xt76q52f7w8f https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt76q52f7w8f/data/mets.xml Poock, L. D. 1897  books b92hv6534f6a618962009 English Hann & Adair : Columbus, Ohio Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Bryan, Pearl, d. 1896. Jackson, Scott. Walling, Alonzo. Headless, yet identified; a story of the solution of the Pearl Bryan, or Fort Thomas mystery, through the shoes. text Headless, yet identified; a story of the solution of the Pearl Bryan, or Fort Thomas mystery, through the shoes. 1897 2009 true xt76q52f7w8f section xt76q52f7w8f 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
" HEADLESS, YET IDENTIFIED;"
A STORY
OF T H E SOLUTION OFT H E

PEARL
OK

BRYAN,
  

FORT THOMAS MYSTERY,
THROUGH THE SHOES.

By

L.

D.

POOCK,

The

Shoe

Man.

COLUMBUS,

OHIO :

H a n n & Adair, 1897.

Printers.

  
E n t e r e d A c c o r d i n g to A c t of C o n g r e s s in the Y e a r 1896, by L. D. POOCK,

I n the Office of the L i b r a r i a n o f Congress, at W a s h i n g t o n , D . C .

  
INTRODUCTION. T h e r e is a c e r t a i n a n t i p a t h y , entertained b y m ost A m e r i c a n readers, for stories t e e m i n g w i t h t he t h r i l l o f c r i m e , or r i n g i n g w i t h t he praises of s hrewd d etectives or w i l y c r i m i n a l s . N o one r e a l izes the w i s d o m of s h u n n i n g these so-called d etective s tories more t h a n the A u t h o r a n d he has c o n fined h i m s e l f s t r i c t l y t o facts as they c ame e ither u n d e r h i s o w n personal observation or as they w ere b r o u g h t to notice i n the C o u r t i n w h i c h S c o t t J a c k s o n a n d A l o n z o W a l l i n g r eceived t h e i r j u s t d eserts. I t h as been demonstrated to us, from t i m e i m m e m o r i a l , t hat we ever profit b y the m i s t a k e s of o urselves a n d of others, a n d i t is the h ope o f the A u t h o r t hat the reader of t h i s story, h o w e v e r i n significant i ts l i t e r a r y m e r i t m a y be, m a y take the l essons therefrom to h i m s e l f a n d ever strive to w a l k i n the p a t h of the u p r i g h t . figured I f we were to s u m u p a l l the m i s t a k e s i n the l i v e s of those w h o i n t hat great c r i m e a n d extract the greatest of a l l lessons i t has t a u g h t us i n one b i t of a dvice, i t w o u l d be the one g i v e n b y m a n y a fond m other to h e r c h i l d , " s h u n e v i l c o m p a n i o n s . ' '

  
  
C HAPTER

I.

F ORT THOMAS, ITS H ISTORY A N D L O C A T I O N     S E C R E TARY L A M O N T ' S O B S E R V A T I O N     T H E INGS O F T H E F O R T     T H E COMMUNITY. O n a g entle elevation, several hundred f eet above t he bed of the Ohio R i v e r , at a distance of, perhaps, e ight miles a bove t he C i t y o f C incinnati, O hio, and o n the K e n t u c k y side of the river, is situated a U n i t e d States M i l i t a r y P ost, known as F o r t Thomas. In t he A n t i - B e l l u m d ays, when "wars and rumors of w ars" w ere l iable at any time to disturb the usual peace o f the citizens of C i n c i n n a t i and vicinity, the m ilitary a uthorities of the U n i t e d States saw the necessity of m ilitary p rotection to that r i c h d istrict and t he valuable river traffic. A M i l i t a r y P ost was consequently established directly o pposite C incinnati, n amely, at Newport, K e n t u c k y , but was removed to t he a bove m entioned point, which was a much stronger, m ore b eautiful and m ore c ommanding position.
(5)

SURROUND-

  
6

Headless,

yet

Identified.

