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WILLIAM L.
CLEMENTS
LIBRARY
University of Michigan
WALDRON

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“||||||ESS, VET ||ENTIFIE);”
A STORY
OF THE SOLUTION OF THE
FEFAFL EFY FAN,
OR
FORT THOMAS MYSTERY,
THROUGH THE SHOES.
By L. D. POOCK, The Shoe Man.
*

Entered According to Act of Congress in the Year 1896, by
L. D. POOCK,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

INTRODUCTION,
There is a certain antipathy, entertained by
most American readers, for stories teeming with
the thrill of crime, or ringing with the praises of
shrewd detectives or wily criminals. No one real-
izes the wisdom of shunning these so-called detec-
tive stories more than the Author and he has con-
fined himself strictly to facts as they came either
under his own personal observation or as they
were brought to notice in the Court in which Scott
Jackson and Alonzo Walling received their just
deserts.
It has been demonstrated to us, from time im-
memorial, that we ever profit by the mistakes of
ourselves and of others, and it is the hope of the
Author that the reader of this story, however in-
significant its literary merit may be, may take the
lessons therefrom to himself and ever strive to
walk in the path of the upright. If we were to
sum up all the mistakes in the lives of those who
figured in that great crime and extract the great-
est of all lessons it has taught us in one bit of
advice, it would be the one given by many a fond
mother to her child, “shun evil companions.”


CHAPTER I.
ForT THOMAs, ITs HISTORY AND LOCATION –SECRE-
TARy LAMont's OBSERVATION.—THE SURROUND-
INGS OF THE FORT-THE COMMUNITY.
On a gentle elevation, several hundred feet above
the bed of the Ohio River, at a distance of, perhaps,
eight miles above the City of Cincinnati, Ohio, and
on the Kentucky side of the river, is situated a United
States Military Post, known as Fort Thomas. In
the Anti-Bellum days, when “wars and rumors of
wars” were liable at any time to disturb the usual
peace of the citizens of Cincinnati and vicinity, the
military authorities of the United States saw the ne-
cessity of military protection to that rich district and
the valuable river traffic. A Military Post was con-
sequently established directly opposite Cincinnati,
namely, at Newport, Kentucky, but was removed to
the above mentioned point, which was a much strong-
er, more beautiful and more commanding position.
(5)

6 Beadless, yet Identified.
Of all the United States Military Posts scattered
over our land, there is none that is better or more
beautifully situated than Fort Thomas; in fact, it
is difficult to conceive of a more fitting location for
a fort for the protection of the extensive interests sur-
rounding the sister cities of Cincinnati, Covington
and Newport.
When Secretary of War Lamont, was making an
inspection tour of all the Military Posts of the United
States, in his official capacity, he and his party were
more than enraptured by the wonderful situation of
the Post and the beautiful scenery surrounding it.
Overlooking the highlands that lie between the fort
and the river and stretching far away to the blue ho-
rizon, one's gaze is met by one of the most beautiful
and sublime landscapes to be observed in any part
of picturesque Kentucky, and as Secretary Lamont
and his party were gazing upon these beautiful sur-
roundings they voiced the sentiment of thousands
of visitors in the terse observation: “Surely, this sight
is worth coming miles to see.
Within a radius of ten miles from this point, more
than a half million people toil from the first light
of the early morning till the shades of evening cast
their gloom over the surrounding landscape and the
lowing of the distant herd or the shrieking of the

Fort Thomas, its History and Location. 7
factory whistles tell them that the hour of rest has
come. Almost every trade or every commercial en-
terprise known in business circles to be profitable or
legitimate, are pursued with that diligence and ap-
plication which has made that section of Central
United States famous.
As one stands on the high bluff overhanging the
Ohio River at this point, letting the eyes wander in
an eastwardly direction, one's gaze is fixed upon the
great river traffic, and as we turn and look northward
we see the valley of the Little Miami with its fertile
fields; then turning west, the spires of the three cities
loom up before our gaze. Weary with the dull, mo-
notonous cares of business life in the city, a half holi-
day or Sunday is spent in recreation at Fort Thomas.
The parades, drills, inspiring music of the bands, the
rest and quiet of the sequestered shades of the gar-
dens, or with the field glass focused on Coney Island
in the near vicinity, where thousands of pleasure
seekers are enjoying themselves at that popular re-
sort, the sight of the winding river with its shriek-
ing, smoking crafts, plying here, there and every-
where, all go to make the day one of pleasure and
profit and one never to be forgotten.
Elegant macadamized roads lead from Cincinnati,
Covington and Newport to the Fort and form the

8 Æeadless, yet Identified.
drives for many a pleasant ride to the country. The
stranger to this vicinity generally pays this cele-
brated Fort and its beautiful surroundings a visit
ere his return to his home. Trolley cars are con-
stantly buzzing through the hollows and across the
ravines to the Fort. During the long hours of the
hot summer days, these cars carry thousands of visi-
tors to Fort Thomas.
By virtue of the heavy traffic, luxurious cars have
been fitted up that give one an ever enjoyable ride
through the landscapes of Kentucky to the Fort. In
close proximity to the Fort, the same number and class
of amusement halls and refreshment stands which
characterize a pleasure resort are, of course, found
with their usual gayety and festivities.
The roads and trolley lines, from the cities to the
Fort, are lined by the elegant cottages of the more
wealthy people, and nearly all of the remaining por-
tion of the country is divided into small tracts which
are occupied by a thrifty class of business men, who
spend all of the time that they can spare from their
business in the city in enjoying the quiet life and
the pure air of the country, entertaining friends, or
living the easy, quiet life for which the inhabitants
of Kentucky are noted. -

Chapter II.
MR. JoHN Lock—DESCRIPTION OF HIS HoME—Loca-
TION of THE LOCKE FARM-THE ROADs—A LANE
Is CoNSTRUCTED AND PRIVIT BUSHES PLANTED–
A QUIET CoMMUNITY. -
Mr. John Locke is a typical Kentucky gentleman
who owns and manages a large fruit farm in the im-
mediate vicinity of Fort Thomas. In fact, the prem-
ises of Mr. Locke are just across a very pretty macad-
amized road and nearly opposite the Fort. The farm
shows by its thrifty condition the good management
and constant labor that has been bestowed upon it
during the many years that Mr. Locke has had pos-
session of it.
Of all the comfortable and beautiful homes with-
in a distance of five miles or more from
the Fort, the home of John Locke is one
of the most desirable. His home is similar
in construction and appointment to those beauti-
(9)

IO Headless, yet Identified.
ful southern houses of which we read. The
premises are adorned with drives and paths beauti-
fully laid out, shrubbery, flower beds, fountains and
all that makes the home beautiful.
On the south side of the farm, and perhaps a dis-
tance of half a mile from the main entrance of Fort
Thomas, years ago Mr. Locke had made for him a
narrow lane connecting the road leading along the
government property at the east end with the road
leading directly to the three cities, Cincinnati, Cov-
ington and Newport, at the west end. In the con-
struction of the lane it was necessary to leave an em-
bankment along the north side several feet in height
and extending the entire length of the lane. A short
time after the lane was completed, Mr. Locke planted
along the embankment a number of privet bushes
which added very much to the beauty of the lane
and the place in general. The object in building this
lane was to avoid the necessity of driving through
several hundred yards of very muddy road to reach
the driveway to his premises from the Fort Thomas
road. -
A few years previous to the time at which the fol-
lowing story occurred, all the roads of that part of
Campbell County, Kentucky, had been so improved
that the land in question was no longer needed. The

Alocation of the Locke Farm. II
privet bushes, which had at one time made the lane
a beautiful drive, had been left to grow up wild and
had spread in such a manner as to give the place
the appearance of an entangled wilderness.
In all this busy, thronging community nothing
had ever occurred to mar the usual quiet of the
Locke neighborhood until early Saturday morning,
February 1st, 1896.

CHAPTER III.
TREE PRUNING—John NIE HEWETT–A STARTLING
Discovery AND A THoRough Ly FRIGHTENED Boy
–MR. Locke APPRISED–THE SHERIFF NoTIFIED
—AN ExcITED COMMUNITy–DETECTIVES ON THE
SPOT-THE BODY AND CLOTHING OF THE VICTIM
MINUTELY DESCRIBED–THE SURROUNDINGs.
About this season of the year, Mr. Locke usually
set some of his men to work trimming the fruit trees
upon the farm. Johnnie Hewitt, a boy about four-
teen years of age, who was in the employ of Mr.
Locke, but who lived with his parents, perhaps a mile
farther back in the country, left his home early that
Saturday morning to go to his employer's to finish
trimming some trees. His path led across the lane
described above. Threading his way through the
briars and brambles, he stumbled over an object; in-
stinctively turning to see what had so nearly caused
his fall, he was nearly frightened out of his senses
(12) - -
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Johnnie Hewitt's Startling Discovery. 15
when he saw prostrate before him the headless form
of a human being. Horror stricken, he ran with all
possible speed to his employer and breathlessly re-
lated what he had seen and what had caused his
fright.
Mr. Locke hastened with the boy to the spot where
the horrible discovery had been made, and there, in
its awful ghastliness, lay the form of a woman, head-
less, and lying in the pools of her own life’s blood.
Mr. Locke, being a man of wide experience and of
remarkable presence of mind, gave orders at once for
one of his men to hasten to the headquarters at Fort
Thomas and have them notify the authorities at New-
port by telephone and also notify the police authori-
ties of the three cities. The Sheriff of Campbell
County, Kentucky, Jule Plummer, whose headquar-
ters are at Newport, upon the receipt of the message
from the Fort, immediately appeared upon the scene
of the discovery in company with the Coroner, Dr.
Tingley.
Not many minutes after the horrible discovery the
whole vicinity about the Fort and the soldiers at the
Fort all had heard of it and it became an almost im-
possibility for Mr. Locke and his men to keep the
thousands from gathering about the immediate spot.
Appealing to some of the soldiers who had come,

I6 Headless, yet Identified.
they soon formed a circle and kept the inquisitive
ones from the place so that when the officers arrived
they would be able to find the body and, in fact,
everything within twenty or twenty-five feet of the
body just as it was when the boy discovered it. With-
in a few minutes after the arrival of the Sheriff and
Coroner from Newport, two detectives, who had been
sent out from Cincinnati by the police department,
arrived. They were Detectives Crim and McDer-
mott. These officers were among the best and bright-
est of the able force of Cincinnati.
A misty rain had fallen during the previous night
which rendered the red Kentucky clay a deep mor-
tar-like mud. The officers at once began a thorough
inspection of the body and its surroundings. The
body, which was that of a woman, lay across the em-
bankment on its stomach, with its shoulders and feet
slanting with the general trend of the embankment.
Two very large pools of blood were found; the largest
of which was where the feet of the woman were
found. The other pool was where the neck lay.
The ground surrounding the body showed, beyond a
doubt that a great struggle had ensued. Upon the un-
der and the top sides of the leaves of the privet bushes,
to the height of over seven feet, drops of blood were
found which sparkled in the morning sun like drops
Johnnie Hewitt'e Startling Discovery. I7
of dew. Numerous tracks in the soft soil were no-
ticed bearing the resemblance to a woman's shoe, and
larger tracks were seen which might have been left
by a man or men of ordinary size stepping around
on the soil.
Digging into the earth at the larger pool of blood,
it was noticed that to a depth of eight inches the
blood had soaked. Also near where this large pool
of blood was found, the detectives noticed a small
depression in the soft earth which led them to think
had been made by the head of the victim when held
down during the process of decapitation. After de-
capitation the body had been placed in the position
in which it was found and the large pool of blood
had evidently been formed before the body had been
turned.
Her clothes were somewhat disarranged and were
thoroughly soaked with her life's blood and her
undervest was a complete clot of blood. The wrap-
per, in which she was dressed, was soaked in the
front and back, while the corset, which had been
taken off by the murderer or murderers, and laid be-
side the body, bore imprints of bloody fingers. The
underclothing consisted of a union suit, drawers and
shirt combined, and a blue flannel skirt. These and
a wrapper, black stockings and a pair of black, cloth-
2

18 Aeadless, yet Identifted.
topped button shoes constituted all of the clothing
that was found on the body.
The Coroner, with the help of one of the detectives,
gently turned the body over and then was discov-
ered that which proved beyond a doubt that there
had been a struggle. Across the three little fingers
of the left hand was seen a deep cut, which had evi-
dently been made in the attempt of the victim to de-
fend herself against the knife of the felonious mur-
derer. A closer inspection of the immediate grounds
resulted in the discovery of a lady's kid glove for
the left hand, showing a cut through the three fingers
tallying exactly with the cuts mentioned. The mur-
derer evidently had taken off the gloves and dropped
this one; some black beads and a pair of garters were
also found. About six inches from where the largest
pool of blood was found, a cut in the ground showed
that the knife or scalpel, which had been used to cut
the throat and decapitate the body, had been pushed
into the ground, thereby removing the blood from the
cruel blade. The officers made a close inspection of
this cut, and digging the soil away from it carefully,
found clots of blood with locks of hair sticking to
them. There could be no question but that here a
horrible murder had been committed and great cun-
ning displayed by the murderer or murderers in seem-



Johnnie Hewitt's Startling Discovery. 19
ingly removing everything, even the head, and tak-
ing off the corset the better to satisfy themselves that
no tell-tale marks were upon it, as well as the gloves
and garters, which might contain a mark or maker's
name upon them that might reveal the identity or
lead to their arrest.
The detectives made careful note of all these con-
ditions and facts and took some of the leaves which
hung highest on the privet bushes. After this was
done, the Coroner had the body removed to the New-
port, Kentucky, morgue.

