-' A
s
13
CHARLOTTE NEWS FEBRUARY 10, 1906
MURDER
MYSTERY.
Continued from page 10.
e,l this money in the Bank of Kings- for me to conceal my identitv or-mV-firnt -W hi fmiW who had let
ter f rem Mrs. Bailey in which the let-
l j i i i
liry uouniy, coiiuuciea Dy a. ana mission. The, Ruth brothers placed
Thcmas H. Ruth. .The Baileys rented their services at my disposal ' From
a two-story building that had been them I ascertained that -Bailey had de
used as a shoe store, with living-rooms posited several thousand dollars in' in
above, bought furniture and soon were :the bank when he first came to De
to all appearances, comfortably settled. ; Smet and that he had withdrawn it
The ground covered by the Baileys ' soon afterward. From the same source
from the time they returned from the I learned of the arrival and departure
pacific coast untill they. settled in De of the Baileys -and of the gossip that
Smet was uu cuieiuuy guuever uy me lartenaeci the disappearance of the
lawyer. ,-
The facts gathered up to that time
the greater crime of murder rather j
- i i e i - T. ... j'.
i man piace neiseii. iiuuaiiii
power by committing, tne lesser crime
of bigamy. At any rate, her positive
statement to Reise that Bailey would
never bother them was in my opinion
an important link in a long chain of
circumstantial evidence.
Almost immediately after-her marri
age real or mock to Reise, Mrs. Ba
ilev said she had to make a trip to
Kansas to sell a farm she owned there
and wouli. then come back to Reise,
U must rememDereu tnat in tnese
wandering -they had. been nearly a
voar in advance of me, and I neces
sarilly depended to a great extent on
iho gossip they had left in their wake.
From this I sifted as carefully I could
tho statements that I deemed worthy
(d credence. At each place they had
siopoed there were plenty of tales of
jealous quarrels, always due, as nearly
as I cculd judge, to the fickleness of
the bride and her seeming wanton
pleasure in keeping her husband in
the throes of jealous rage. The conclu
sion I drew was this: That here was
a case of a woman who 'had married,
not from love, but because her suitor
had been a desirable "catch." I was
satisfied that she. had had no genuine
affection for Bailey; but to the daugh
ter of an obscure carpenter, an offer of
marriage from a rising, agreeable
young lawyer of ample means was not
to be treated lightly.
touching the career of ; Nellie Bailey
ter said her. husband had just spent
some time jith her in Elgin. This in
dicated two things": First, that Mrs.
Bailev had reallv eone to Elgin: and,
second - that, she helieverl it exnedient with S1S.000: and, connection with
to keep .alive in Be. Smet the belief this pretense.. I succeeded in estab
that :.hef husband was living. There- lishing a fact of the utmost import
fore I went to Elgin. .. , ance that she had been receiving let
- No difficulty was experienced in'ters from Clement L. Bothamley dur
finding that Mrs. Bailey had stopped ing her stay in Wisconsin. It was not
with one aunt for two days, leaving to my good fortune, to secure any of
were such as to strengthen my rapidly j go to ' another . aunt, with whom she these letters, but the fact that such a
lurmmg opinion tnat the woman was had spent six weeKS. it requirea some corresponaence um uccu warrriea uu
capable or deeds more desperate tha a j cautious inquirey, however, to develop was well estaDiisnea. ier statement
tho fact that Nellie Bailey naa to Reise that she was going to Kansas
brought with her to Elgin her hus- to sell a farm was clearly a subter
band's jewelry, among it the watch fuge to escape unsuspected from the
formerly carried by him and bearing man whom she professed to love so
his name. I reasoned that if Shannon deeply to go to another admirer.