O f a l l the U n i t e d States M i l i t a r y P osts scattered o ver o ur land, there is n one t hat is better or m ore b eautifully situated than P o r t Thomas; i n fact, i t is d ifficult to c onceive o f a' m ore f itting l ocation for a f ort for the protection of the extensive interests surrounding the sister cities of C incinnati, C ovington a nd Newport. W h e n Secretary of W a r Lamont, was making an i nspection tour of a l l the M i l i t a r y P osts of the U n i t e d S tates, i n his official capacity, he and his party w ere m ore t han enraptured by the wonderful situation of t he Post and the beautiful s cenery s urrounding it. O verlooking the highlands that lie b etween t he fort a nd the river and stretching far away to the blue horizon, one's g aze i s met by one of the m ost b eautiful a nd sublime landscapes to be o bserved i n any part o f picturesque K e n t u c k y , and as Secretary Lamont a nd his party w ere g azing upon these b eautiful surroundings they voiced the sentiment of thousands o f visitors i n the terse observation: " S u r e l y , this sight i s w orth coming miles to see. W i t h i n a r adius of ten miles from this point, m ore t han a h alf m i l l i o n p eople t oil f r o m the first light of the early morning t i l l t he shades o f evening cast t heir g loom o ver t he surrounding landscape and the l owing of the distant herd or the shrieking of the

  
Fort

Thomas, its History

and Location.

7

f actory whistles t ell t hem that the hour of rest has c ome. A lmost every trade or every commercial enterprise k nown i n business circles to be profitable or l egitimate, are pursued w i t h t hat diligence and application w hich has made that section of C entral U nited States famous. A s one stands on the h i g h bluff overhanging the O hio R i v e r at this point, l etting t he eyes w ander i n a n e astwardly direction, o ne's g aze i s fixed upon the g reat river traffic, and as we t urn a nd look northward w e see the valley of the L i t t l e M i a m i w i t h i ts fertile fields; t hen t urning w est, the spires of the three cities l oom up b efore o ur gaze. W e a r y w i t h t he d u l l , m onotonous cares of business life i n the city, a half h oliday or Sunday is spent i n recreation at F o r t Thomas. T he parades, d rills, i nspiring m usic of the bands, the rest and quiet of the sequestered shades of the gardens, or w ith t he field glass f ocused o n Coney Island i n t he near v icinity, w here thousands of pleasure seekers are enjoying themselves at that popular resort, the sight of the w i n d i n g river w i t h i ts shrieking, s moking crafts, p l y i n g here, there and everywhere, a l l go to make the day one of pleasure and p rofit a nd one never to be forgotten. E legant m acadamized roads lead f r o m C incinnati, C ovington a nd Newport to the F o r t and form the

  
s

Headless,

yet

Identified.

d rives f or many a pleasant ride to the country. T h e s tranger t o this v icinity g enerally pays this celebrated T o r t and its beautiful surroundings a v isit ere his r eturn to his home. Trolley cars are constantly b uzzing through the hollows and across the r avines to the F ort. D u r i n g t he long hours of the h ot summer days, these cars carry thousands of v isitors to F o r t Thomas. B y v irtue of the heavy traffic, luxurious cars have b een fitted up that give one an ever enjoyable ride t hrough t he landscapes of K e n t u c k y to the F ort. I n close p roximity to the F o r t , t he same number and class o f amusement halls and refreshment stands w h i c h c haracterize a pleasure resort are, of course, found w ith t heir usual gayety and festivities. T he roads and trolley lines, from the cities to the F ort, are l ined b y the elegant c ottages o f the more w ealthy p eople, and nearly a l l of the remaining portion o f the country is divided into s mall t racts w h i c h are occupied by a t hrifty class of business men, who s pend a l l of the time that they can spare f r o m their business i n the city i n enjoying the quiet l i f e and t he pure air of the country, entertaining friends, or l i v i n g t he easy, quiet l i f e for w h i c h the inhabitants o f K e n t u c k y are noted.