CHAPTER IV.
THE FIRST GENERAL NEws—ITs EFFECT-CURIosity
SEEKERs—THE RESERVOIRS–DETECTIVES CRIMM
AND McDERMOTT ENGAGED–CANINE DETECTIVES
—INCREASED ExCITEMENT—AN OLD WELL–Mis-
LEADING TRAILs.
In the afternoon of Saturday, February 1st, the
civilized world read in the afternoon papers the first
account of the afterward celebrated Pearl Bryan or
Fort Thomas murder mystery. It became necessary
for Mr. Locke to have special men stationed about
his place to keep off the great numbers of visitors and
relic hunters. As it was, with all this precaution,
they literally carried away the privet bushes and tore
up the place shamefully.
Within a half mile from where the body was found
flows the Ohio River. Within a quarter of a mile of
the northwest corner of Mr. Locke's farm are two
large reservoirs that furnish the water supply for the
(20)

Detectºzes Crºmm and McDermott. 2I
city of Covington; and about a mile directly north
of the Locke farm two other large reservoirs are
situated that supply the city of Newport with water.
The Sheriff of Campbell County realized the ne-
cessity of having the aid of able detectives in work-
ing out the solution of this awful mystery. The gen-
eral supposition was that the victim of the crime and
the murderers were more than likely citizens of one
of the three cities, Cincinnati, Covington or New-
port. Detectives Crim and McDermott, having been
sent over into the boundaries of Kentucky, Sheriff
Plummer at once applied to them for assistance.
Covington, Newport and Cincinnati, being situated
with nothing but the river between them, the police
departments of the three cities are in constant touch
and render each other help whenever help is needed,
and so the detectives readily agreed to do all in their
p0Wer.
After the body of the murdered woman had been
taken to the city and placed in the morgue, the
sheriff and detectives held a consultation to determine,
if possible, the best course to pursue in order to as-
certain, first, who the murdered woman was and, sec-
ond, who had been the means of bringing her to such
a sad end. -
Inasmuch as the body had been found in the

22 Headless, yet Identified.
County of Campbell, and every appearance discov-
ered so far showed that the crime had been com-
mitted at the place where the body was found, and
being in the territory in which Sheriff Plummer was
the highest peace authority, he assumed general su-
pervision over all of the movements of the officers.
From all indications, and the judgment of the medi-
cal men, it was settled that the body when found
had not lain there or been dead longer than from six
to twelve hours. The officials soon agreed, in a hur-
ried consultation, to send at once to Seymour, Indiana,
for a pack of blood hounds, believing that if they
could be gotten very soon the murderer or murder-
ers might be tracked. The telegraph was here
brought into efficient use and early in the after-
noon the hounds arrived.
It became noised about in the cities that the offi-
cials had sent for blood hounds and that they would
arrive in the afternoon. On account of all business
enterprises, factories, etc., closing earlier on Satur-
days, thousands upon thousands in conveyances of
one sort or another were directing themselves toward
Fort Thomas that afternoon, anxious to see the spot
where this headless body had been found and to view
the working of the hounds.
No time was lost by the officials on the arrival of

Detectizes Crºmm and McDermott. 23
the dogs, but they were taken at once to the Locke
farm near Fort Thomas, and were set to work at the
spot where the body of the murdered woman had
been found that morning. It seemed that no human
power could keep the people from crowding in and
about the grounds. Every car coming from the
cities brought all the passengers that could be ac-
commodated with seats or even standing room, while
a continuous line of carriages extended along the
roads leading to Fort Thomas. Everybody seemed
to be anxious to see the very spot where the most
atrocious crime of the age had been committed.
When the officers arrived on the scene with the
canine detectives, they found it difficult themselves
to reach the spot where the tracks had been found.
Even when it was finally reached, they found that
the tracks which were to play such a prominent part
in the operation with the keen-scented hounds, had
been nearly obliterated by the tramping around of
the curious crowd. Under these unfavorable condi-
tions it was a very difficult matter for the dogs to get
the true trail. Some ten minutes after they had been
taken to the spot, one of them started in a north-
westwardly direction from the exact place where the
body had lain, and the other two, which were sup-
posed to have been the best dogs, followed in quick
24 Headless, yet Identifted.
succession. The officers and many others at once
took up the pursuit and found the trail led to the
reservoir which supplied Covington with water and
there stopped. -
A representative of one of the newspapers of Cin-
cinnati, who had followed the officials while in pur-
suit, came across an abandoned well, the covering be-
ing a few old planks and a large stone rolled on the
center of the planks the better to guard against
anything falling into this well. He, happening to
stop at this point, saw what he supposed to be blood
spots on the heavy stone. This of itself raised great
excitement for the time being, and it was decided
to search the well for the missing head, which was
done, but nothing found. It was ascertained, how-
ever, that one of Uncle Sam's soldier boys, while
strolling about the place a few days prior, had an
attack of nosebleed, which accounted for the blood
upon the stone where he had sat down.
The dogs that had led the officers down to the res-
ervoir were brought back to the place of beginning
for a second trial, but they seemed to be entirely
nonplused. However, after they had scented the
ground for a few minutes again the dog which had
taken the lead before started in the direction of the
point where the road leaves the boundary of Locke's
farm towards the Ohio River and there stopped.


CHAPTER V.
RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT WITH THE HOUNDS—THE
RESERVOIRS SEARCHED-APLAUSIBLE THEORY-
THE ALL IMPORTANT QUESTION.—A CLoup of SUS-
PICION RESTED ON THE FORT-A HASTY INSPEC-
TION.
The work of the hounds was just satisfactory
enough to lead the sheriff and detectives to the con-
clusion that the murderer, after committing the
crime, took the northwestward course across the farm
to the reservoir above mentioned, and waded out into
the water several feet to destroy the possibility of
being tracked by hounds. This was, as has been
said, the reservoir that supplied the city of Coving-
ton, Kentucky. -
Sheriff Plummer went at once to the Water Works
Commissioner of that city, and related to him the
circumstances, and stated that it was the opinion of
himself and of those who were helping him that
(25)

26 Headless, yet Identifted.
the head of the murdered woman had been thrown
into one of the reservoirs. The Commissioner at
Once gave orders to have this particular reservoir
drained immediately, it being the one that supplied
that city with drinking water. Operations were
begun late that Saturday afternoon. If the sur-
mises as to the place of concealment of the head were
correct, it would not be possible under these condi-
tions to have it before, or at least until Sunday even-
ing, as it usually required from twenty-four to thirty
hours to let out all of the water. When once in pos-
session of this important factor of the case, it would
be a comparatively easy matter to then establish the
identity of the murdered woman. This known, the
murderer would have been run down by means sug-
gested by the wonderful genius of the successful de-
tectives.
Sunday morning it seemed as though every citizen
of the three cities and all the inhabitants of the coun-
try around were speculating and commenting upon
this awful mystery. Each hour brought more ex-
citement to the now thoroughly excited populace.
There were almost as many theories and speculations
advanced as there were people to advance them. Sev-
eral theories, however, seemed the most plausible and
soon became the most common. Perhaps the most
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Result of the Experiment with Hounds. 29
popular idea that was heard expressed was the sup-
position that one of Uncle Sam's soldier boys at the
Fort had contrived to get himself involved in a deli-
cate difficulty and had resorted to the murderer's
knife to extricate himself. These suppositions be-
gan to formulate a few hours after the finding of the
body on Saturday morning, and as each hour passed
there was a subdued consciousness among the ma-
jority of the most interested ones that if “the mur-
der would out” it would be shown to be one of Uncle
Sam's enlisted men. As this supposition grew
stronger and stronger the Commandant at Fort
Thomas, realizing the condition in which the men
and officers of his command were placed, late that
afternoon issued orders that a thorough investiga-
tion be at once instituted at the Fort. In obedience
to the order, every building, every man, in fact, every-
thing that might have led or helped to have led to
the finding of the guilty party, if any there were at
the Fort, was thoroughly inspected with no better
success than that with which all the previous efforts
so far had been rewarded. This left matters as be-
fore; nothing tangible appearing so that it would be
necessary to look at a different point to find the mur-
derer.

CHAPTER VI.
SCENE AT THE NEWPORT MoRGUE–MISTAKEN IDEN-
TITy—A BIT of PERSONAL HISTORY-AN ExAM-
PLE-THE INCISION.—THE CLOTHING—IMPRESSIONs
MADE By THE SHOEs—THEIR SIZE-MEASURE.
MENTS-A. DAINTy Foot.
At the morgue at Newport, thousands upon thous-
ands of men, women and children were congregating
out of mere curiosity and begging the privilege of
viewing the corpse of the headless body. Not every
one, however, received this privilege, for if they had,
the morgue would necessarily have been turned into
a veritable museum and the efforts of the officers
greatly retarded, if not completely defeated.
As is usual, parents who had daughters missing
were among the early callers that day at the morgue,
thinking, perhaps, that their child might have met
such a fate. These were among the privileged classes
to obtain admission to the morgue. Quite a number
(30)

Impressions Made by the Shoes. 3I
of this class, as they gazed with tearful eyes on the
sad sight before them, answered the inquiry as to
whether or not it was their child, in the affirmative.
As soon as a parent expressed the opinion that the
headless body was that of their own child, they were
required to give an accurate description of the miss-
ing daughter and able police officers were immedi-
ately furnished with a description and sent out in
search of the missing child. Invariably the officers
returned with the intelligence that the supposedly
lost person was alive and well. These circumstances
show how easy it is to be mistaken in the identity
of a body, the features and head of which are entirely
gone. It is almost an impossibility to positively dis-
tinguish the trunk of one person from that of another
of the same size and proportion unless there are some
unnatural marks upon the body or limbs.
Coroner Tingley gave out the report that the body
would be kept some ten days, in the hopes that in
the meantime the identity would be established so
that the relatives might claim it to give it a decent
burial. He also stated that on the following Monday
a post-mortem examination would be held.
Quite a number of persons congregated out at the
large reservoir which was being drained, staying up
that whole Saturday night, so anxious were they that

32 Beadless, yet Identifted.
the missing head would be brought to sight and that
they might be there to be among the first to witness
the ghastly object. -
Throughout the whole Sunday the Sheriff, in com-
pany with the detectives and what help they found
necessary, was busily engaged with hooks and nets
in diligently searching the bottom of the reservoir,
while the crowds momentarily expected to see the
ghastly, bloated head, which would answer the ques-
tion heard on every side, “Who is she?”
I was then located in the city of Newport, Ken-
tucky. I had had a thorough education in the shoe
business, having been actively engaged as a traveling
salesman for an extensive boot and shoe company
in Ohio for over a period of sixteen years. In 1893
I started a retail business of my own in Newport.
A nephew of John Locke, upon whose premises
the murdered woman had been found, gave me the
first information I received early that Saturday
morning. The requirements of my business kept me
busily engaged all day Saturday, so that I had no
opportunity either of going to the spot where the body
was found or of visiting the morgue, which was with-
in a square of where my store was located.
The thing most talked about that day by the par-
ties coming into my store for purchases was,
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Impressions Made by the Shoes. 35
of course, the murder. The Sunday morning
papers devoted most of their space to the
murder, and each one took it upon him-
self to furnish the proper theory and solution.
Having perused the columns of several of the papers,
I concluded to leave the house, which I did, and
wended my way through the crowded thoroughfare
of the city in the direction of the morgue. Being
on comparatively intimate terms with the officers
there, I was one of the privileged few who were per-
mitted to view the body.
It so happened that when I went into the room
where the body, which had been embalmed, was ly-
ing, but few persons were present. Among them was
an old, gray headed man, claiming to have a daughter
missing, and fearful that the one lying so cold in
death might be his dear one. Gathering together
his strength, he fortified himself for the ordeal.
Those in charge uncovered the body, but he, as others
who had come on a similar mission, could give no sat-
isfactory reason whereby it would be positively cer-
tain that the dead one before him was his child.
The body had hardly been re-covered when an officer
appeared, speaking the glad tidings to this old man
that his daughter was alive and well, and telling him
36 Headless, yet Identified.
where he (the officer) had left her presence less than
an hour ago.
After taking just a passing glance at the body, I
stepped up to where the neck was covered up, and
there my attention was attracted to the way in which
the body had been decapitated. There being a
splendid light, I noticed that the head had been
severed from the body by a remarkably smooth in-
cision. Not a jag had been left that would have
caused an expert surgeon to blush. -
Adjoining the room in which the body lay was a
much smaller one, into which I went. In this room
a line was stretched, upon which hung the articles
of wearing apparel that had been found with the
body and which have been described before. I ex-
amined them very carefully and found the dress or
wrapper, and underclothing, were completely soaked
with blood. I picked up the corset, wondering if
the name of the maker was upon it, but a careful
examination showed that there were no marks of any
kind, not even a size mark. Upon the sill of one of
the windows of the smaller room were the shoes that
had been found upon the feet of the victim. Picking
them up, I noticed that they were very short and
extremely narrow, and that they were shoes of a
quality that were considered very good. They were




Impressions Made by the Shoes. 37
what shoe dealers call a “western made” shoe. By
this term is meant that the shoes were made west of
the Allegheny mountains, and had the appearance
of having been made by some manufacturer in Cin-
cinnati, Ohio, or that vicinity. I next examined the
inside of the shoes. Here I noticed that on the
lining of them were some very peculiar marks. Sit-
ting along beside the shoes were a pair of rubber
over-shoes. I noticed immediately that they were
evidently purchased to be fitted over a different shoe
from that which the murdered woman had been wear-
ing last. They were also of a make, the brand of
which was not sold in this vicinity.
I remembered very well that the concern for which
I had traveled were compelled to carry rubber over-
shoes of this brand for their Indiana trade.
By this time the gentlemen who had been in the
room at the time I entered had left, and others had
taken their places. One of these gentlemen was a
shoemaker, whose shop adjoined the building in
which the morgue was located. I requested him to
go to his shop and bring in his measuring stick. He
immediately left the room, and came back in a few
minutes with it. My reason for doing this was that
when I had looked at the body the question arose in
my mind as to what or about what the weight of the

38 Beadless, yet Identifted.
body was. The person evidently was not tall, but was
finely proportioned, and, giving the matter only a
passing thought, I conjectured that the weight was
about 125 or 130 pounds.
I thought it remarkable that a woman in life of
her size and weight, could wear a shoe so short and
narrow as these were, and I wanted to measure the
foot to satisfy myself that she really could wear such
small and narrow shoes. We went together into the
room where the body was, and removing the cloth
from one of the feet, we measured it, and found that
the foot measured thirteen. That made it possible
for her to have worn a shoe, size two.
From a key, that will be explained later, we found
that the shoes we had just examined were size three
on a “B” last. Her feet were petite, webbed between
the toes, without a corn or a bunion. A very dainty
foot, indeed. After making this examination, I re-
turned to my home, it being the noon hour, and gave
myself up to deep reverie.
CHAPTER VII.
CollectION OF IMPRESSIONS WHICH RESULT IN A
THEORy—Some FACTs CoNCERNING THE RETAIL
SHOE BUSINESS — THE FRENCH SYSTEM Ex-
PLAINED–THE THEORY GROws INTO A CONCLUSION
—THE SHERIFF SOUGHT-THE SHERIFF INTER-
viewED–THE PLAN LAID Down—THE ENGAGE-
MENT.
After several hours of reflection, I theorized that
the murderer certainly must have understood some-
thing of the science of practical surgery because, as
has been stated, the body had been decapitated with-
out leaving even a portion of the skin with a ragged
edge. The articulation of the vertebrae was separated
to an exact nicety, a feat which, to perform, would
have required the skill of an expert surgeon. I doubt
that the deadly guillotine would have performed its
work of death in a better, neater way.
Next, I reasoned that the object of the murderer