Bailey had heen alive it was altogether She lef b Waukesha still protesting
improbable' that; Ms wife"would be in the liveliest affection for Reise and
poseLSion of the watch, especially as went to Newton. Kan., sending to her
she had a reliable timepiece of her Wisconsin lover from several points
own. Her possession of other trinkets en route messages of undying love,
formerly used by her husband gave Bothamley had evidently been advised
additional color to the theory that as to the exact time of her arrival, for
Bailey was dead. he met her at the train -and later took'
Then this fact was learned : The her-to his ranch under the name of
aunt with whom she was visiting had Bertha Bothamley, his sister."
a. daughter about Mrs. Bailey's age,. -
and one aay tne two nad gone nsmng. prom her iourneyings of thousands
flirting, although nothing in itself more
Ortrirtun Vinil Vvnn A. i 1 -r i
ociiuuo iidu uwu uneaxinea. it was not
difficult to imagine, however, the
length to which such a woman migt.t
go to free herself from the thraldom
of mariage to a jealous husband ftv
whom,; I was convinced; she bore no
real affection. Her husband's posses
sion of several thousand dollars in
cash coupled with her inordinate love
of feminine finery, rendered stronger
any other motive she might have had
for -wishing her husband out of tho
way.
The withdrawal of his funds from
the bank and his sudden disappearance
from De Smet presented themselves to
me as additional grounds for harboring
the theory that had been forciner itself
Thus I judged the woman on the on me that Shannon Bailey had been
facts as I had gathered them and with-murdered by his wife, v
out prejudice or desire to work any) From the depths of his infatuation
injustice. And here I wish to say that for his wayward wife I found it diffi
in my many years of work in hunting cult to believe that he would voluntar-dov.-n
and securing evidence against ily absent himself from her for two
When Mrs. Eailey left the house she of miies subsequent to her marriage
took a package from the bosom, of her with shannOT1 Bailey there seemed to
dress and gave it to 'her, aunt with be nothing m0re obtainable in the
strict instructions to take good care of form of evidence against Nellie Bai
it. Curiosity on the part of the aunt . j nr Nellie Reise. than I have re
prompted, her to examine the packet, lated Atlw additional evidence must
which contained several thousand dol- be obtained in Kansas near the scene
lars in bills of large denomination. Innf the Bothamley crime. The sending
M
n
criniinals cf all kinds a career begun months. While she claimed to hav S Elgin Mrs. Bailey said her husband h hA- frfTO1 skeleton ranch of the
in lS'.O I have never been dishonest been
communication
him I was in California, and I could find no
wnn
in tryin to manufacture evidence i cculd find no trace of any exchange-of trace of bis having been in Elgin, as
igainst any person suspected or ac
cused, and I have never formed pre
mature notions of the guilt or innocen
ce of a suspect, always reserving con
clusions on this point until the facts
gleaned forced such conclusions. I am
fully aware that many detectives of
my personal acquaintance first assume
the guilt of a suspect and then make
the evidence fit their preconceived idea
Even-handed justice is due the worst
ciiminal. If they are guilty intelligent,
honest and persevering work on the
part of the officers' of the law will de
velop that fact if the evidence is in
any way obtainable. If not well I
have always believed in the adage that
it is better for nine guilty men to es
cape than for one innocent man to be
punished. So in case of Nellie Bailey
I took the stories of her flirtatious
wanderings for just what they were
worth as shedding light on the char
acter of the woman and for nothing
more
letters between them, a fact that if the his wife claimed in her 'letter to her
facts could be obtained they would tell friend in De Smet.
story of peculiarly , deliberate and
atrocious crime.
At this juncture a bit of information-
"Sarah A. Laws" deed to the Botham--ley
ranch should prove a valuable biti
of information if the mystery of thei
identity of "Sarah Laws" could be
solved. .The key to this puzzle finally
was found ir. Wichita.
Two days before Bothamley and the
woman had startetl to Texas they ap
peared in the office of a lawyer in that
city and solicited his service in the
drawing of a deed to the 640 acres of
land in question. To this lawyer the
woman was introduced by . Bothamley
as his wife, Bertha L. Bothamley, and
they desired to convey the ranch prop
erty to one "Sarah A. Laws." The in
strument was drawn, the fee paid and
the pair departed, leaving no suspicion :
that either was any other than as
represented. In this transaction the
grantee did not put in an apperance,
but there was nothing in this circum
stance to arouse suspicion.
Knowledge of this visit to the law
yer enabled jne to see what the plan
might have been. Further investiga
tion revealed the fact that within an
hour from the time Bothamley and the
woman had left the office where the
deed was dravn in favor of "Sarah
Laws" they, had visited the office of
another lawyer and asked him to draw
a deed to the same land. "Sarah A.