  
C HAPTER I I .
M R . J O H N L O C K     D E S C R I P T I O N O F H IS H O M E     L O C A TION O F T H E L O C K E F A R M     T H E R O A D S     A L A N E IS CONSTRUCTED AND PRIVIT BUSHES P L A N T E D     A Q U I E T COMMUNITY. M r . J o h n Locke is a typical K e n t u c k y gentleman w ho owns and manages a large f ruit f a r m i n the i m mediate v i c i n i t y of F o r t Thomas. I n fact, the premises of M r . Locke are just across a very pretty macadamized road and nearly opposite the Fort. T h e farm shows by its t hrifty c ondition the g ood m anagement a nd c onstant labor that has been bestowed upon it d uring t he many years that M r . Locke has had possession of it. O f a l l the comfortable and beautiful h omes w i t h in a d istance of five miles or more from t he F o r t , the h ome o f J o h n Locke is one of the most desirable. H i s h ome i s s imilar i n c onstruction and appointment to those beauti(9)

  
io

Headless,

yet

Identified.

f u l s outhern houses o f w h i c h we read. The p remises are adorned w i t h d rives and paths beautif u l l y l aid o ut, shrubbery, flower beds, f ountains and a ll t hat makes the h ome b eautiful. O n t he south side of the f a r m , and perhaps a distance of half a mile f r o m the m a i n entrance of F o r t T homas, years ago M r . Locke had made for h i m a n arrow lane connecting the road leading along the g overnment property at the east end w i t h t he road l eading d irectly to the three cities, C incinnati, C ovington a nd Newport, at the west end. I n the construction of the lane i t was necessary to leave an embankment along the north side several f eet i n height a nd e xtending the entire length of the lane. A short t ime a fter the lane was completed, M r . Locke planted a long the embankment a number of privet bushes w h i c h a dded very m u c h to the beauty of the lane a nd t he place i n general. T h e o bject i n b u i l d i n g this l ane was to avoid the necessity of d r i v i n g through s everal h undred yards of very muddy road to reach t he driveway to his premises from the F o r t Thomas r oad. A f ew years previous to the time at w h i c h the f o l lowing s tory occurred, a ll" t he roads of that part of C ampbell C ounty, K e n t u c k y , had b een so improved t hat t he land i n question was no longer needed. The

  
Location

of the Locke Farm.

n

p rivet b ushes, w h i c h had at one time made the lane a b eautiful drive, had been left to grow up w i l d a nd h ad s pread i n such a manner as to give the place the appearance of an entangled wilderness. I n a l l this busy, thronging community nothing h ad e ver occurred to mar the usual quiet of the L ocke neighborhood u n t i l e arly Saturday morning, F ebruary 1st, 1896.

  
  

C HAPTER I I I .
TREE PRUNING   JOHNNIE HEWETT   A STARTLING

D ISCOVERY A ND A T HOROUGHLY F R I G H T E N E D B O Y     M R . L O C K E A P P R I S E D     T H E S H E R I F F NOTIFIED     A N E X C I T E D C O M M U N I T Y     D E T E C T I V E S ON T H E SPOT   THE BODY AND CLOTHING O F T H E V I C T I M SURROUNDINGS. MINUTELY D E S C R I B E D     T H E

A b o u t this season of the year, M r . Locke usually set some of his men to work t r i m m i n g the f ruit trees u pon the farm. Johnnie H e w i t t , a boy about fourteen years of age, who was i n the employ of M r . L ocke, b ut who lived w i t h h is parents, perhaps a mile f arther b ack i n the country, left his h ome e arly that S aturday m orning to go to his employer's to f inish t rimming some trees. H i s path led across the lane d escribed a bove. T hreading his way through the b riars a nd brambles, he stumbled over an o bject; i n stinctively t u r n i n g to see what had so nearly caused h is fall, h e was nearly frightened out of his senses
(12)

  
  
  
Johnnie

Hewitt's

Startling

Discovery.