(39)

40 Aeadless, yet Identified.
to sever and conceal the head was to destroy every
possible means of identification, and, that being the
case, they would take unusual care to remove and
conceal the head so that it would never be found.
The fact that nothing was found in or about the
clothes, and the fact that the corset had been removed
from the body, was sufficient to convince me that
the object in so doing was for the murderer to satisfy
himself that they contained no marks that might lead
to the identification of his victim or the detection of
himself.
Having been for so many years in the shoe busi-
mess, I soon became thoroughly convinced that if I
could learn the name of the firm that had made the
lot of shoes, of which those found on the murdered
woman were a pair, and from them learn the name
of the dealer to whom they had been sold, that dealer
could, most likely, tell me to whom he had sold them,
for several reasons. First, it is a fact that if a thous-
and women, each weighing from one hundred and
twenty to one hundred and thirty pounds, were to come
into a store to be fitted with shoes, it is barely probable
that not more than three of them could wear a shoe
as short and narrow as these were. Again, they
were cloth-topped, button shoes. The sale of cloth-
top, button shoes is very limited. Once more, a lady,

The Sheriff Sought—The Plan. 4I
with feet as dainty as hers were, invariably requires
a great deal of attention before the choice of shoes
is made and the bargain closed. These reasons show
that but few shoes of this size and width, or style,
are sold, and this being the case, the dealer or his
clerk, generally remembers those of his trade that
he supplies.
These reflections made me believe stronger and
stronger that if I could learn the name of the manu-
facturer, from him, I could learn for what dealer he
had made them, and by going to that dealer the
chances would be favorable that I could learn to what
person he had sold them. If this could be done, then
we would know who she was, and when the identity
was established the murderer would surely be found
out. -
While examining the shoes, I noticed three sets
of figures on the lining, which were as follows: “22,
11, 62458.” Only those having a key, or being famil-
iar with the Freenh system or marking the sizes and
lasts, would be able to tell the actual size and last of
the shoe. In explanation, I will say that after com-
ing into possession of the key, it was found that the
figure “22” meant size “3,” that the figure “11”
represented last “B,” and the other figures, “62458,”
represented the stock number given by the manu-

42 Beadless, yet Identified.
facturer of the lot of which these shoes were
a pair. (The reason for marking shoes under the
French system, is to better satisfy the trade with a
nice fit, and they not knowing the size of the shoe
they are really getting. In years gone by, they did
not need any deception in the shoe business, but are
doing some of it now.)
The reason for marking shoes by means of the
French system, is to enable dealers to supply their
patrons with perfectly fitting shoes to a much better
advantage to all concerned, and to facilitate sales,
especially with ladies, inasmuch as they do not know
what size they are really purchasing. There was a
time when no deception was necessary, but as the
march of civilization and fashion goes on, it becomes
necessary to adopt a system of this kind.
I felt an assurance that in this manner it could
be established who she was in life, and once in pos-
session of this knowledge, it would be a compara-
tively easy matter to ascertain who, if any one, might
have had a motive to murder her.
These impressions having become so firmly rooted
in my mind, I resolved to go at once to the sheriff
and gain, if possible, an interview with him. Leav-
ing the house, I was soon in the vicinity of the morgue
once more, where I was informed that the sheriff at

The Sheriff Sought—The Plan. 43
that time was out at the reservoir searching for the
head. Some superhuman power influenced me to go
at once to the scene of operations at the reservoir, in-
stead of waiting for his return to the city.
I yielded to these impulses, although the afternoon
was half gone. Boarding a trolley car, I was soon
on my way to Fort Thomas, near which point the
reservoir was located. Car after car, filled to over-
flowing, was taking thousands upon thousands all
day to the Locke farm. When I reached the reser-
voir, which was surrounded by a great multitude, it
was some time before I was informed that the sheriff,
for whom I was looking, had returned to the city.
Nearly all of the water had been drained out of
the reservoir, making it possible for those who were
engaged in the work of searching for the head to have
been able to bring the head to the surface if it had
been thrown in.
I was told that the sheriff and the detectives had
given up the search for the head for that day, and
that they had decided to continue the search to-
morrow. I hastened back to the city of Newport,
and soon met Sheriff Plummer on the street, near
the morgue. I addressed the officer and he very
kindly recognized me. Walking along beside him
through the crowds for a short distance, I took the
-

44 Beadless, yet Identified.
first opportunity that presented itself to whisper a
request to him that he accompany me back to the
morgue, and to that little room in which the shoes
and clothing were, telling him that I very much de-
sired an interview with him, and that I had been
trying to find him for several hours. He readily
assented, and we directed our steps toward the
morgue. He ordered the crowd back from the en-
trance, and we at once entered the small room. Hav-
ing once arrived there, I felt a timidity in prying
into the official affairs of an officer of the law, and I
hardly knew how to commence. However, summon-
ing all the courage I could for the effort, I began in
this manner: “Sheriff Plummer, I do not want you
to think that I am impertinent or that I want to
‘nose’ into your affair, but realizing that this is a great
crime and a deep mystery, I feel that I can furnish
you with material through which you can get the
first clue that will establish the identity of this body.
Now, unless you have a very good clue, I feel that
I can do this.” He answered me by saying: “To
tell the truth; it is now thirty-six hours since I first
got to the spot where the body was found, but I
haven’t got anything like a clue yet. Myself and
the detectives who are helping me, have theorized
on the case and we are all of the opinion that we

The Sheriff Sought—The Plan. 45
will find the head in the Covington reservoir. When
we find it, we can then get hold of the identity
through the head. As soon as we can find it, pic-
tures of it will be taken and the papers will publish
cuts therefrom, and that will bring to light, without
a doubt, who she was in life.”
I answered him by telling him that while I hoped
they might be able to find the head, I was of the
opinion that it would never be found, and added,
that there being no marks on the clothing of any
kind, the only way left open, in my judgment, that
might lead to the capture of the murderous villains,
was the clue to be obtained through the shoe. I
picked up one of the shoes, and called his attention
to the peculiar markings on the lining of the shoe,
explaining to him that the shoes were marked under
what is known as the French system of marking the
size and last over which the shoe has been made. I
also told him of its peculiar size and width and
the reasonableness of my theory that a shoe dealer
ought to at least remember his customer who wore
shoes that were so peculiarly small and narrow.
Then picking up the rubber over-shoe, I told him
that that particular brand of rubbers was not sold
in this vicinity, and that the chances were altogether
that this murdered woman had been brought from
46 Headless, yet Identifted.
some distance and cruelly murdered far from her
home.
The Sheriff listened attentively, and seemed very
much impressed with what I had said. At length
he replied: “I am still of the opinion that we will
be able to find the head, but I must acknowledge
that your explanation is clear and reasonable and
I am so impressed with it that I wish you would do
this particular kindness for me, because of your fit-
ness and understanding in this particular branch of
trade, and go ahead with it according to your theory
and keep me posted from time to time of your pro-
gress.” He also said that I had better commence im-
mediately.
I told him that as I would have to begin my work
in the case with shoe manufacturers, I could do
nothing that evening, but that I would commence
early in the morning. It would also be necessary
for me to have in my possession one of the shoes,
and that it would be well for me to take one of the
rubbers. He wrapped up one of the shoes and rub-
bers for me, it not being necessary for me to take
the pair, and in case of the one shoe or rubber being
lost or taken from me, the mates of them would still
be left.


CHAPTER VIII.
CoNTINUED ExciteMENT — “WHo is IT P” —THE
Work of Solving THE PROBLEM BEGUN–Dis-
couragiNG INFORMATION.—A TRAVELING SALESMAN
Drops A BIT of VALUABLE INFORMATION.—MR.
HUME RECOGNIZES His FACTORy’s MARKs—AN
IMPORTANT INTERVIEw—ITS RESULT.
It is difficult for me to describe the excitement
which prevailed in and around the cities of Cincinnati,
Covington, and Newport. People thronged police
headquarters, newspaper offices and telegraph sta-
tions, with the hope of obtaining intelligence of the
developments of the case in advance of issues of the
newspapers. Small crowds of citizens were stand-
ing on the street corners, in the hotel lobbies, around
the railway stations, in the shops, everywhere dis.
cussing this theory and that one. Nor was the great
excitement confined to Cincinnati and vicinity;
wherever the newspapers reached the public, ac-
(47)

48 Headless, yet Identified.
counts of the finding of the body were read with
exciting interest. All the large circulating dailies
sent special correspondents upon the scene and extra
editions were being issued continually, so eager were
the populace for any news bearing upon the crime.
On every side were heard the questions: “Who is
she?” “Have they found the head?”
Early Monday morning, I began the execution of
my plan to lift the shadow of mystery that covered
the great secret of the identity of the murdered
woman. A very few minutes after I left my home
with the shoe in my possession, I was in the office of
one of Cincinnati's largest shoe manufacturing con-
cerns, to try to gain the first link—to learn the name
of the manufacturer of this particular one.
The superintendent of the factory, looking into
the shoe, answered my question as to whether or
not he could tell me if they, or any other Cincinnati
firm had made the shoe, by saying that the shoe was
not made by any of the Cincinnati factories, because
of the style of the inseaming. He stated that none
of the Cincinnati factories put the inseam in their
product, as was done in this particular shoe.
Leaving that concern somewhat discouraged, be-
cause I had thought that more than likely out of
the twenty shoe factories in Cincinnati, I would find

Result of an Important Interview. 49
the manufacturer of it in that city, I next went to
another large factory, but there the superintendent
gave me the same discouraging information that I had
received before, saying that the shoe had not been made
in Cincinnati because of the inseam. Both superin-
tendents, however, gave it as their opinion that the
shoes had been made in the west.
It might be well enough to explain that the working
men in shoe factories, as well as other lines of trade in
one vicinity, will get accustomed to make up work very
similar. Hence it was an easy matter for the head
of these concerns to positively make the assertions
that it was not the product of any of the shoe factories
of Cincinnati.
As I was on the point of walking out of the office
of this last concern, I met a gentleman whom I rec-
ognized as a traveling salesman for a Pennsylvania
manufacturer of children’s shoes and who had fre-
quently called on me on business. Each of us won-
dered why the other happened to be at that place, so
in replying to his question, I unwrapped the shoe
once more and handed it to him, telling him of the
circumstances of its being in my possession, and also
telling him for what purpose I had it. He made a
thorough examination of the shoe and then said: “I
wish that I could tell you the maker, but there is one
4.

5O Headless, yet Identifted.
thing that I can tell you. Several years ago when
I was traveling for Drew, Selby & Co., of Ports:
mouth, Ohio, manufacture of ladies' shoes, they
always used the style of top-face stitching similar to
that in this shoe.”
Thanking him for this information, I went away
from that place with a hope swelling within me be-
cause of this slight, yet important information.
I wended my way toward the Palace Hotel build-
ing in Cincinnati, where I knew that a Mr. Hume had
a permanent sample room and that he was a resi-
dent salesman for Drew, Selby & Co., for Cincinnati
and surroundings. I found Mr. Hume at his desk in
the sample room, which he left when I entered to
attend to my wants. As we had a slight acquaintance,
and as he knew me as a shoe merchant, he naturally
supposed that I had come to look at his samples and
possibly to buy. But my mission was of quite a dif-
ferent nature that morning. Holding out the shoe,
I said: “Mr. Hume, this is one of the shoes that were
found on the feet of the headless body found at Fort
Thomas Saturday morning. I am trying to estab-
lish her identity through them, and the object of my
coming to you this morning is to try to learn who the
makers of these shoes are.”
I handed him the shoe and he noticed the marks

Result of an Important Interview. 5I
in it. He recognized them as the French sys-
tem of marking that was used in the factory that he
represented, and after looking at the shoe a mo-
ment he exclaimed: “Why this shoe was made by
the factory which I represent here.” When I re-
gained my breath, I said: “How are you going to
prove this to me, Mr. Hume?”
He replied: “You being a shoe man, Mr. Poock,
I will give you a card on which is printed the key
of the French system of marking sizes as it is used
by our factory.” Going to his desk, he presently re-
turned and presented me with the card referred to.
I asked him if he remembered of making a sale to
any dealer in Cincinnati or vicinity of shoes similar
in style to that of this shoe. He replied that he had
not. I again asked him whether he had ever re-
ceived any sample from his factory to close out a
lot of shoes similar to these, that might have been
made on the wrong last, or that might have been
sent back from some dealer to the factory, to which
he replied that he had not. This convinced me that
the shoe had not been sold by any dealer in that
vicinity and strengthened my theory in regard to the
rubber over-shoes that I knew must have been sold
at some other point than Cincinnati or surroundings.
An examination soon convinced me that the out-
52 Aeadless, yet Identifted.
come of the reveries to which I had given myself up
the day before and the theories that I had advanced
to Sheriff Plummer late in that day, were now begin-
ning to materialize very rapidly.
Words cannot express the satisfaction that flowed
within me as I hastened back to Newport to inform
the Sheriff of my successful two hours' work that
morning. -


CHAPTER IX.
FURTHER PLANs—PossIBILITIES-THE SHERIFF GONE
–DEPUTIES OBSTINATE–HE IS Locate D–INTER-
VIEw witH County JUDGE BENNETT–THE JUDGE
HEARTILY CONCURS IN THE PLAN–ARRIVAL AT
PORTSMOUTH.
I knew it would be necessary for some one to go
to Portsmouth, Ohio, to learn from the register of
Drew, Selby & Co. for what dealer the lot of shoes
marked “62458” had been made.
On my way over from Cincinnati, I stopped at
the office of a long-distance telephone company,
thinking that I might be able to get the desired in-
formation by telephoning to Drew, Selby & Co.,
but it seemed that at that time the company had no
communication with Portsmouth, which fact made it
doubly necessary for some one to go to Portsmouth.
Upon inquiry, I learned that a train would leave Cin-
(53)