Laws' being the name given as the
grantor and Bertha L. Bothamley as
the hame of the grantee.- In the office
cf the lawyer Bothamley introduced
i tho woman as Sarah A. Laws. This
was atterwards sent hy the woman
from Skeleton ranch to the clerk of
Harvey County for record, the charac
ter of "Sarah A. Laws' having been
purely fictitious.
This was the most convincing cir
cumstantial evidence developed, going
to show that the flsht to Texas had
benn planned weeks and possibly
months prior to the start and that
.Bothamley had fellen so' completely
under the spell of the woman that he
had been induced by her to convey
his ranch to her, the roundabout meth-
j od described being used for the pur
ia ?..y.'-.lJ'''.-,'.-Tf B
If more than ordinary skill in playing brings the honors of the
game to the winning player, so exceptional merit in a remedy
ensures the commendation of the well informed, and as a rea-
.: sonable '..amount of outdoor life and recreation is conducive to
the health and strength, ,so does a perfect laxative tend to one's
improvement in cases of constipation, biliousness; headaches,.:
etc.- It is all important, however, in selecting: a laxative, -to ;
. choose one of known quality and excellence, , like '; the ever
pleasant .Syrup of .Figs, manufactured by the California Fig
; Syrup Co., a laxative which sweetens and cleanses the system -effectually,
when a laxative is needed, without any unpleasant '
after effects, as it acts naturally and gently on the ; internal ;
organs, simply assisting nature when nature needs assistance,
without griping, irritating or debilitating; the internal organs in
any way, as it contains nothing of an objectionable or injurious
nature. As the : plants which are , combined with the figs in
, the manufacture of Syrup of Figs are known to physicians to
act most beneficially , upon the system, the remedy has met ,
with their general approval as a family laxative, a fact well
worth considering m makmg.purchases. - . '
' It is because of the fact that SYRUP OF FIGS
is a remedy of known quality, and excellence,-and approved by
physicians that has led to its use by so many millions of well
informed peoplewho would not use any remedy of uncertain
quality or inferior reputation. Every family should have a
bottle of the genuine on hand at. all times, to use when a
laxative remedy is required. - Please to remember that trio
. genuine Syrup of Figs is for sale in bottles of nesize
only, by all reputable druggists, and that full' name of the
company California Fig Syrup Go., is plainly printed on
the front of every package. Regular price, 50c per bottle.
Scry?, .t -..-.y.'y;j-f-- -
j ..V.- .t1 C
1 . ' J
! " j
I'. (9 I ..". 3
Louisville, Ky.
SFQRNlA Flft 5YRUP (g
S&n Ft
r&rvcisco
: In the course of. Mrs. Bailey's visit pose Gf forestalling the commment a
to nJigm mere were many irnuui direct conveyance undoubtedly would
event??, all - nnintinfir in the same di-:i . . j '
startling to me in view of the theory. rection but with which shall not en- '
T V. 1 -1 won int T-rvrl npp1 inin f l 1T1- ' , , i: t-i " 1.1 '
i ucm - rumDev ims narrauve. Hiver resuess, With the fntcj n hfre rplfitpd in mv
.mnti'irntfnn Kxr Mr T?1lth A fAW naVS it. x J
icou6auuu " - - me woman went iroui uiigiu. tu wau- rioses'-ion T i
before my arrival in De Smet it seems keshs, Wis. Tere she at once be- t ,
i.t. i J i r,fr0n,,Qnt. ' '. . . .,7 , . xiauuwen aiiu
tuuB uau uCu luuuu m - came acquainted wun itooen: ixeise, the evidence in our possession. k Of
ed place on the prairie, three and onef the 28-year-oId son of the proprietor itH f,,-rlimet!,11tifli ,haMlr thPre was
half nles rom jjo met tne Done, of the leading hotei of the place. The of . course, no doubt. The outline of j
of a man. All the parts had been heap- youn man apparently fell prey to the thp fart ' T hvp rPiatpd w a s the
ed together without even pretense at womars wiies without even a pret- SLJfhpL hv J Jh S
burial. The skeleton had been dis- tense, and in a "few days was secure- nal effects belonging to Bothamley at
membered and f the nesb, scd fjom ly chained to the wheel of her chariot. the time of nis deat aDd of the con.