15

when, he saw prostrate b efore h i m the headless form of a human being. H o r r o r stricken, he ran w i t h a l l p ossible speed to his employer and breathlessly related w hat he had seen and what had caused his f right. M r . L ocke hastened w i t h t he boy to the spot w here t he horrible discovery had been made, and there, i n i ts a wful ghastliness, lay the form of a woman, headless, and l y i n g i n the p ools of her own life's blood. M r . L ocke, being a man of wide experience and of r emarkable p resence of m i n d , g ave o rders at o nce f or one of his men to hasten to the headquarters at F o r t T homas and have them notify the authorities at N e w port by telephone and also notify the police authorities of the three cities. T h e Sheriff of Campbell C ounty, K e n t u c k y , J u l e P l u m m e r , w hose h eadquarters are at Newport, upon the receipt of the message f rom the F o r t , immediately appeared upon the scene o f the discovery i n company w i t h t he Coroner, D r . T ingley. N o t m any minutes after the horrible discovery the w hole v i c i n i t y about the F o r t and the soldiers at the F o r t a l l had heard of i t and i t b ecame a n almost i m possibility f or M r . Locke and his men to keep the t housands from gathering about the immediate spot. A p p e a l i n g t o some o f the soldiers who had c ome,

  
16

Headless,

yet

Identified.

t hey s oon f ormed a circle and kept the inquisitive ones f rom the place so that when the officers arrived t hey would he able to find the b ody a nd, i n fact, e verything w i t h i n t wenty or twenty-five f eet o f the b ody j ust as it was when the boy discovered i t. Withi n a f ew minutes after the a rrival o f the Sheriff and C oroner from Newport, two detectives, who had been sent out from C incinnati b y the police department, a rrived. T hey were Detectives C r i m a nd M c D e r mott. These officers were among the best a nd brightest of the able f orce o f C incinnati. A m isty r ain h ad fallen d u r i n g the previous night w hich r endered the red K e n t u c k y clay a deep m ortar-like m ud. T h e officers at o nce b egan a thorough i nspection of the b ody a nd its surroundings. T h e b ody, w hich was that of a woman, lay across the embankment on its stomach, w i t h i ts shoulders and f eet s lanting w i t h t he general trend of the embankment. T wo very large p ools o f blood were f o u n d ; the largest of which was where the f eet o f the woman were f ound. T h e other pool was where the neck lay. T he ground surrounding the b ody s howed, beyond a d oiibt that a great struggle had ensued. U p o n the u n der and the top sides of the leaves of the privet bushes, to the height of over seven f eet, d rops of blood were f ound w h i c h sparkled i n the morning sun l ike d rops

  
Johnnie

Hewitt' e Startling
1

Discovery.

17

of clew. Numerous tracks i n the s oft s oil were noticed h earing the resemblance to a woman's s hoe, a nd l arger t racks were seen which might have been left b y a man or men of ordinary size stepping around o n the s oil. D i g g i n g i nto the earth at the larger pool of blood, i t was noticed that to a depth of eight inches the b lood had soaked. A l s o near where this large pool of blood was found, the detectives noticed a small d epression i n the s oft e arth which led them to think h ad been made by the head of the v i c t i m when held d own during the process of decapitation. A f t e r decapitation t he b ody h ad been placed i n the position i n w h i c h i t was found and the large pool of blood h ad c " ently been formed b efore t he b ody h ad been t urned. H e r c lothes were somewhat disarranged and were t horoughly soaked w i t h h er life's blood and her u ndervest was a complete clot of blood. T h e wrapper, i n which she was dressed, was soaked i n the f ront and back, while the corset, which had been t aken off by the murderer or murderers, and l aid beside the b ody, b ore i mprints of bloody fingers. T h e u nderclothing c onsisted of a union suit, drawers and s hirt c ombined, and a blue flannel s kirt. T hese and a w rapper, black stockings and a pair of black, cloth-