54 Headless, yet Identified.
cinnati for Portsmouth at noon. I realized also that
after all it would be best to go to this factory.
Very often while a lot of shoes are in the process
of manufacture, one or more of the shoes in the lot
are damaged while going through the various hands
throughout the works. While most of the work in
the manufacture of shoes is performed by male la-
bor, certain parts, however, are performed by female
labor, and when a pair of ladies' shoes is damaged in
the process of manufacture it is usually sold to some
female employe.
I was impressed with the thought that possibly
this shoe might have suffered a slight damage in the
factory and had been disposed of to some one of the
feminine employes of Drew, Selby & Co. Further
than this, there was a possibility that some one was
missing at Portsmouth, and I realized that a trip to
that city was absolutely necessary to the completion
of my plans.
Arriving at Newport, I went immediately to the
office of the Sheriff, but he was not in at that time
and his deputies would not tell me where he had
gone. A little reflection on my part caused me to go
to the chief deputy and ask again the whereabouts of
the Sheriff, telling him at the same time that per-
haps he had not been informed that I was engaged

Arrºzal at Aortsmouth. 55
on special work with regard to the murder by his
superior officer, Sheriff Plummer. He replied that
he had not been so informed, but that that being
the case, he would tell me that the Sheriff, in com-
pany with Detectives Crim and McDermott, had gone
to Ludlow, Kentucky, a suburb of Covington, to
work out a clue at that place pertaining to the mur-
der. He continued by saying that if I had any-
thing of vital importance, I should at once consult
with County Judge Bennett, as he and the Sheriff,
being the chief officers of the county, were consult-
ing and working together.
Going to Judge Bennett's office, which adjoined
that of the Sheriff’s, I explained to him that on the
Sunday evening before, Sheriff Plummer had given
me one of the shoes, upon my soliciting it, and that
I had been making great headway that morning
with the ultimate promise of great developments, and
that it would require some one to go immediately to
Portsmouth, Ohio. -
Having related to the Judge all of the circum-
stances of the matter up to this hour, he saw the im-
portance of the matter, and requested me to make
the trip to Portsmouth, Ohio, at once. I informed
him, in my conversation, that I should arrive at
Portsmouth not later than 3 o'clock that afternoon,
-

56 Beadless, yet Identified.
and that not later than 5 o'clock I would be able
to telegraph full details and to what dealer the shoes
had been sent.
He said that most likely the Sheriff and detec-
tives would be out somewhere at work, and that I had
better telegraph directly to him, as he and the Sheriff
were in constant touch. He would then inform the
Sheriff, upon the receipt of my message, the result of
my investigation at Portsmouth.
Taking the train at noon, I arrived at my desti-
nation a little later than 3 o'clock, and went directly
to the shoe factory of Drew, Selby and Co. I at once
made the object of my visit known at the office, and
they immediately set to work to give me the infor-
mation that I so much desired.

CHAPTER X.
THE FACTORY OF DREW, SELBy & Co.—WHAT WAS
LEARNED At PortsMoUTH–WHERE THE SHOES
WENT—AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE–THE SECRET
OUT-THE OFFICERS GO TO GREENCASTLE-THEIR
ARRIVAL, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4.
The wonderfully systematic manner in which they
run their factory, every minor detail being so sys-
tematically arranged, I soon had all the information
I needed. I was shown the original order which
their traveling man had taken; a copy of the original
invoice to the dealer to whom they were consigned,
and the original factory tag, which accompanied
these shoes through all the different processes of their
manufacture. This tag showed me the name, initial
or number of each work-man or work-girl that had
done his or her work in the making of the shoes.
This tag also designated that none of the shoes in the
process of manufacture had been in any wise damaged,
[57]

58 Beadless, yet Identified.
in which event, as was said before, some factory girl
might have been the owner.
In April, 1895, Drew, Selby & Co.'s traveling man
received from Louis & Hayes, of Green Castle, In-
diana, an order for ten dozen pairs of ladies' shoes
of different styles and lasts. This order was to be
made for fall, and to be shipped about September
1st, 1895. In this order Louis & Hayes had ordered
to be made twelve pairs of ladies' cloth-top, button
shoes of the following sizes: one 24, one 3, two 3},
two 4, two 44, two 5, one 5% and one 6, all to be
made on the “B” last, but instead of marking the
shoes in plain English, they were to be marked under
the factory's French system of marking sizes and lasts.
They were invoiced to Louis & Hayes at $1.85 per
pair, making them a retail price of $2.50. When
this dozen pairs of shoes were made, they were given
the factory stock number for this particular lot;
namely, number “62458,” which was stamped on
each shoe on the lining. The reason that factories
stamp the stock number is that the dealer, in case
of repeating the order, need not give any other de-
scription for duplicate orders. All he needs to do
is to mention the correct stock number. The factory
then refers to their regular register whereon are de-
The Secret Out. 59
tailed the particular styles that have been made up
before. - -
These numbers are never used again; so the as-
sertion can be made and not denied that there was
but one pair of ladies' coth-top, button shoes in the
world numbere “22, 11, 62458.”
On September 3rd, 1895, the whole order as taken
was shipped to Louis & Hayes, Greencastle, Indiana.
Not having returned any of the shoes to the factory,
it was proved conclusively that the shoes found on
the feet of the murdered woman found in Kentucky,
had come out of Louis & Hayes' store.
The factory of Drew, Selby & Co. is equipped with
all modern conveniences, one of them being a tele-
graph office in their own building, to which I repaired
at once and telegraphed Judge Bennett the result of
my investigation in the following message:
Portsmouth, Ohio, Feb., 3, 1896.
Judge N. L. Bennett, -
Newport, Ky.
Absolutely the shoes sold at Green Castle, Indiana.
1.ouis & Hayes, of that place, got bill for them Sept.
3rd last. They got but one pair size 3, of that par-
ticular style and that pair was on her feet.
L. D. POOOK.

60 Headless, yet Identifted.
As I left the factory I felt an assurance that now
it would be perhaps a question of a few hours only
until the identity of the headless body would be
known. That, of course, would lead to bringing to
light the name of that one who had any motive to
murder her. - -
Having ever since that morning been striking “pay
dirt,” I would liked to have gone directly back to
Newport, and from there to Green Castle, Indiana,
believing that if I could be there, I could naturally
be of great service to those shoe dealers or their clerks
in helping them to call to their minds the person to
whom they had sold those shoes. Going to the ho-
tel in Portsmouth, the hopes that I had formed for
the trip to Green Castle were shattered, inasmuch as
I was informed there that there were no trains leav-
ing for Cincinnati or Newport before 3 o'clock the
next morning.
Fearing that the message that I had sent to Judge
Bennett a half hour before might not have been de-
livered from some cause or other, I followed it with
a message in the same language to Sheriff Plum-
mer. I learned later, however, that both had re-
ceived their messages about 5 o'clock Monday even-
ing, February 3rd. -
Being worn out from the continual strain of work

The Secret Out. 61
all that day, I retired early and arose in time to make
the 3 o'clock train Tuesday, February 4th, arriving
at Newport about 7 o'clock.
It had been agreed between Sheriff Plummer and
myself Sunday evening when I had an interview
with him, that whatever I did in the case should
be kept quiet. What was my astonishment upon my
arrival at Newport that morning to see that the morn-
ing papers contained an account of my having gone
to Portsmouth working on the shoes! From the in-
formation that I afterward received I learned that
the officers themselves divulged matters. Up to the
time of the receipt of my message by the Judge
and Sheriff on the evening before, the officers were
busy trying to run down this clue and that one, in
hopes of finding some link that would lead to the
discovery of the missing head.
Not a great deal of credence had been accorded
by them to the work that I had undertaken, but on
the receipt of those messages operations were shifted,
for the time being, from in and about Fort Thomas,
Cincinnati, Covington, and Newport, and they de-
cided to start for Green Castle.
The train they took that Monday night for Green
Castle was due at that point at 2 a. m., Tuesday,
February 4th, but owing to a wreck on the road they


62 Aeadless, yet Identified.
were delayed so that they did not reach Green Castle
until nearly day break on the morning of February
4th. As they were much fatigued by the incessant
labor in which they had been engaged from early
Saturday morning, they retired for the rest that their
bodies absolutely needed, so that they did not resume
their operations Tuesday until a late hour.

CHAPTER XI.
Louis & HAYEs—A THOUGHTFUL BUSINESS PLAN–A
HARD AFTERNOON'S LABOR witH No SUCCESS—
THE LINK AT LAST-THE SHOE CLERK’s STATE-
MENT—THE OFFICERS VISIT THE BRYAN's—A CoM-
Fortable HoME.
Louis & Hayes, the shoe dealers, enjoyed quite an
extensive trade among the students in attendance
at DePauw University of that city, and had adopted
the plan of entering the names of all their customers
on their daily sales book, so that if students sent to
them from their homes an order for shoes or any-
thing in their line, they had their sales book to refer
to, which especially in shoes proved of great ser-
vice, enabling them to always know what last was
required. This proved to be of great help in this
case, for when the officers made known their business
at the store they were promptly referred to the sales
book.
(63)

64 Beadless, yet Identified.
Sheriff Plummer, Detectives Crim and McDermott
and one of the members of the firm spent several
hours that afternoon trying to secure the information
in the matter, but gave up the task for the time being.
Late that night Sheriff Plummer concluded to ex-
amine the sales book once more. Leaving his helpers,
the detectives, at the hotel he, in company with one
of the clerks, went once more to the shoe store for the
purpose of examining carefully the sales book.
After overlooking several times the very item
which they had been hoping to find, and as they were
on the point of giving it up, the clerk found an item
written out thus:
“Nov. 18, 1895. Pearl Bryan, ladies' cloth-top,
button, size 3, ‘B’ last. Cost $1.85 for $2.50.”
Here was the link. The dealers had no other
cloth-top, button shoes in all their stock. They had
no other made on the “B” last. According to the
factory tag of Drew, Selby & Co., of which mention
has been made before, these dealers had only re-
ceived one pair of size 3 in that order, so beyond any
doubt it was Pearl Bryan who had purchased them.
As is usual in such cases, after the matter had been
brought to light, the clerk remembered very well the
time when he had sold her the shoes and also that she
was accompanied by her sister, Mrs. Mary Stanley.
The officers at the Bryan Horne, Greencastle, Indiana.



The Officers Visit the Bryans. 67
The clerk said that it could not be possible that
Miss Pearl Bryan was the person missing, that there
could be nothing wrong with her, and that she was
a member of one of the most influential and prom-
inent families in the county. The Sheriff did not
share this opinion with the clerk because, according
to the facts in black and white with regard to the
shoes, the chances were that it was Pearl Bryan or
some one to whom she had given the shoes, at least.
A few moments after the important discovery, the
Sheriff returned to the hotel where the party had
taken lodgings and reported to the detectives the im-
portant discovery and the details that he had received
from the shoe clerk. After consulting with them for
a few moments, it was decided, late as it was, to go
at once to the Bryan homestead which joined the
southern corporate limits. -
Having taken with them the mate to the shoe
which I had in my possession and all of the clothing
found on the body of the murdered woman, they were
soon on their way to the Bryan home. When they
arrived at the home of the Bryans, they had a duty
to perform which would hardly be envied by the
most stout hearted. They aroused the family and
inquired whether or not they had a daughter named
Pearl. They told the officers that they had, but that




68 Beadless, yet Zdentified.
at that time she was not at home, having left the
week before for Indianapolis to visit a friend of the
family.
As gently as they could under the circumstances,
they broke the object of their visit to them, and told
the family that they had every reason in the world
to believe that their daughter had met death at the
hands of a murderer. They next informed them
that they had brought with them the wearing apparel
found on the body of the one whom they believed to be
their daughter. They then commenced the unpleas-
ant task of unwrapping the package that contained the
clothing and the shoes.
The family at home consisted of the old father and
mother, Mr. and Mrs. Bryan, Mrs. Stanley, a widowed
daughter, and Fred and Frank Bryan, their sons.
Here, in the delightful quiet of the country, this
family lived and toiled from day to day. The house
in which they lived was large and comfortable, a two-
story frame, furnished in nice, but quiet style. Mr.
Bryan was not what would be called a wealthy man,
yet he was in very comfortable circumstances. The
farm which he and his sons cultivated was a large,
fertile tract, lying just at the edge of Green Castle.
It had all the modern buildings and conveniences and
was stocked with the latest improved implements of




The Officers Visit the Bryans. 69.
the modern farm. There was a fine orchard, small
fruits and, in fact, a choice farm property, the pro-
ducts of which brought ready sale at the adjacent city.
The profits being usually well invested, the family
lived in comfort and ease.



