as If they were made with
left hand and others as if with
right hand
Both these men, Dana. who stands
charged with murder, and Geiger. who
was rearrested today, have mutilated
forefngers. Danas is the right fore
finger and Geigers the left.
The prints, according to the expert
who examined them, are somewhat
blurred and hard to identify. Dana
and Geiger have had their fingerprints
taken.
Dana Wore No Overcoat.
II Dana stayed in the golf club play
ing the piano until $50 August it
would nave been possible for him
either to have walked straight home
and to have reached the Goat Castle"
by 7:l5 or to have gone to Miss Mer-
mrs estate and to have entered it at
tne time Mr.. and Mrs Baker saw the
oVercoated man go in. If he went to
tne Merrill estate he would scarcely
nav nave had' time to go home first. But
Mr Eldt is positive he wore no over
coat in the club house.
! Good heavens" said Mr.. E!dt "if
ne worn an overcoat on an August
afternoon, don't you think I'd have
noticed 1t and asked him if he had the
ague or something"
But is there a possibility about the
famous overcoat? There is.
II Dana hurried, he might have
gone by "Skunk's Nest" and picked up
the oVercoat. In this case he must have
walked fairly fast. and not have stop
pea 10 tnlnk on the way. But the time
limits allow it.
| But in fairness to Dana, it should be
observed that Mr.. Eidt said that for
man VINO was contemplating a murder
Dana appeared Singularly unconcerned
golf club
He played beautifully that after
noon, as he always did," said Mr.. Eidt.
He was marvellous musician, in spite
OF his broken finger. No, can't recall
what he played-it was high-class stuff
and don't know the names of the
pieces. But they were mighty pretty"
| On That afternoon somebody in the
club remarked that Octavia Dockery,
Dana's companion in the Goat Castle"
mad said there were too many cats
around for comfort And Dana, Mr..
Eldt said, looked up with a surprised
lace and answered, why, we've got
only 49,"
Farm Saved in 1923.
But for close legal battle in 1923,
Duncan Minor, Miss Merrill's sweetheart
and dlscoverer of the trail of blood on
her steps. might have been the owner
of the Goat Castle" today.
The place was sold for taxes to Dun
can Minor. Miss Dockery went to
Lawrence T. Kennedy, a Natchez at
torney, called the Tiger Man" by his
friends because of his fiery dress, and
asked him If he couldn't do something
to save their home She said she
believed Dana was Of unsound mind
and drew a pathetic picture of her.
| self and Dana turned out of the only
| place they had to live in
Mr.. Kennedy looked up the law,
which states that place sold for taxes
must be redeemed within two years or
the purchaser becomes complete own
er, with the possibility of the former
owners redeeming the property by pay
ing the back taxes. An exception, Mr..
Kennedy discovered, made in the case
Of infants and persons of unsound
minds"
So the matter was brought into
court Dana was sent for, that he
might be put on the stand and his
sanity tested.
But Dana" Mr. Kennedy explains,
'was off in the woods and could not
be found. So guard was ordered put
at the house and directed to arrest
him and bring him into court as soon
as he turned up. He didn't turn up
until late in the afternoon. He was
brought into court, was judged to be
of unsound mind. Miss Dockery was
appointed his guardian, the Goat
Castle was redeemed and from that
day until their arrest Dana and Miss
Dockery lived there"
Details Are Involved.
] So there you are The details Of this
mystery are as incredible as the central
event-the Tiger Man." who is proba-
| bly, going to defend the Goat Woman"
as Miss Dockery is known, the wild
Man" Goat Castle" "Skunks Nest" or
the Bucket of Blood; the crippled
forefngers and the bloodstains, the
pestiferous overcoat, the Minor man.
sion, which remained dilapidated,
| though it's owner is known to be
wealthy, and the bullet-riddled body of
Jane Surget Merrill, found tossed into
thicket on bed of dry moss
And on the wall of the golf club,
where Richard Dana played the piano
are the whitened skulls of an Gland
and sable antelope, brought to Natchez
by a former resident, VINO now lives in
Australia. These skulls, each of which
has a pair of twisted black horns
| Sprouting up glared down on Mr. Eidt