  
18

Headless,

yet

Identified.

t opped button shoes c onstituted a l l of the clothing t hat was found on the b ody. T h e Coroner, w i t h t he help of one of the detectives, g ently turned the b ody o ver and then was discovered that which proved beyond a doubt that there h ad b een a struggle. Across the three l ittle f ingers of the left hand was seen a deep c ut, w h i c h had evidently b een made i n the attempt of the v i c t i m to defend herself against the knife of the felonious murderer. A closer inspection of the immediate grounds r esulted i n the discovery of a lady's k i d g love f or t he left hand, showing a cut through the three fingers t allying e xactly w i t h t he cuts mentioned. T h e murderer evidently had taken off the g loves a nd dropped t his o ne; some b lack beads a nd a pair of garters were also found. A b o u t six inches from where the largest p ool of blood was found, a cut i n the ground showed t hat t he knife or scalpel, w h i c h had been used to cut t he throat and decapitate the b ody, h ad been pushed i nto t he ground, thereby removing the blood from the c ruel b lade. T h e officers made a c lose i nspection of t his c ut, and digging the soil away from i t carefully, f ound clots of blood w i t h l ocks of h air s ticking to t hem. T here could be no question but that here a h orrible m urder had been committed and great cunning d isplayed by the murderer or murderers i n seem-

  
Johnnie

Hewitts

Startling

Discovery.

19

i ngly r emoving everything, even the head, and taking off the c orset t he better to satisfy themselves that no tell-tale marks w ere u pon i t , as w e l l as the g loves a nd garters, which might contain a mark or maker's n ame upon them that might reveal the identity or l ead to their arrest. T he d etectives m ade c areful n ote o f all these c onditions and facts and t ook some o f the l eaves w h i c h h ung highest on the privet bushes. A f t e r this was d one, t he Coroner had the b ody r emoved to the N e w port, K e n t u c k y , morgue.

  
C HAPTER
T H E F IRST G E N E R A L N E W S     I T S

IV.
EFFECT   CURIOSITY

S E E K E R S     T H E RESERVOIRS   DETECTIVES CRIMM A ND M C D E R M O T T E N G A G E D     C A N I N E DETECTIVES    INCREASED E X C I T E M E N T     A N O L D W E L L     M I S LEADING T R A I L S . I n t he afternoon of .Saturday, F e b r u a r y 1st, the c ivilized w orld read i n the afternoon papers the first a ccount of the afterward celebrated P e a r l B r y a n o r F o r t T homas murder mystery. I t b ecame n ecessary f or M r . Locke to have special men stationed about h is p lace to keep off the great nirmbers of visitors and r elic h unters. A s it was, w i t h a l l this precaution, t hey l iterally c arried away the privet bushes and tore u p the place shamefully. W i t h i n a h alf mile from where the b ody was found flows the Ohio E l v e r . W i t h i n a q uarter of a mile of t he northwest corner of M r . Locke's f a r m are two l arge reservoirs that furnish the water supply for the
(20)

  
Detectives

Crimm

and McDermott.

21

c ity o f Covington; and about a mile directly north o f the Locke f a r m two other large reservoirs are s ituated t hat supply the city of Newport w i t h w ater. T he Sheriff of Campbell County realized the necessity of having the aid of able detectives i n working o ut the solution of this a w f u l mystery. T h e general s upposition was that the v i c t i m of the crime and t he murderers were more than l i k e l y c itizens of one of the three cities, C incinnati, C ovington or N e w port. Detectives C r i m a nd M c D e r m o t t , having been sent over into the boundaries of K e n t u c k y , Sheriff P l u m m e r at once a pplied to them for assistance. C ovington, N ewport and C incinnati, b eing situated w ith n othing but the river between them, the police d epartments of the three cities are i n constant touch a nd r ender each otber help whenever help is needed, a nd so the detectives readily agreed to do a l l i n their p ower. A f t e r t he b ody o f the murdered woman had been t aken to the city and placed i n the morgue, the s heriff a nd detectives held a consultation to determine, i f p ossible, the best c ourse to pursue i n order to ascertain, f irst, w ho the murdered woman was and, second, who had been the means of bringing her to such a sad end. I nasmuch as the b ody h ad been found i n the