CHAPTER XII.
A QUIET AND MUCH THouGHT OF FAMILy—A SAD
SCENE–THE IDENTIFICATION SATISFACTORy–WHy
THE CORSET BORE No MARKs–ConcLUSIONs—
FURTHER PLANs—THE FIRST LINK Found.
Something over forty years ago Mr. and Mrs.
"ºryan had emigrated from Kentucky and here they
raised their family, giving to both boys and girls the
advantage of a much better education than is usually
enjoyed by the majority of farmers' children. They
were connected with the best families in that country
and no family stood in higher estimation than the
Bryan family.
The reader may imagine, if he can, the consterna-
tion into which this family circle was thrown that
Tuesday midnight, February 4th, when they were
aroused by officers from Kentucky who asserted that
the flower and pet of the family, in their estimation,
had been murdered.
(70)
The Identification Satisfactory. 7I
The mother said that she would readily recognize
the clothes if they were those of her daughter Pearl.
Picking up the blood-stained wrapper and handing
the garment, which the poor old mother had made
with her own hands, to her, the officers beheld a
scene, which they had perhaps anticipated, yet one
which they will never forget. -
After the first heartbreaks were over and the cloth-
ing had all been positively identified as those be-
longing to Pearl Bryan, Mrs. Stanley said that the
corset was one from a number of samples, taken
from the stock at her own ladies’ furnishing store,
which she was then operating at Green Castle, and
remarked that sample corsets generally bore no marks.
She also stated that she distinctly remembered the
time and place of purchasing the shoes which Pearl
had purchased from Louis & Hayes.
One cannot even imagine the awfulness of the
scene that transpired in the Bryan home that night.
They had been reading in the newspapers of the find-
ing of a headless body near Fort Thomas, Kentucky,
had talked about it among themselves, but had never
dreamed that it might be their own darling child.
So through those apparently insignificant numbers
stamped on the lining of a pair of shoes found on
the feet of a murdered woman in Kentucky, the


72 Aeadless, yet Identified.
identity of the body was positively established 150
miles away. -
The next point to gain would be to get informa-
tion as to whom, if any one, might have had a motive
to murder her; to learn in whose company she had
been; to collect theories and facts as to the circum-
stances of her going away. The first information
was given by the family. They told the officers that
a young man named Scott Jackson had been her ad-
mirer.
-
-



CHAPTER XIII.
Scott J Ackson–His Home—A MUCH TRAVELED
YoUNG MAN–WANDERINGS OF THE FAMILY-
FASHIONABLE RESORTs His HAUNTs—A SERIOUS
IMPLICATION – STUDIES DENTISTRY — WILLIAM
WooD-JACKSON GOEs To College–College
SPORTs—ARRESTED–HE MEETS PEARL BRYAN–
A FREQUENT CALLER–HE GOES To CINCINNATI.
The home of Scott Jackson was in Green Castle,
but at that time he was in Cincinnati, Ohio, pursuing
a course in dentistry. He made his home with his
mother who lived comfortably near DePauw Uni-
versity. Next to Mrs. Jackson resided the family
of Rev. Wood. Mrs. Jackson had been married
twice. The fruits of her first marriage was one
daughter, who was now the wife of Prof. Post of
DePauw University. The fruit of her second mar-
riage was one son, Scott, who was born in Maine.
(73)
74 Headless, yet Identified.
His father was commander of a merchant vessel
which plied the Atlantic between the United States
and English ports.
After Scott Jackson had reached the age of four-
teen, he often accompanied his father on his trans-
Atlantic voyages and Scott is said to have crossed the
ocean 14 times. It will be seen from this that
even in tender years the boy became acquainted with
the ways of the world, not only on the ocean, but on
two sides of it. He would naturally leave the vessel
upon arrival at its destination and spend the time
alloted to him until his father's vessel would be ready
once more to ship back to America.
The family made their home in Maine until the
death of the father, when the widow and her son
removed to Newark, New Jersey, and from there to
Green Castle, Indiana, several years afterward, be-
cause of the fact that Scott’s half sister and her hus-
band resided at that place and they would all be
together.
By virtue of college affiliations they moved in the
best circles of society at Green Castle and were
known and respected by every one in the city.
It was during their residence in New Jersey that
Scott had reached the age of manhood. While his
mother had a steady income which easily supported

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wº-wº-w
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SCOTT JACKSON. Age 26.


Scott Jackson. - 77
her and Scott comfortably, he realized
that he should be doing something. He
made application to the Pennsylvania rail-
road company at that point for employment
and was given a clerical position in the office at
Newark. Information from that place and from
numerous watering places in the vicinity, shows that
Scott Jackson spent a great deal of his spare time in
the enjoyment of life and its pleasures at those points.
It has also been learned that young Jackson was con-
nected with some questionable transactions while in
the employ of the railroad company, and that after
he and the one with whom he worked had been
arrested, he turned state's evidence and secured his
liberty, while the other, who was also an employee
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, was sent
to the penitentiary for a term of years. These mat-
ters were not known to any of the Green Castle
community, where, as has been said before, by vir-
tue of his family and the high esteem in which they
were held, he figured in the best social circles. -
After their removal from Newark to Green Cas-
tle, we find Scott Jackson making his home with
his mother. Being thoroughly conversant with the
manners and customs of the east, at the watering
places, etc., having, as before stated, traveled a great



78 Headless, yet Identifted.
deal, and being naturally of pleasing address, he was,
very soon after his arrival in the Indiana town, rec-
ognized in the best circles of society.
Not long after his arrival in Green Castle, he ex-
pressed a desire to study dentistry, and entered the
office of a prominent dentist in Green Castle to study
the elementary principles of his favorite profession.
Here he met the son of his mother’s next door
neighbor, William Wood, who at that time was a
mere boy some seventeen years of age, or seven years
the junior of Scott Jackson. -
The Wood family and the Bryans were so re-
lated that Will Wood and Miss Pearl Bryan were
second cousins, but she was four years Will's sen-
ior. The two families were also members of the
same church. By virtue of the relation between the
two families, Will Wood was often at the home of
the Bryans, and was always accorded the same privi-
leges and courtesies as members of the family.
Six months after Scott Jackson first entered the
dental office at Green Castle, he went to Indianapo-
lis to continue his studies in dentistry at the Dental
College there. During his college term he form-
ed the acquaintance of a fellow student from Green-
field, Indiana, whose name was Alonzo Walling. It
has been said that during this college term at In-

Scott Jackson. 79
dianapolis, Scott Jackson, with other students,
was continually indulging in escapades of one sort
or another and that during the hilarity of one noc-
turnal outing, he, and the others that were with
him, were arrested, and the next morning fined in
the police court of that city. -
After the term had closed at Indianapolis, Scot
Jackson returned to Green Castle and re-entered the
office of his dental friend and spent most of his time
in research and as much practice work as he was able
to perform.
Will Wood had also taken a fancy to dentistry,
and was at the same dental office when Scott Jack-
son returned from his college studies at Indianapolis.
One day during this time Miss Pearl Bryan came into
the office to have some dental work done. Scott Jack-
son and Will Wood were both there, and Will Wood
very naturally presented Jackson to his cousin.
It was some time after this meeting that Scott
Jackson and Will Wood were strolling one afternoon
south of Green Castle, and they stopped in at the
Bryan farm and Pearl Bryan and Scott Jackson met
for a second time. Very soon at receptions and
social gatherings of young people, Scott Jackson
quite frequently met Pearl Bryan, and it was soon

8O A ſeadless, yet Identified.
noticed that Scott Jackson became a caller at the
Bryan home.
In June, 1895, Father and Mother Bryan took
their eldest married daughter through the west and
south in the hopes of prolonging her life. She was
a sufferer from that most dreadful of all diseases,
consumption. The parents remained in New Mex-
ico for some months with the afflicted daughter.
Mrs. Stanley, now a widow, who had resided at
Topeka, Kansas, until the death of her husband, had
removed to Green Castle and established a ladies’
furnishing store there, spending only the nights at
home, her time being wholly occupied during the
day at her business in the city. Under these con-
ditions, with the absence of the father and mother
with their sick daughter in New Mexico, Mrs. Stan-
ley home only at night, and the boys, Frank and
Fred, busily engaged in superintending the work on
the farm, Pearl was practically alone, having charge
of the house and the household duties.
During these months, Scott Jackson was a fre-
quent caller at the Bryan home, and when the fath-
er and mother returned, after the death of their
daughter in New Mexico, they met Scott Jackson,
and noticed the frequency of his calls. As he was
of pleasing address and of good family connections


MISS PEARL BRYAN. Age 23.


Sºon Jackson. 83
and, as they supposed, of good moral character, they
made no objection to his calling on their daughter.
Whether from the fact that Indianapolis was too
near his home where his escapades might come within
the hearing of his family, or whether from other
causes, Scott Jackson began the fall term of 1895
in the pursuance of his studies at the Dental Col-
lege at Cincinnati, Ohio, instead of resuming his work
at Indianapolis. He came home only at the mid-
winter vacation, after which he returned to Cin-
cinnati, continuing there until February 5, 1896,
when he was arrested on the charge of murder.



CHApTER XIV.
ALL DOUBTS REMOVED–PEARL BRYAN's ACTIONs—
CINCINNATI PolicE NOTIFIED — A LovE AFFAIR-
JACKSON's DESIGNs–HIs Holſ DAY VISIT-WHY
JACKSON DECEIVED HIs VICTIM.
No doubt was now left in the minds of the Bryan
family but that their daughter had been foully mur-
dered. Circumstances that had not been noticed
before were now carefully brought back to memory,
which pointed to an irregularity of a very dangerous
nature.
Pearl, who had been of a very lively disposition,
had, for the past months, been noticed to be at
times despondent, not enough, however, to call for
any explanation. They remembered also that she
showed no desire for the social gatherings and the
company of young people in general, that she had
heretofore enjoyed.
The Sheriff, in company with the two detectives,


(84)
Why /ackson Deceived His Victim. 85
diana.
then returned to Green Castle, and were again in
consultation as to the next step to be taken. Hav-
ing learned that it was all through Will Wood that
Pearl Bryan had met Scott Jackson, the officers de-
sired to hunt him up to see if he knew anything.
A few inquiries, and they were in possession of the
information that Will Wood had been at the depot
when Pearl Bryan had left, ostensibly for a visit to
Indianapolis, and also that he had taken a train some
few hours later for a point unknown at that time,
but which was found later to be South Bend, In-
The officers reasoned that inasmuch as he had
been to the train when Pearl Bryan left Green Cas-
tle he must have known something as to where she
was going and for what purpose. Also, that he
was, perhaps, acquainted with all plans laid for the .
crime, and that he was an accessory, either directly
or indirectly. -
Now that it had a become a plain fact that the
mystery, as far as identification, had been solved, it
would require renewed activitiy on their part to ap-
prehend and cause the arrest of whatever parties
may have been suspicioned, either as principals or
accessories to the horrible crime. -
At the close of their long consultation, they had

86 Headless, yet Identified.
mistake.
N-
decided upon two points. First, they would tele-
graph to Cincinnati for the arrest of Scott Jackson.
Second, they would hunt up Will Wood and arrest
him also. Police headquarters at Cincinnati were
telegraphed to and a request made for the arrest of
Jackson. The request was accompanied by a minute
description of the man, so that there could be no
This done, they proceeded to South Bend, In-
diana, for Will Wood, having learned that he was
stopping with a relative in that city.
These vital matters all transpired during the mid-
night and early morning hours following Wednes-
day, February 5, so that when Chief Deitsch, su-
perintendent of the Cincinnati police department,
arrived at his desk that morning for the duties of
the day, the important dispatch from Plummer, Crim
and McDermott, asking for the arrest of Scott Jack
son on the charge of murder, laid before him.
It has been said by many that close observation
and inquiry never revealed a more shrewd liber-
time than Scott Jackson. Those in position to know
whereof they speak, who were observers of some of
the traits of Scott Jackson at the various places where
he had lived or where he went to school, aver that




Why Jackson Deceived. His Victim. 87
he held the virtue of women in contempt and boasted
of his conquests.
Pearl Bryan, who had become infatuated with
him, had fallen a victim to his designs, and not until
after Scott Jackson commenced his term at Cincin-
nati did she realize her condition. No doubt she was
pleading with him in her letters to save her from her
shame in an honorable way.
We pass by the interim up to the holidays of 1895.
From promises in a vague manner, which he no doubt
sent to her in his correspondence, she was pacified
as much as possible and persuaded to wait his re-
turn during the holiday vacation. He had sent to
her, some weeks before his return, a prescription
which he requested her to have compounded, to
which she paid no attention. She, being informed
by him what day he would come, anxiously awaited
his return. But what was her consternation when
he reproached her for not having the prescription
filled.
Now that it was no questión but that he had de-
ceived her and proposed continuing to deceive her,
she realized, as she had never before, that all his love
for her was but a pretense for wicked designs All her
pleadings with him proved to be in vain, and while
he may have held out some hope to her of amend-
88 Aeadless, yet Identified.
ing, he never proposed in his heart to carry out his
promises to her. -
After his return to his studies from the holiday
vacation, he began to lay his plans to rid himself of
the trouble which was in sight and inevitable. No
doubt, had Pearl Bryan been a resident of any other
community than that of Green Castle, he would not
have bothered himself much about it. The only
family connections and relatives he had in the world,
however, resided there, and he could afford to have
no scandal, knowing that it would mean shame
upon himself, to be borne in conjunction with him
by his mother and sister, who, as has been said be-
fore, was the wife of one of the professors at the
university.


CHAPTER XV.
WARM FRIENDs—A CoNFIDANT—JACKSON's SELF RE-
LIANCE—A DIABOLICAL SCHEME–DESCRIPTIONs—
WHAT HAPPENED FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 1
—THE LODGING House.
Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling were often
in their room (they were room-mates), relating to
each other their experiences, etc., as is usually the
case between chums. It was upon one of these oc-
casions that Scott Jackson told to his bosom com-
panion that he had trouble on his hands with a girl
out at his home; that he had thought the matter
over carefully, and that he proposed to have her
come to Cincinnati, on the pretext of doing the hon-
orable thing by her, but that he proposed to have her
go to some hotel, where he would poison her, and then
cut her body up in small parts and destroy the same;
that he believed he was fully capable to carry out
such a work, and in a manner and way that would
(89)

90 Aeadless, yet Identifted.
throw no suspicion on him or ever leave any clue
whereby she might eventually be traced. In fact,
he proposed murder, and placed enough reliance in
himself to accomplish the matter without ever being
found out. -
No doubt his companion tried to dissuade him
from the perpetration of such a deed, or disagreed
with him in the manner and mode of his contem-
plated destruction of the girl he had so basely be-
trayed. He suggested that, perhaps, it would be a
great deal better to have her come and submit to an
operation than to take the risk of the plan that Jack-
son suggested. - -
For several weeks after this these two close friends
planned and re-planned a prospective event, the out-
come of which was altogether under different cir-
cumstances from which either one thought of in the
first place.
Usually, after studies they were to be seen together,
strolling over the country in the vicinity of Cin-
cinnati. On one of the days of the last week in
January, 1896, they were wending their way around
and about the vicinity of Fort Thomas. Most all of
their spare time from their studies the last days of
January, they were constantly together, laying plans
A Diabolical Scheme. 9I
which proved to be far the most horrible and atrocious
murder of the age. -
It may be well to explain to the reader some of
the characteristics of these two young men. In Scott
Jackson, we find a man of medium height, slight, yet
wiry frame, elastic step, light hair, flashing, bluish,
gray eyes, a good dresser, and one that any one would
pick out to be a man of the world.
Alonzo Walling was of a taller and stronger frame,
dark hair and mustache and dark eyes. Scott Jack-
son, while quicker in his movements than Walling,
who was of a more deliberate and cool make-up,
nevertheless, was of shrewder calibre than Walling.
Walling was some seven years Jackson's junior,
but had drunk of the pleasures of sensational life
pretty freely, and in their estimation of the virtue of
women, which both held of no value, one was about
the equal of the other.
On Saturday afternoon, February 1, 1896, we find
Scott Jackson in the writing room of the Palace
Hotel, in Cincinnati, writing a letter to his friend,
Will Wood, of which more will be said later. Leav-
ing the hotel, he meets his chum, Walling, at a desig-
nated place, for a stroll on the streets. They have
an engagement that night with a fellow-student to
attend a play at the Walnut Street Theater. They


92 Headless, yet Identifted.
pass away the time until evening, when, in com-
pany with their friend, they attended the performance.
The performance over, the three take light refresh-
ments at one of the up-town bars, and bidding each
other good-night, they part, their friend going to
his lodging house, and Jackson and Walling to their
rooms, farther down the street.
The house where these two men roomed was a
modern, three-story building, so arranged that the
lower floor was reserved for two widowed sisters, who
had charge of the building, and all the rooms on
the upper floors were let out to students and other
male lodgers. At this time all of these rooms were
occupied. Each lodger had possession of a night key,
and was at liberty to enter or leave his room at any
time of the day or night he chose.
This house was situated almost within the shadow
of the city hall of Cincinnati, and the street on which
it was located was within easy reach of the great
business thoroughfares down in the city.