the bones. But there was nothing m The sud(ien and ardent attachment be- tents of the car in whi.h he diei ln
the heap of bones which might estab- tween the two became a matter of a box in tne car Asides' a large quan-
lish tho identity oi the victim. By general knowledge and comment, and tlty of -jewelry which had belonged to
measurement it was found that they the parents of the young man evinced tne woman with whom Bothamley had
uaa ureu liiu uu"" iii .vu oitterest opposuion xo ii, DUt wiinouc
the height of Shannon Bailey. There nvan
all clews were lost. v, I ' Yoi,ff Refee announced that he was " " ce, reasoning that Bothamley l-.ad
rm-nrr trt croo-o Q 11 ! o it m wmohi r n A i i i j - j?x fcx w
The trial of this remarkable woman
was one ot tne most : mem.ora.oie in
the history of Kansas. She had ample
means and had able counsel. Colonel
Hallowell, in his capacity as United
States . attorney, represented the
prosecution, as the crime had been
committed in the Indian Territory,
where there were no local courts. The
government's array of circumstantial
evidence was marshaled before the
jury , with much skill and force by
Colonel Hallowell and a display of cor
related facts produce that would have
caused' an ordinary defendant to weak
en. But the little blue-eyed woman re
mained as calm as the incriminating
circumstances were piled up against
her, as she had been from the first.!
Counsel for the defense made the best
of the somewhat meager case they
had, but when the evidence was all
in there was a wide margin in favor of
the prosecution. After the r summing
up by the lawyers, Colonel Hallowell
said to me:
"We are ur against it. Every man
on that jury knows she is guilty and
not a cno of them will vote for con
viction." His knowledge of western juries in
cases where women were the defend
ants was accurate. After due delibera
tion the jury filed into tho room and
submitted to the court its verdict
"Not guilty." Judge Foster.who heard
the case, said after the trial that there
mo c ti -v ri rrV A Mi"Kf i ft "hin TVl ill r?
posession I conferred . with uoloneii . .. mnma WQC
we took an inventory of free Robert Reisehad come to Kan-
sas to attend the trial, and immediate
ly after the verdict disappeared with
woman I believe to be his wife
and who was his lawful wife if the
bones and fiesh found in Dakota had
been those of Shannon Bailey. -
iaillUMULIWlg
We Beat S
Come to us and we will sell you reliable goods for
less money than you can buy them
for at the sales.
FQR INSTANCE
Men's Suits at any sale $5.00, our price......$2.'?5
Men's Pants, cost at sale $4.00, our price..... $2. 50
Men's Standard Shoes, sale price $4.50, we .
sell .$2.75
Hats, latest styles, bring at sale $2.50, our
price $1.25
Ladies' Coats worth $5.00 to $15.00 at sale,
our price................. ,......$1.75 and $5.75
Work Pants, worth at sale $1.25, our price... $ .45
Suits that you purchase at a sale for $10.00
yoi can get here f or . . . . ..$ 5.00
Suits that you buy at sale for $15.00 you
croi get here for..............'........... ..$10.00
Hundreds of other articles at less than sale prices.
Talk is Cheap, but Seeing is Believing.
Corjae and See.
LOUIS ROSEN BAI7M
27 WEST TRADE ST. '
N
I found afterward that while the
iurors almost unanimouslv expressed
them selves as believing the prisoner
trniltv thov hart nnnlied to the case
come to America was found a bot- thei own gense of h frontier
tie of morphine. I tried to establish a too,-t1 ,Q 5,m1r
mm
X
man whoso early advantages
On April 24 the baileys moved into
their De Smet home. For three days
Bailey was seen about town in good
health and SDirits. eneaeed in the
petty affairs connected with the fur
nishing of his home. So far as I could
learn on my arrival at De Smet
several months later, he had not been
seen by any of the neighbors, after the
27th of the same month.- He had bade
no one good-by and none of the towns
people had seen him leave. Mrs. Bauey
went blithely about her daily ' house
hold duties,' and when questioned con
cerning the absence of her husband
explained he had business ". interests
in California and had been summoned
thither by telegraph. Of course there
was some gossip over the hasty and
unseen departure of the lawyer, but it
turned more on his having deserted
Ins wife on account of her frivolity
and freedom of action with other men
than on anything more serious. -
For two months yMrs. Bailey lived in
De Smet, and then she announced that
her husband did not intend to return
there, and that she(intended to leave.