  
22

Headless,

yet

Identified.

C ounty o f Campbell, and every appearance discovered so far showed that the crime had been committed at the place where the b ody was found, and b eing i n the territory i n w h i c h Sheriff P l u m m e r was t he highest peace a uthority, he assumed general supervision o ver a l l of the movements of the officers. F r o m a l l indications, and the judgment of the medical m en, i t was settled that the b ody w hen found h ad n ot l ain t here or been dead longer than from six to twelve hours. T h e officials s oon a greed, i n a hurried c onsultation, to send at once to Seymour, Indiana, f or a pack of blood hounds, believing that i f they c ould be gotten very s oon t he murderer or murderers might be tracked. T h e telegraph was here b rought into efficient use and early i n the afternoon the hounds arrived. I t b ecame n oised about i n the cities that the officials h ad sent for blood hounds and that they would a rrive i n the afternoon. O n account of a l l business e nterprises, factories, etc., closing earlier on Saturdays, thousands upon thousands i n c onveyances o f one sort or another were directing themselves toward F ort T homas that afternoon, anxious to see the spot w here this headless b ody h ad been found and to view t he working of the hounds. N o t ime was lost by the officials on the a rrival o f

  
Detectives

Crimm

and McDermott.

23

t he dogs, b ut they were taken at o nce t o the Locke f a r m n ear Tort Thomas, and were set to work at the spot w here the b ody o f the murdered woman had b een found that morning. I t seemed that no human p ower could keep the p eople f rom crowding i n and a bout the grounds. E v e r y car coming f r o m the c ities brought a l l the passengers that could be accommodated w i t h seats or even standing room, while a c ontinuous line of carriages extended along the roads leading to E o r t T homas. Everybody seemed to be anxious to see the very spot w here the most a trocious crime of the age had been committed. W h e n t he officers arrived on the scene w i t h t he c anine detectives, they found i t difficult themselves to reach the spot w here the tracks had been found. E v e n w hen it was f inally r eached, they found that t he tracks w h i c h were to play such a prominent part i n t he operation w i t h t he keen-scented hounds, had b een nearly obliterated by the tramping around of t he curious crowd. U n d e r these unfavorable conditions it was a very difficult matter for the dogs t o get t he true t rail. S ome ten minutes after they had been t aken to the spot, one of them started i n a northwestwardly direction from the exact place where the b ody h ad l ain, a nd the other two, w h i c h were supposed to have been the best d ogs, f ollowed i n quick

  
24

Headless,

yet

Identified.

succession. The officers and many others at o nce took u p the pursuit and found the t rail l ed to the r e s e i T o i r w hich supplied Covington w i t h w ater and t here stopped. A r epresentative of one of the newspapers of C i n cinnati, w h o had followed the officials while i n pursuit, c a m e a cross a n abandoned w ell, t he covering being a f ew old planks and a large stone rolled on the c enter of the planks the better to guard against a nything f a l l i n g i nto this w ell. H e , happening to stop at this point, saw what he supposed to be blood spots on the heavy stone. T h i s of itself raised great e xcitement for the time being, and it was decided to search the well for the missing head, w h i c h was d one, b ut nothing found. I t was ascertained, however, that one of U n c l e Sam's soldier boys, while s trolling a bout the place a few days prior, had an a ttack of nosebleed, w h i c h accounted for the blood u pon the stone where he had sat down. T he dogs t hat had led the officers down to the reservoir w ere brought back to the place of beginning f or a second t rial, b ut they seemed to be entirely n onplused. However, after they had scented the g round for a few minutes again the dog w h i c h had t aken t he lead b efore s tarted i n the direction of the p oint where the road leaves the boundary, of Locke's f arm t owards the Ohio R i v e r and there stopped.