CHApTER XVI.
FRED ALBION – How SPARE TIME WAS SPENT –
“THREE OF A KIND” THE FIRST NEWS.–“DAMN
THE SHOEs”—A HURRIED RIDDING UP –CoN.
signed TO THE MUDDY RIVER –WHAT WAS IN
THAT VALISEP —THE PANTALOONS DISPOSED OF.
Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling, though college
chums, were room-mates. They occupied one of the
larger rooms on the second floor. They were on
good terms with most all of the other lodgers, and
were on very intimate terms with a young man
named Fred Albion, who occupied a room directly
over theirs on the third floor. Albion was a barber
by trade, and was often in company with these den-
tal students. In fact, in the later hours of the
evening, night after night, the three were together
in places of amusement, on excursions of all kinds,
and were, to use a slang expression, “three of a kind.”
After the regular study hours of the day were

- (93
94 Headless, yet /dentified.
over, Jackson and Walling could usually be found
whiling away the time at some saloon, or at some
questionable resort, and during the later hours of
the evening they were almost invariably joined by
Fred Albion. - -
On Sunday, February 2, Walling and Jackson
arose about their usual hour, and instead of whiling
away the afternoon visiting the bars, we find that
they attended the Young Men's Christian Associa-
tion meeting. On Monday they attend to their
studies at the Dental College, and that night they
spend the evening in their rooms.
Tuesday, February 4, just after the noon hour,
we find Jackson entering a restaurant, where he
was in the habit of going for his meals. As he en-
tered, a newsboy thrust a copy of the first edition
of the evening papers toward him, crying, “More
news about the murder.” He explained to Jackson
that startling developments were coming in of the
ever-exciting Fort Thomas murder.
Jackson bought a paper, and then entering, took
a seat at one of the tables and gave a hurried order.
He unfolded the paper, and bold, scare heads, an-
nouncing the late developments in the murder case,
met his eye, and he read for the first time that a
Newport, Kentucky, shoe man had been to Ports-


What zeyas ºn that Valise. 95
mouth with one of the shoes, and that it was at that
time being traced at Green Castle, Indiana, and that
no doubt the important links would be completed in
a short time.
His meal had hardly been served, when another
young man, apparently in a great lurry, entered the -
restaurant. It was Alonzo Walling. He carried in
his hand a copy of the same paper that Jackson
had just been reading. Mutual glances were ex-
changed, but nothing was said until Jackson gave
vent to his feelings in the expression, “Damn the
shoes.”
They stayed a short time only, but while they
were in the restaurant, they passed the time in a most
agitated conversation.
They left the place immediately and went direct-
ly to their rooms, where sundry articles of lady’s
wearing apparel were wrapped into bundles. Each
of them took a few bundles and immediately started
for the suspension bridge over the Ohio River.
While crossing this magnificent structure, they
found opportunity to throw into the river the bun-
dles that they had brought from their room. They
returned to their room and began the work of
wrapping up bundles again. When they again
emerged from the house, Scott Jackson carried a


96 Headless, yet /dentified.
valise in his hand. In a short time they were again
on the suspension bridge, and the other bundles, as
before, were consigned to the muddy waters of the
river. The valise, which Jackson had brought to
the river, was taken back again by him. Whether
it was the original intention to throw it over also, or
whether it had contained some articles of clothing,
or more than likely it had contained part of a human
body, which was cast into the river by him, no one
will ever know. As the evening came on they once
more emerged from their lodging house with other
bundles. In a few blocks they had an opportunity to
dispose of these bundles by throwing them into the
catch basin of the sewer. -
Once more the same evening they came forth from
their room, Jackson carrying the same valise he had
failed to throw into the river that afternoon, and
Walling, his companion, carrying a valise somewhat
larger. -
Parting at a nearby corner, Walling took a south-
wardly direction, and stopped at the barber shop where
Albion, their chum, was employed, and handed the
valise to him. Albion took the valise and placed
it in a locker in the rear of the barber shop.
Jackson, who had parted from Walling at the cor-
ner, took a westwardly direction, and stopped at a


What zeyas ºn that Walese. 97
corner saloon, directly opposite the west entrance of
the city hall. Jackson was well known here, and
handing the valise to the bar keeper, he requested
him to keep it and not give it to any one, stating that
he would call for it in the course of a few days.
Late that Tuesday night, when everything was
dark and asleep about the lodging house, Scott Jack-
son and Alonzo Walling, who had both been extra-
ordinarily busy since the edition of the afternoon
paper, were engaged in an earnest conversation, no
doubt laying plans.
Wednesday morning, February 5, Scott Jackson
left the room somewhat earlier than usual. In fact,
his room-mate was still in a deep sleep at this
hour. We see Scott Jackson this morning carrying
a bundle under his arm. Arriving at the Dental
College, he went to the locker used by Walling and
unlocked the door of the locker, then, unwrapping
the bundle, he took from it a pair of pantaloons, which
- bore a number of blood stains and were mud-be-
daubed, and placed them in the locker. Closing it,
he went out on the street for a stroll.
After a short walk, he returned to the college and
met Walling, who, in the meantime, had come to en-
ter into the day’s work at the college.
7


-
CHAPTER XVII.
WEARY VIGIL OF A SHADOW DETECTIVE-THE RE-
WARD, THE ARREST OF SCOTT JACKSON – Scene
AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS–ARRIVAL of JAck-
SON.—DAMAGING ExcLAMATIONS.– GIST OF THE
PRELIMINARy—WALLING ACCUSED — THE OMNI-
PRESENT NEWSPAPER MAN–WALLING ARRESTED
—HIS STATEMENTs — JACKSON REAPPEARs To
RETALLIATE.
About noon that day, had any one been
ally acquainted with the individuals who were con-
stantly passing up and down the street in the
ity of the lodging house, which has before been de-
scribed, he would have known that shrewd detec-
tives were waiting and watching for some one who
was evidently expected to come that way.
The officers were in citizen's clothing, and they
kept a careful watch of the front door of that lodging
house throughout the whole day and evening.

(98)
The Arrest of Scott Jackson. 99
Returning to the Dental College, we find that all
day long the students are kept busy with their col-
lege work, and, with the exception of a short inter-
val at noon, there was little, if any, passing in and
out of the building. Finally, the college session is
over, and the students leave for their respective board-
ing places.
Scott Jackson, instead of accompanying Walling
to his room, as was his custom, went into the up-town
district to take a lunch alone. After lunch, he wan-
dered about the streets for some time, and then con-
cluded to go to his room that evening earlier than
usual. -
He had been under great mental strain since the
day before, for he well knew, after reading the ac-
count of certain tracing going on out at Green Cas-
tle, that those proceedings were of very much im-
portance to him. Somehow or other, he hadn’t the
usual tranquility of mind and spirit, and he seemed
to be disturbed. As he turned the corner of the
street on which the lodging house was located, a
man standing on the opposite corner called out, “Hello
Dusty.”
This was a nickname by which Jackson was often
addressed by his most intimate friends. Jackson
stopped and turned.

IOO Beadless, yet Identifted.
“Yes, what is it?” he said, not knowing who had
called him. -
The other said: “You are Scott Jackson, are you
not º' -
Jackson answered tremblingly: “Yes sir; that is my
name.” -
“Then you are my prisoner,” was the reply of him
who had called to him, who was one of the officers
in the secret service of the Cincinnati police force,
who had been patrolling that district throughout the
whole afternoon and evening, until he was finally
rewarded by this arrest. -
After the telegram from the officers at Green
Castle had been received in Cincinnati, the officers
at police headquarters were kept in a state of sup-
pressed excitement all that day, anxiously watching
and waiting for the apprehension of the individual
they were requested to arrest. To be sure, represen-
tatives of the daily newspapers were among those to
be most interested, and throughout that whole day
and evening they were constantly at hand awaiting
the appearance of the individual upon whom sus-
picions had been fastened out at Green Castle, for
the murder of that poor girl, so that when we find
the officer entering police headquarters with Scott
Jackson as prisoner, the superintendent of police, the

The Arrest of Scott Jackson. IOI
Mayor, a number of police officers and detectives,
besides all of the various representatives of the press,
were congregated at police headquarters.
It is but a few moments after his arrest that we
again find Scott Jackson, this time being ushered into
Chief Deitsch's office. Having been taken unawares,
and almost under the shadow of the city hall, in
which the various police offices are situated, and have
ing had no time in which to collect his thoughts,
he entered the office greatly flushed and trembling
like an aspen leaf.
In this state of mental excitement, the very first
words to which he gave utterance were sufficient to
cause all who heard those fatal words, to think that
the suspicions against him were well founded. He
was invited to take a seat, and in the act of sitting
down he made a fatal remark, viz.:
“I suppose I am wanted in regard to that Green
Castle affair.”
This had been said before any one had spoken since
his entering. So Mayor Caldwell asked:
“Why what about Green Castle?” -
Jackson readily realized that he had made a fatal
mistake, but in the attempt to rectify it, he made
matters still worse by asking whether or not Walling
had been arrested. -


IO2 Headless, yet Identified.
“Who is Walling?” asked Chief Deitsch.
“Walling,” said Jackson, “is my room-mate and
college chum. He is the one who committed the
crime. I didn’t do it.”
This was the first intimation they had that there
were others likely connected with him in the execu-
tion of the crime, and Jackson was the one to give
the first information of this fact.
Mayor Caldwell became spokesman at this confer- -
ence with the prisoner, and, as has been stated be-
fore, Jackson being taken unawares, was thrown
off of his guard for the time being, and in his ex-
cited condition, having the consciousness of the crime
ever before him, became flustrated, and made dam-
aging admissions, the substance of which was this:
He claimed that he had a young friend out at
Green Castle by the name of Will Wood, who had
gotten himself involved in a delicate matter, and
that this young friend had appealed to him some
months ago for help; that in talking the matter over
with his room-mate, Alonzo Walling, Walling had
said that it would be an easy matter, without much
cost, to rid the girl of her trouble, and that he (Wall
ing) understood enough about such matters that he
would not be afraid to undertake such a performance.
Jackson also said that he had left matters entirely





The Arrest of Scott Jackson. IO3
with Walling; that this girl, Pearl Bryan, had come
to Cincinnati the week before, and that Walling had
met her at the hotel, and that when he (Jackson)
had inquired the results, Walling tried to evade the
question. In fact, if Pearl Bryan was dead, Alonzo
Walling ought to know all about it.
After saying these things, it was noticed that Jack-
son's demeanor changed. He had recovered his com-
posure and would say no more. When Scott Jack-
son made the remark that Walling must have com-
mitted the crime, the Chief, pressing an electric but-
ton, soon had a messenger at his side. Writing a few
lines on a piece of paper, he handed it to the mes-
senger, who immediately disappeared.
The message which the Chief had sent was an or-
der for an officer to go at once to the lodging house
and arrest Alonzo M. Walling. -
As has been stated before, many representatives of
the various newspapers were present, and one of them,
a gentleman by the name of Ed. Anthony, surmised
that an officer would be dispatched for the arrest of
Walling. He quietly slipped out with the intention
of gaining an interview with Walling upon some pre-
text or other, before that individual would be arrested.
Mr. Anthony found Walling in his room and told
him that he was an officer, and that Walling should

IO4 Aeadless, yet Identified.
consider himself under arrest. It was but a few mo.
ments later that Walling was ushered into the very
same presence which Scott Jackson entered one
hour previous.
The officer who had received the order for
the arrest of Walling went to carry out the Chief's
order, but learned from the landlady that Walling
had already been placed under arrest.
Jackson having been placed in a cell to himself,
the same conditions existed at the office as before
the arrest of Jackson. Every one was anxiously
awaiting the appearance of Walling. Up to this time
Walling did not know that his friend, Jackson, had
been arrested and by this time was languishing be-
hind the bars.
We see in this young man one with the “I don't
care” sort of air about him. When asked if he was
Alonzo Walling, he said he was, and added that he
presumed he was arrested on account of the Fort
Thomas business.
They told him that he was accused of the mur-
der, and that it was Scott Jackson who had accused
him. This declaration seemed to “rattle” Walling.
He then retaliated his friend’s accusation by declar-
ing that it was Jackson himself who had committed

ALONZO VVALLING. Age 19, one year before arrest.