The newly bought furniture was old
at a sacrifice and other preliminaries
to her departure quickly ' arranged.
Elgin, 111., was given as ber destina
tion, and later this was found to be the
place to which she went. Thus the
Baileys faded out of Dakota.
pm-ncr tn stn.s-e a. nla.v in whirh the -a-..,, v.. n,i
o o o- r j Ul UK. . UUL. WttS UllSUUCOilU. 1U1, IJ.IC1 , T 1 j i . x
It seemed to me that the most " L" locating the druggist wno nad sold it, f1ffprpnt life and that if h hic
Aiier leaving uasoia mrs. cmiey j found him unable to recollect the'TT,, ZC-'-r--' -,
nr-nmioiTio- fhnnnel for investigation role
from this point v?.s a search of the had traveled under her right name, de- person who had bought it
premises formerly occupied by
Appearances Are Deceiving
The facil-
! death at the hands of one woman i
after he had led another to desert
the cianng in DOtn n,igin and wauKesna ties for the exhumation and examl-i r .. . T; V1. .rT. II . . " . . l
t,il'm",v"J ....j r - . v,A1. v,11t,hpni -wi" niive Hpr in- T- ,7 . , ' nome ior mm, oesiaes aeserung nisj
Baileys. Ruth accompanied me m this gf at S? une ReisJ heve? naJlon bdies n the frntl.er 7?hre'own wife and children, he was meet
search and, that no unjust suspicions f atution f or oung Reise however at such as to make an analysis of the in with no punishment than he
be given circulation concerning the seemed to be as sincere an aitair as Bothamley stomach feasible, and the deserved As a man I have no auarrer
forrner mistress ot the house, we went it was m her nature to harbor enough part played by the drug in the death n this reasoning Asa oifiir
about the task quietly.. The house had, fo at .least, to prompt her to tke the of the Englishman,, if any, . was left, So law att tfme Ifett much dis-:
f ),Mn riiomnntipri nf the fur- initiative and enti3e her - lover into in-doubt - . " f . Z. niacn ais -of
course, been dismantled or tne iur . T?m-c.p who was miioh the T , , i, , - appointed at seeing the hard work of,
njc.v.ino-o CO!i 'hir the inwvpr and his marriage, iteise wno was mucn tne When we had finished takinc stock v, v
On the firV and second floors weaker character of the two .feebly of our evidence Colonel Hallowell, ; tTathardwork SSfXt S
nothing whatever was found that protested against being ; made the m- kn0Wn throughout Kanfes as "Prince , my mind was a sounde Pea wnat
might, by any stretch of imagination rtit wthe an x decided that we could go; &TS T have ie to learn,
lend color to my suspicions.. j S&my as He supposed, Was to he mto court Wlth a circumstantial case ; Shanilon Bailey has never been heard
Armed with spades we then de- toe h " f t strength. Personally I was;of Blnce the W he disappeared I
scended to the cellar., Carefully test- raren of being able to present ; have recently written to his brother,
ing the condition of the dirt floor, we l .- evidence as would convince anyj who formeriy iived in Ohio, but receiv-
again met with failure. But, ono spot Jif nohit -he f was verv1 rpdlCed iUrr f the gUllt f Nel"i ed no answer- 1 wil1 stake m?
remained unexplored, the. small area 1?' lie B&lley or Reise- ".- tion that we found all that was mor-
under the wooden stairway that form--, pcTte;n. ,5,,, ha . ,n I lThe physical circumstances sur- tai of him Qn the Dakota plain and in
ed a cellar entrance. As. a last resort, it is not iikeiy tnat Heisenad . any rounding the death of Bothamley, had . the cellar of his former home in De
I thrust a spade into the floor under conception of the full significance of the accused been a man, would have . Smet. xormer nome m De
the stairs. It sank deep into dirt. gone tar of themselves towards con-j
os-i wo'romnv -thfl tnr. soil and the marriage being kept secret until victine. These circumstances eonsid-'
But the chances are alf in favor of the man
whose clothing ' bespeaks the gentleman.