  
C HAPTER

V.

R E S U L T O F T H E E X P E R I M E N T W ITH T H E H O U N D S     T H E R ESERVOIRS S E A R C H E D     A PLAUSIBLE T H E O R Y     ON T H E F O R T     A H A S T Y INSPECT H E A L L I MPORTANT Q U E S T I O N     A C L O U D O F S USPICION R E S T E D TION. T h e work of the hounds murderer, was just after satisfactory the

e nough to lead the sheriff and d etectives to the c onclusion that the committing c rime, t ook t he northwestward course across t he farm to the reservoir a bove m entioned, and waded out into t he water several f eet t o destroy the b eing tracked by hounds. ton, K e n t u c k y . S heriff P l u m m e r went at o nce t o the W a t e r W o r k s C ommissioner of that city, and related to h i m the c ircumstances, and stated that it was the opinion of h imself and of those w ho w ere h elping him
(25)

possibility

of

T h i s was, as has b een

s aid, t he reservoir that supplied the city of C o v i n g -

that

  
36

Headless,

yet

Identified.

t he head of the murdered woman had been thrown i nto one of the reservoirs. T h e Commissioner at once g ave o rders to have this particular reservoir d rained i mmediately, i t being the one that supplied t hat c ity w i t h d r i n k i n g w ater. Operations were b egun late that Saturday afternoon. I f the surmises as to the place of concealment of the head were c orrect, i t would not be possible under these conditions to have it b efore, o r at least u n t i l S unday evening, as it usually required from twenty-four to t hirty h ours to let out a l l of the water. W h e n o nce i n p ossession of this important factor of the case, i t would b e a comparatively easy matter to then establish the i dentity o f the murdered woman. T h i s known, the m urderer would have been r u n down by means suggested by the wonderful genius of the successful detectives. S unday morning i t seemed as though every citizen of the three cities and a l l the inhabitants of the country a round were speculating and commenting upon t his a wful mystery. E a c h h our brought more excitement to the now thoroughly excited populace. T here were almost as many theories and speculations a dvanced as there were p eople to advance them. Several t heories, however, seemed the most plausible and soon b ecame t he most common. Perhaps the most

  
  
  
Result of the Experiment

with Hounds.

29

p opular idea that was heard expressed was the supposition t hat one of U n c l e Sam's soldier b oys at the F ort h ad contrived to g^et himself involved i n a d elicate difficulty and had resorted to the murderer's k nife to extricate himself. These suppositions began to formulate a few hours after the finding of the b ody o n Saturday morning, and as each hour passed there was a subdued consciousness among the majority o f the most interested ones t hat i f "the murder would out" it would be shown to be one of U n c l e S am's enlisted men. A s this supposition grew s tronger and stronger the Commandant at F o r t T homas, realizing the condition i n w h i c h the men a nd officers of his command were placed, late that a fternoon issued orders that a thorough investigation be at o nce i nstituted at the F o r t . I n o bedience to the order, every b u i l d i n g , every man, i n fact, everything t hat might have led or helped to have led to the finding of the g u i l t y party, i f any there were at the F o r t , was thoroughly inspected w i t h n o better success t han that w i t h w h i c h a l l the previous efforts so far had been rewarded. T h i s left matters as before; nothing tangible appearing so that i t would be necessary to look at a different point to find the m u r derer.