The Arrest of Scott Jackson. IO7
the crime, and all that he had done was to help Jack-
son remove some of the effects.
After making this declaration, Walling conceived
the idea to maintain a stubborn reticence, in which
he was successful for a short time only. After he
had refused to talk he was taken to another part of
the building from where Jackson was incarcerated
and placed in a cell alone.
After having been in solitary confinement for a
short time, he sent word to the officers that he wanted
to tell something; that he was perfectly willing to
tell the officials, as well as the newspaper men, all
that he knew. He made some admissions, the most
important of which was that he had helped Jackson
to throw bundles of Pearl Bryan's clothing into the
Ohio River. Later in the night he said to a news-
paper man that he had taken a valise that belonged
to Pearl Bryan to a barber shop, where a friend of
theirs named Albion was employed. He had been
requested to do this by Jackson, and that at the same
time he was doing this errand, Jackson also had a
valise, but he did not know what he did with it.
He also stated to the same reporter that he and Jack-
son had thrown some of Jackson's wearing apparel
into a certain sewer.
He claimed that when Jackson had come back

ro8 Headless, yet Identified.
Walling claimed that Jackson wanted his help in
after the holiday vacation he had told him that he
had betrayed a girl out at Green Castle, and that
she had been pleading with him to amend the wrong
he had done her by marriage, but that he had laughed
at the idea, saying that he would never do that;
also, that he would use strategy to get her to come
to Cincinnati, poison her, cut up her body and de
stroy it so that there would be no vestige of it left;
and if that plan was not feasible, he would accom
plish some plan, however, wherein to get rid of her
in such a way that no suspicion would ever be against
him; that he would be able to return to Green
Castle and hold up his head as high as any one.
the murder, and that he had absolutely refused. He
admitted, however, that he knew the date of her
coming to Cincinnati, and that the next morning after
her arrival Jackson received a note from her, but
being occupied on some work that required his at-
tention at college, he induced Walling to carry back
an answer to Miss Bryan at the Indiana House, at
which place she was stopping. He said that the fol-
lowing afternoon he had met her on the street and
had only held a casual conversation with her.
He claimed that Jackson was more reticent than
usual after the arrival of Pearl Bryan at Cincin-




The Arrest of Scott Jackson. IQ9
nati. In fact, Jackson seemed to have something
occupying his spare time so that Walling was not
in the company of Jackson as much as usual. He
had noticed no particular change in Jackson's de-
meanor until he had met him in the restaurant last
Tuesday afternoon, where he found Jackson agitated
and excited with regard to something pertaining to
the Fort Thomas murder which was connected with
the circumstance of the shoes being traced out at
Green Castle. At this particular time Jackson had
applied to him for help, only remarking that things
had gone wrong, whereupon they immediately went
to their rooms for the purpose of tying up bundles
of clothing belonging to Pearl Bryan, which he
(Walling) claimed not to have noticed in the ward-
robe in their room. -
He was asked to tell where the head was, but he
claimed not to know, stating again that he was not
a party to the crime. He said he knew nothing of
it, but that he believed that Jackson had thrown it
into the river also.
Jackson had received the information in some man-
ner that Walling had been arrested and occupied a
cell in the same building in which he was locked up;
also, that Walling was telling some damaging things
against him, which gave Jackson another nervous

IIO Beadless, yet Identified.
shock, and he threw out the intimation that he was
ready to tell the officers and newspaper men some other
things.
The most vital statement that he made was that
perhaps if Walling's locker at the college were search-
ed something might be found there.



CHAPTER XVIII.
WILL WooD ARRESTED — DAMAGING LETTER – AN
ExcITED SALOONIST-THE VALISE—JACKSON RE
ExAMINED —“I GUESS IT WAS, BUT I DON'T
KNow THAT IT WAS’’-WALLING BEFORE THE
CHIEF—WILL WooD GETs His TURN.
We left Sheriff Plummer and the detectives on their
way to South Bend, Indiana. They arrive at that
place in due time, and soon find the youngster for
whom they were searching and place Mr. Willie
Wood under arrest. A letter was found in his pos-
session, which was from Scott Jackson, and was in
itself among the clearest evidences of the guilt of Scott
Jackson that was at that time produced against him.
He had written February 1 to Will Wood. It was
written on the note paper of the Palace Hotel Com-
pany, Cincinnati, and was in substance what is given
below: -
(111)
II 2 Aeadless, yet Identifted.
Cincinnati, Feb. 1, 1896.
My Dear Chum, Will: -
Everything has gone wrong. For my sake, write
a letter to her folks, as though it had been written
by herself, saying that she had been offered a nice
place in Chicago; that she was tired of home, and
that they would hear from her before long. Sign
her name to it. You know how she writes. Have
it mailed at Lafayette or Indianapolis. Don’t delay.
- - Your old chum,
DOC.
Early Thursday morning, February 6, the pop-
ulace, whose interest had grown stronger every day,
received through the press the first news of the ar-
rest of Jackson and Walling. Great excitement pre-
vailed throughout the three cities and surroundings.
That morning the Mayor and superintendent of
police, of Cincinnati, went early to their offices.
These men knew full well the excited condition of
the people and they realized the danger of an out
break among them.
It was my good fortune to be invited by the chief
of police in his private office, where it was decided
that Jackson and Walling should be given another
opportunity to talk, if they chose to do so. . It was
also decided that they would be called in separately,


Walling. Before the Chief. II.3
so that neither would know what the other had said.
Perhaps, of all the interested readers of the morn-
ing papers, no one read the sensational story of the
developments of the case with more interest than
that saloonkeeper, with whom Scott Jackson had
left a certain valise. Among the first callers at the
Chiefs office that morning was this saloonkeeper,
carrying a valise, and earnestly requesting an au-
dience with the Chief. He was at once admitted,
and told the story of the bringing of the valise to
his place, and of his being requested not to give it
up to any one but the one who had given it to him,
who was Scott Jackson.
He said that Scott Jackson was a regular cus-
tomer, and that he had thought nothing of the cir-
cumstance of Jackson's bringing the valise and re-
questing him to hold it until he had called for it,
but having read that morning of Jackson's arrest,
he had thought it his duty to bring over the valise,
as it might have some bearings on the case.
The valise was empty, but the sides and bottom
were besmeared with blood, and locks of hair were
sticking to the bloody side and bottom. A moment's
reflection on the part of the Chief, satisfied him that
no doubt the head had been in that valise. He set
the valise to one side where it could not be seen, yet
8


II4 Headless, yet Identified.
was in easy reach from his desk, and then gave orders
to the turnkey to bring in Scott Jackson.
Besides the Mayor, members of the police force,
detectives and myself, various reporters and artists
of the different daily papers assembled. Scott Jack-
son came into this office in the presence of this as-
sembly, presenting the appearance of having passed
a dreadful night, yet self-possessed and cool. He
was motioned to a seat near the Chief, who told Jack-
son that he proposed to ask him some questions, which
he might answer or not, at his own pleasure. Jack-
son replied that he had no objection whatever to
answering any question.
With that, and before Jackson realized what had
happened, the Chief reached to his side and placed
on Jackson's knee the valise which the saloonkeeper
had brought over a few minutes before.
Jackson flushed, and then changed color, and
seemed ill at ease, but by some wonderful power
which he seemed to possess, he soon partially re-
covered his self-possession, but through the trying
ordeal, to which he was soon after subjected, he was
agitated, cool and excited alternately.
“Do you know that valise?” asked the Chief.
“I do,” said Jackson, “it is Pearl Bryan’s; she
brought it with her.” -

Walling Before the Chief. II5
“Open it,” commanded the Chief.
Jackson did as he was ordered.
“Look into it; put your hand into it,” said the
Chief. -
Again Jackson did as he was ordered, and thrust
his hand into the bloody valise. -
“What is in it?” asked the Chief.
“I don’t know,” said the prisoner.
“Look right closely and see if you can’t tell what
it is,” was the next command. -
Jackson appeared to examine it more closely, and
then said: -
“It looks like blood, but I can’t say that it is blood.”
“Aren't you sure that it is blood?” asked the Chief.
“Yes; I believe that it is blood,” answered Jackson.
“How did that blood get there?” asked the Chief.
“I don’t know,” was the answer. -
Then the Chief thundered in the ears of the startled
prisoner: “Is it not a fact that Pearl Bryan's head
was in that valise?”
As soon as he had recovered his self-possession,
Jackson answered in faltering tones: “I guess it was,
but I don’t know that it was.”
The Chief propounded several more questions of
the same import as the last, but each time came the
answer: “I guess it was, but I don’t know that it was.”
II6 Headless, yet Identified.
“What did you do with the head?” asked Chief
Deitsch.
“I don’t know what became of it, but I suppose
that Walling threw it overboard.”
“What has become of the clothes that were in it
when she came from Green Castle?” was next asked.
“Walling threw them into the river from the sus-
pension bridge.”
Jackson was then taken back to his cell and Wall-
ing brought out.
He was confronted by the valise that had been
taken to the barber shop. He identified it as the
one that had contained the clothing that Jack-
son had requested him to get rid of. He was
next shown a pair of pantaloons that had been
found in his locker at the Dental College. He said
that they were not his pants, but that they were
those of Scott Jackson, and that he had no idea that
they were in his locker. He believed that Scott
Jackson had committed the crime, or knew who did
it; that he had no knowledge of it whatever; that
all he knew was that Scott Jackson had come to
him in a troubled and excited manner, and told him
that something had gone wrong, and that he wanted
him to help get rid of some things, which he did.
After his examination he was taken back to his cell.


The Arrest of Scott Jackson. II.7
That Thursday night Sheriff Plummer and De-
tectives Crim and McDermott returned from their
Indiana trip with Will Wood, who had decided to
come on without requisition papers. Wood, of
course, had his turn at interview. He claimed not
to have had any connection, directly, with anything
that pertained to the crime. He was informed
that Jackson had told the story that a friend of
his, Will Wood, had betrayed a girl out at Green
Castle, a cousin of his, and upon his solicitation for
help, Jackson agreed to help out his chum, Willie
Wood, in having the girl to come to Cincinnati to
undergo an operation. -
When Wood heard this he became very much
nettled, and told the whole story of Scott Jackson's
course with his cousin, Pearl Bryan. Wood said
that he was innocent of any liberties as regarded his
cousin, saying that he was much younger than she;
telling of the time that he introduced Jackson to her
and how they soon met each other often, and that
Scott Jackson, at least from her side, was considered
her suitor. He also asserted that Scott Jackson,
when at home for his holiday vacation, confided to
him that he had betrayed Pearl, and that something
must be done, but after Scott had returned to his
studies he kept up a regular correspondence with

II8 Aeadless, yet Identifted.
him and that Jackson had written, some weeks ago,
that Pearl would have to come to Cincinnati, and
requested Will's help to induce her to make the trip.
He had supposed now that matters were in a con-
dition that it would be best for her to come, and
he, upon request of Jackson, had encouraged her to
take the journey; that he was at the depot when
Pearl Bryan left Green Castle, ostensibly for a visit
to friends at Indianapolis, but in reality to go to
Cincinnati, but that he had no intimation whatever
that the girl was to meet her death at the hands of
a murderer. Even when he had received the letter,
of which mention has been made before, he could
not believe anything else but that in submitting to
the operation it had proved fatal. Whereas, the facts
were that upon post mortem examination of her body,
no indication whatever, external or internal, showed
that even an attempt had been made for a criminal
operation.
-

CHAPTER XIX.
Movements of PEARL BRYAN — JACKSON MISSES
HER—SHE GOES To THE INDIANA House—AD-
vice of A SPIRITUALIST-WITH WALLING AT THE
DEPOT.
The movements of Miss Pearl Bryan may be best
understood if we confine ourselves to the most im-
portant facts, as they were brought out at the trial
of Jackson and Walling.
Evidently, Scott Jackson expected her to come
to Cincinnati Tuesday evening, January 28, 1896.
Not knowing the road, however, over which she was
to come, he went to the Grand Central depot and
Alonzo Walling to the C., H. & D. depot. It is a
fact that she arrived at the C. H. & D. depot that
evening, but did not find Scott Jackson, and, per-
haps, not knowing Walling, missed him. She hired
a cab, and on the advice of the driver, made up her
mind to go to a second rate, but good hotel, the
- (119)

I2O. Aeadless, yet Zdentified.
Indiana House, where she registered not as Pearl
Bryan, but as Mary Stanley. It will be remembered
that she had a widowed sister by that name.
Wednesday morning she sent a note to Jackson
at the Dental College by messenger, who delivered
it to Jackson and brought a reply from him. Some
time during that morning Walling called on her at
the Indiana House, at the request of Scott Jackson,
who sent word by him that he would call as soon
as he could after the noon hour.
Jackson called on her that afternoon. On Thurs-
day, January 30, she strolled about the streets,
stopping at a ladies' hair-dressing establishment and
at a piano store. As she was walking in the vicinity
of the government building, she met a boy with
whose family she was acquainted, as they had been
at one time residents of Green Castle.
Early that afternoon she was with Scott Jackson
and Alonzo Walling, strolling about Bellevue and
Dayton, Kentucky, which are opposite Cincinnati.
Later that afternoon she and Jackson visited a trance
medium.
During the trial this trance medium testified that
Jackson and a young lady giving her name as Pearl
Bryan, wanted a sitting together, but that she in-
formed them that this could not be done. Where-

Movements of Pearl Bryan. I2I
upon Jackson decided to be left by himself in one
of her rooms while his lady friend would be given a
sitting.
The medium said that the girl seemed to be trou-
bled and she took it upon herself to ask her about
her troubled condition. The girl replied that she had
come from her home in Indiana, believing that by
pleading with him he would carry out his promise
of marriage, but that so far he had not acceded to her
proposition. When pressed a little farther by the
medium she admitted that she had been betrayed,
and said that she did not know what to do any more
and commenced weeping, whereupon the medium
told her that if she did not succeed in winning him
over to a marriage by the following day, she would
advise her to return home immediately and confide
to her own mother how matters were. After the
girl had promised her to take heed to this advice
they went to the room where Scott Jackson had been
waiting the close of the sitting and they left.
On Friday, January 31, she was seen with Alonzo
Walling on a side street in the city of Cincinnati in
earnest conversation. On that afternoon she was
again seen in the waiting room of the Grand Central
depot, Cincinnati. Here she was noticed very par-
ficularly by some of the attaches at that depot. She


I22 Aeadless, yet Identifted.
was heard to plead with Walling for her clothes and
money, and was afterward seen leaving the depot in
company with Walling. Those who had noticed
her distressed condition and agitated manner, were
impressed that she must have had some assurance
from Walling, her escort, which induced her to ac-
company him away from that place instead of taking
the train for her home.