We keep your clothing presentable for
$1.00 A MONTH
.m
Carolina
223 N. Tryon St.
Pressing
Clvib
Phone 306
as we did so the awful, sickening odor ulegaL sep?r,a.tip fr?m Bley could ered in connection with the history of
became almost "2 uluusr : "Oloc """"J . weme Bailey from the time of her
- . (agreed and the marriage took place marriage, the disappearance of ' her
' "iiuuu ucm. . m vva.uK.couo., nusband, the finding of the human
, as at Elgin, Mrs. Bailey exhibited the bones and flesh, her possession of
watch formerly worn by her husband, his jewelry and money, , her mariage
, Reise, among others, having seen it. to Reise and her confidence that Bai
j j ley would never bother them, the evi-
The marriage at Waukesha had Gent attempt on her part to secure
cf decomposed flesh
overpowering.
At a depth of a little more than two
feet the spade struck a mass of flesh.
Although almost overcome we - com
pleted the excavation, to find a mass
cf flesh buried in quicklime. Not a
bone was there to be found in this sor-
Next Saturday Captain Tyrrell will
reveal the tr.-e story of "The Mis
souri Land Leaguers." Watch for
this interesting narrative of the Se
cret Service.
ry grave! There was not the slightest placed the woman in this position: If tlte to Bothamley's ranch all these
doubt of the flesh being that ot a nu
Judge a man's charitableness by the
way he sets when his wife asks 3iim
for money.
A TOUCHING STORY.
30 Day Sale oi Harness and HoM Goods
During February we; will 'm ake a Merciless Cut in Prices of .
ROBES,LAP ROBES AND HORSE BLANKETS '
"We will also make special prices on Hand-made Harness, Sad
dles, Bridles and Whips Our guarantee is back of everything
we sell. -
L W. Qsborne & Cor
32 East Trade Street. Repairing a Specialty
Bailey were alive she was a bigamist. tmnSs and many minor circumstances ,1 Qf George a vXr rilr. i1 "X .
un my arrival at De Smet I went to man Demg, ana tne quanuiy lnaicaieu ana 11 ne were aeaa sne was unaouot- "" .ume iu wuauw a xov ul -jklu. xie wmes:. -At tne age of ll
tho 1i!tiL- r.f t-; t i, .1 trt nloirlw thijt it hnil heen strinneH frnm erM-u- his miirderesc! TTer vienrrme q a. much merit from the legal viewpoint, months, our little girl was in declinins
'ii uj. ivmgouui y. i iietu ociil iu. -u.i v j -- o . , TT. . health With qorinno m..w," i
an assumed name, and while waiting the . bones of full-grown man. The ac- surance to Reise that there was no . In this view Colonel Hallowell agreed
to be admitted a a voice called out: tion of the lime and . decomposition danger of Bailey, ever bothering them ; . me- The genial United States j were almost in despair jwhen .we re-1
Hello. Tvrrell is that von'" had done their work well enough to nad tor me, or course, a grewsome u";i duumey ua i mueieu, now-, lve" -ry lt, is.mgs
T found the sneaker tn he Mr Ruth, -obliterate ooDortunity for identifica- meaning. Strange a; it may seem to eYer on the material point the
who had served on a jury before which; tion. " - I these uninitiated in the ways of such chance of securing a conviction.
uau naa n. counterreitinsr rase ' in
TRY A TIMES-DEMOCRAT
St Paul. There was no further chance
S New T)isrrvMrr
for Consumption. Coughs and Colds f
The first bottle gave relief; after tak-1 1
ine fnur -Vkkt i Iac c? v. r . , . . .a - . I
- - v..vr ouc nao 1:111 ru firiii t
as 'Nellie Bailey,! finally belived her . member, Tyrrell.' he said, "that ' now n perfect health." Never . fnl 1
In the mean time a woman in De-to be a woman vho would fcommit a woman on tnai ana a pretty, c, e cous or oold. At
- - woman." bheppard's- drug sfore; 50c
. , and SLOO sruaranteedL TriaL bcttle free.
w
3
it A d