  
C HAPTER V I .
S CENE A T T H E NEWPORT M O R G U E     M I S T A K E N I DENT I T Y     A B I T OF P ERSONAL H I S T O R Y     A N MADE BY T H E S H O E S     T H E I R EXAMP L E     T H E I N C I S I O N     T H E CLOTHING     IMPRESSIONS SIZE   MEASURE M E N T S     A D AINTY F OOT. A t t he morgue at Newport, thousands upon thousands of men, women and c hildren w ere congregating o ut of mere curiosity and begging the privilege of v iewing t he corpse of the headless body. N o t every one, however, received t his p rivilege, for i f they had, t he m orgue would necessarily have been turned into a v eritable museum and the efforts of the officers g reatly r etarded, i f not completely defeated. A s i s u sual, p arents who had daughters m issing w ere among the early callers that day at the morgue, t hinking, p erhaps, that t heir c h i l d m ight have met s uch a f ate. These were among the privileged classes to obtain admission to the morgue. Quite a number
(30)

  
Impressions

Made

by the Shoes.

31

of this class, as they gazed w i t h t earful eyes o n the sad sight b efore t hem, answered the i n q u i r y as to w hether or not i t was their c hild, i n the affirmative. A s soon as a parent expressed the opinion that the headless b ody was that of their own c hild, t hey were r equired t o give an accurate description of the missing d aughter and able police officers were i m m e d i - . a tely f urnished w i t h a d escription and sent out i n search of the missing c hild. I nvariably the officers r eturned w i t h t he intelligence that the supposedly lost person was alive and w ell. T hese circumstances show how easy i t is to be mistaken i n the identity of a b ody, t he features and head of w h i c h are entirely gone. I t is almost an impossibility to positively distinguish t he trunk of one person from that of another of the same size and proportion unless there are some u nnatural m arks upon the b ody or limbs. C oroner T i n g l e y g ave o ut the report that the b ody w ould be kept some t en days, i n the hopes t hat i n t he meantime the identity would be established so t hat t he relatives might claim i t to give it a d ecent b urial. H e also stated that on the following Monday a p ost-mortem examination would be held. Q uite a n umber of persons congregated out at the l arge reservoir w h i c h was being drained, staying up t hat w hole Saturday night, so anxious were they that

  
32

Headless,

yet

Identified.

t he missing head would be brought to sight and that t hey might be there to be among the first to witness t he ghastly o bject. T hroughout the whole Sunday the Sheriff, i n company w ith t he detectives and what help they found necessary, was busily engaged w i t h h ooks and nets i n d iligently searching the bottom of the reservoir, w hile t he crowds momentarily expected to see the g hastly, b loated head, w h i c h would answer the question h eard on every side, " W h o is she?" I was then located i n the city of Newport, K e n tucky. I h ad had a thorough education i n the shoe business, having been actively engaged as a traveling s alesman for an extensive b oot a nd shoe c ompany i n O hio for over a period of sixteen years. I n 1893 1 s tarted a r etail business of m y own i n Newport. A n ephew of J o h n Locke, upon w hose p remises t he murdered woman had been found, g ave m e the f irst i nformation I received early that Saturday m orning. T he requirements of m y business kept me b usily e ngaged a l l day Saturday, so that I had no o pportunity either of going to the spot w here the b ody was found or of v isiting t he morgue, which was w i t h i n a s quare of where my store was located. T he thing most talked about that day by the parties coming into m y store for purchases was,

  
  
  
Impressions

Made

by the Shoes.

35

of course, the murder. The Sunday morningpapers devoted most of t heir space to the m urder, a nd each one took i t upon himself to f urnish t he proper theory and solution. H a v i n g p erused the columns of several of the papers, I c oncluded to leave the house, w h i c h I did, and w ended m y way through the crowded thoroughfare of the city i n the direction of the morgue. B e i n g o n c omparatively i ntimate t erms w i t h t he officers t here, I was one of the privileged few who were permitted to view the body. I t so happened that when I went into the room where the body