CHAPTER XX.
A MISERABLE NIGHT-ScFNE AT A QUESTIONABLE
RESORT-A Color ED WAITER’s IMPRESSIONS-
A FATAL GLAss—THEY LEAVE IN A CAB-
PLAUSIBLE THEORIES.
On this same Friday, early in the evening, a misty
rain had begun to fall. Those who were out on the
streets were hurrying to their destination, and me-
chanics, professional men and all who were engaged
from their homes were going from their work.
Let us stop for a moment at a saloon in the ten-
derloin district in Cincinnati, not a great distance
from Jackson and Walling's lodging house, which,
like all places of its kind, is divided off by a partition,
separating the bar from a number of small rooms
curtained off in the rear. This place was frequented
a great deal by the demi-monde, who invariably en-
tered at the side door. -
Between six and seven that evening, a time when



(123)
I24 Aeadless, Yet Zdentified.
such places, if ever, are vacated, we find in one of
the small rooms a young lady, evidently out of the
sphere in which she has always moved. The young
lady is Pearl Bryan, whom we left in company with
Alonzo Walling leaving the Central depot that after-
noon, but who is now with him whom she loved
best, Scott Jackson. What their conversation was in
that room no one but her heartless betrayer, and He
who hears all our words, knows. -
Scott Jackson left her alone for a moment to go
to the front part of the room to the bar. During
his absence a colored waiter walked to the waiting
room and noticed the girl. A mere glance at her
was sufficient to convince him that the lady was not
of the character that usually frequented that place.
At the bar Jackson ordered a glass of whiskey and
drank it there. After drinking the liquor, he asked -
whether or not Walling had been there. He was
told that Walling had not been in. “I am expecting
him any moment,” said Jackson. He then said to
the barkeeper: “My lady friend back there don't feel
very well, and I believe you had better ſix me up a
glass of Sarsaparilla.” The barkeeper did so, and
passing it out on the counter, asked if he should have
a waiter to take it back to her. Jackson answered:
“No; I want to put a headache powder in it; I will

Pearl Bryan, last seen alive on evening of Friday, January 31st, in connparny
with Jackson, VValling and Geo. H. Jackson, Coachnaan.
-
-


A Fata/ Glass. I27
55
take it back myself.” He took a paper from his
pocket, which appeared to contain a large powder,
and emptied it into the glass and took the mixture
back to the room where Pearl Bryan was, and where
he induced her to drink it. While Jackson was on
this errand, the front door of the room opened and
Alonzo Walling entered. He seemed to be in a great
hurry and was dripping wet. Asking for Jackson,
the bartender pointed his finger so that Walling un-
derstood that he was in one of the rooms with a lady
friend. Walling walked back to the room where
they were and very soon came back through the bar-
room and left by the front door, where he had en-
tered. At exactly the same moment Walling made
his exit, Scott Jackson and Pearl Bryan left the room
by the side door. -
The colored waiter, whose curiosity had been
aroused by the appearance of the girl, her dress, man-
ners, etc., which told him that she was not of the
kind of girls that congregate at such places, walked
to the back door to watch the proceedings on the
outside. He saw a closed carriage, with Alonzo Wal-
ling on the seat. Scott Jackson was seen assisting
the lady into the carriage, after which he also en-
tered and they drove away.
No one knows what occurred from the time they

I28 Headless, Yet Identifted.
left the saloon until a late hour that night. Noth-
ing that happened from that time until some hours
later was brought out at their trials, yet many theories
and conjectures were offered. The most popular
and perhaps the most reasonable was that Pearl
Bryan, realizing the seriousness of her condition, did
leave her home at Green Castle, intending to sub-
mit to an operation, which, though criminal, would
conceal her downfall. But after her arrival in Cin-
cinnati and the critical moment had come, her higher
sense of morality prevailed, and she absolutely re-
fused to undergo the trying ordeal. It was brought
out in the trial, however, that she did refuse to take
some medicine which Jackson had taken home with
him at the Christmas vacation, and which would at
the time have produced the desired effect, but he
could not induce her to take it.
It is evident that she relied to a certain extent
upon her affections and pleadings to overcome his
wishes in that respect, believing that she could pre-
wail upon him to marry her. Scott Jackson, how-
ever, as has been shown, was of a firm resolution
never to do this. Indeed, his threats and pleadings
had assumed quite a serious aspect, which is shown by
the circumstances at the Grand Central depot, where
the poor girl tearfully declared that she would not


A Fatal Glass. I29
run the awful risk to which those who should have
been her protectors were trying to induce her to under-
go. Where, with weeping and pleading, she begged
that they would torment her no longer, but let her
go home and confide the whole matter to her dear
mother and look to her and her God for consolation
and advice. .
Does it not seem probable, that seeing her so de-
termined in her efforts to arrange matters honorably,
that they induced her to return to their room, prom-
ising that they would engage a cab, drive over the
river into Kentucky, and then consent to her wishes
and adjust matters by ending all in marriage?
Whatever it was that induced her to return to the
city after having gone to the depot, no doubt with
the intention of returning home, no one knows pos-
itively. The most general belief is that they prom-
ised that evening to do as so many young people have
done; that is, to cross over to the Kentucky side and
there be married. -


CHAPTER XXI.
A Color ED MAN STRIKEs A JoB–SICK STORY OF
A SIck Wom AN–THE FATAL RIDE BEGUN – A
THoRough LY FRIGHTENED DARKEY — THEY AR-
Rive AT THE LANE–THE DARKEY ESCAPEs.
Some time after 11 o'clock the same night, a col-
ored man was approached by a white man in the
vicinity of the saloon mentioned before, who wanted
the service of some one to drive himself and another
gentleman, with a sick lady, several miles back of
Newport, in the country, to the home of a friend.
He stated that owing to the lateness of the hour, the
bad condition of the weather, and the fact that the
woman was very sick, he had not the time to spare
to go for the services of any particular one. He was
willing to pay several dollars if the colored man would
be willing to undertake the job.
Glad to earn a couple of dollars so easily, the negro
replied that he was ready for the job. He was told
to wait and they would be back with the conveyance

(130)

The Fatal Rade Begun. I31
in a very few moments. In a short time the vehicle
approached the place where the colored man was
waiting, and being driven to the curb, he mounted.
The one who had engaged him was seated by his side,
his friend and the sick lady inside the carriage. The
colored man was instructed as to the route and di-
rection that were to be taken. The same led toward
the Ohio River. They came to the new central
bridge which spans the Ohio River between Cincin-
nati and Newport, Kentucky. It seems that the in-
clemency of the weather and the dreariness of things
in general had driven every one off the streets and
bridges, and they were not even stopped on the bridge
for toll to be collected. -
Once over the bridge and into the city, their
course led to the southwestern part of Newport, and
soon they leave the city behind them and are fairly
out on the highlands of Kentucky.
If there were any conversation, murmurings or
moanings of any kind going on inside of the carriage,
the rumbling of the vehicle over the paved streets
of the cities completely drowned them out. But now
they were out on the country roads, which, before
the rain that had set in, were somewhat dusty, but
were now covered with a thin coat of soft mud, so
that the carriage made very little noise in going at
I32 Aeadless, yet Zdentified.
*rapid rate across the country. Weird moans were
now distinctly heard coming from the inside of the
carriage. It seemed, too, as though the breaking of
glass was heard. These sounds, and the dreariness
of things in general unnerved the colored man, and
he began to wish that he had inquired more par-
ticularly into the nature of the job. He tried his
best to brace himself up and become reconciled, as
it were, to his fate, but his courage still waned and
he could stand it no longer. Turning to the man
who was sitting by his side and who had engaged
him, he said: “Boss, I don’t like dem groans back
dere; I don’t want no money. I guess I’ll thro up
dis job.” Imagine the darkey’s fright and astonish-
ment, however, when his resignation was answered
by the man drawing a loaded revolver from his
pocket and pointing it at the dumfounded Ethiopian
said: “You go ahead on this job and do as I bid you,
or there’ll be a dead nigger.” More dead than alive,
the negro proceeded several miles more and a turn
to the left was made and the noise became more dis
tinctly heard by the driver, who began to think what
a foolish fellow he had been for taking a position from
some one whom he did not know, and whose name
he could not learn. *
Soon they reached another macadamized road and




The Fatal Ride Begum. F33
then made another complete turn to the left. They
reached a gentle hill and descended it for a distance
of half its length, when the negro was ordered to drive
in toward the fence. He obeyed, and in a moment
later received a second command to stop. As he
obeyed the order he noticed that they stopped at a
large gate at the end of a lane. He was told to
wait there, and not dare to leave until they had taken
the sick woman out to help her to what the negro
supposed to be the house, that could be slightly dis-
tinguished some distance away.
The men found the gate apparently nailed shut,
but this did not daunt them in the least, and they
got her out of the carriage. She was apparently in
great misery and could proceed only by being sup-
ported on either side by the two men. They lifted
her over the gate and supporting her, one on either
side, they slowly proceeded up the lane.
The negro could hear them going up still further,
and not having had an opportunity before to get away
from the performance of his foolhardy contract, he
realized that now was the chance to make good his
escape. As he began to creep slowly away, he no-
ticed that the horse was acting restless and that every
time he made a move the horse was trying to fol-
low him. He remembered having noticed while on
I34 Beadless, yet Identified. -
the seat an iron weight which he returned to get
and then tied the horse. This done, he took a west-
wardly direction and away he went as fast as his
legs would carry him. He cut across roads and
fields, and in a short time came to an elevation where
his eyes were attracted by the glare of the lights in
the three cities, which guided him back to Cincinnati,
where he was employed as coachman for a retired cap-
italist, and reached the stables of his employer in time
to go to work as usual early that Saturday morning,
February 1.


CHAPTER XXII.
THE DRIVER IN A QUANDRY — GEORGE JACKSON – A
TRUE STORy—PERJURy—JACKSON A MURDERER,
WALLING His Accom PLICE – VERDICT OF THE
JURy—FACTs CoNCERNING THE TRIALs—CLos ING
REFLECTIONS.
The negro was a regular subscriber to one of the
Cincinnati evening papers and on the receipt of his
paper Saturday evening he read of the finding of a
headless body near Fort Thomas. The paper stated
that there was no doubt but that she had been
murdered and the crime was causing intense excite-
ment. The negro remembered very well that he had
driven a party to that neighborhood late that Friday
night, and from all the circumstances connected with
the case and especially his own exciting experience,
there was no doubt left in the negro's mind but that
the woman who had been found was one of the party
which he had driven to Fort Thomas that awful night.
- (135)
136 Headless, Yet Zdentified.
He thought that it would not do for him to report it
because he knew none of them. He would not have
been able even to recognize the man who had employed
him in the darkness of the Friday night before. All
that he might recognize would be the voice of him
who had hired him and the voice of the other man,
who had done some talking while they were getting
the woman out of the carriage. -
He reasoned with himself that if he were to report
the matter and not be able to give any explanation, the
now thoroughly excited populace would more than
likely regard him as the murderer or as an accessory
to the crime, which would place him, an innocent man,
in a very critical condition indeed.
He was confident that he would remember the horse
and the carriage, as dark as it was, for it is a well-
known fact that coachmen will remember the peculi-
arities of a horse which they have driven with as much
accuracy, if not more, than most people remember
human faces. Besides this he remembered that One
of the lanterns on the side of the carriage was bent as
though it had at some time been struck with some ob-
ject. He also noticed that the door catch on the right
side was wrapped with wire, showing that it had been
broken, and from the sounds which he had heard es:
caping from the rear while on their journey, it was
ping - - Y


The Trials—Closing Reflections. I37
more than likely that the back pane of glass had been
cracked some way. -
Day after day the negro could hardly wait for his
evening paper. He read of the shift of the proceedings
from Fort Thomas and vicinity to Green Castle, Ind.;
then of the arrest of Jackson and Walling, then of
their admissions, and when link after link of the long
chain of damaging evidence was forged about them
and there did not exist a doubt but that they were the
guilty parties, the negro, whose name was George
Jackson, made known to the officers of Cincinnati the
trip he had taken through impenetrable darkness on
that fatal Friday night. - -
He stated that he did not think he would be able to
identify the men unless he could do so by hearing
their voices, and especially if they were to use the same
language that was used in his hearing and to him on
the occasion of the nocturnal trip to Fort Thomas.
The negro and his cab story were the cause of
another exciting chapter in the history of the great
crime. Many doubted the story, however, thinking
that the negro was trying to secure notoriety or to gain
the reward that had been offered by one of the papers
of Cincinnati, because it had become the opinion of
the public that a conveyance of some kind had been
138 Headless, Yet Identified.
used to take the unfortunate girl to the place where
she was murdered. - -
At the trials of Jackson and Walling it was the gen-
eral report that the negro's cab story would prove to be
a fiction, but his story remained unshaken, and parties
who went on the witness stand in the interest of the
defense for the purpose of defeating the effects of the
George Jackson cab story have since been indicted for
perjury and subordination of perjury. One of the
parties has since confessed that he knew nothing what-
ever of the matter, but for a money consideration he
had perjured himself. So in the face of all the bitter
opposition to it, the negro's story remains substantial
to the present day. -
Many complications arose before Jackson and
Walling were finally landed in Kentucky, where both
had in the meantime been indicted for murder.
To show a point, it will be seen that here were peo-
ple of Indiana, sojourning temporarily in Ohio, com-
mitting a crime in Kentucky. After fighting extra-
dition through the lower, higher and circuit courts of
Ohio, they are finally landed in Newport, Ky., and
the day is soon set for the trial of Scott Jackson, to be
followed by the trial of Walling.
Perhaps no trials in all the history of the criminal
courts of the United States ever attracted as much at-



The Trials—Closing Reflections. I 39 -
tention as did the trials of Jackson and Walling.
Every prominent newspaper in the United States and
papers of London, Paris and Berlin were represented
by special staff correspondents. - -
After a trial lasting over a month, the case of Scott
Jackson was given to the jury, who found him guilty
of murder in the first degree and fixed his punishment,
according to the laws of Kentucky, at death. The
trial of Alonzo Walling did not require as much time
as that of Jackson, and at the end of two weeks was
concluded with the same result.
The defense admitted the identity of Pearl Bryan.
Ordinarily, they would have questioned it, but
the fact of the history of the shoes was so plain that
the question of identity was never raised. They tried
to prove that Pearl Bryan was dead in Ohio, and that
if the defendants were guilty of any crime at all, it
was that of defacing a corpse. But the fact that the
blood was found to the height of several feet on the
privet bushes showed to the satisfaction of all, that
while most likely she was under the influence of an
opiate, still she must have been alive, for the heart
being the pump, the blood would not have squirted
when her throat was cut, but would simply have flowed
out. -
Thus ended the most startling, most atrocious, and
I40 Headless, Yet ſaleutified.
most heartrending murder case that has ever come
before the minds of the peace-loving people of the
United States. It is a comparatively common occur-
rence, yes, too common, to hear of a foul murder, but
almost invariably there is some cause, either directly
or indirectly, for the crime. In this case there was no
occasion for the raising of a hand against this unof-
fending, innocent girl, who had already been wronged
and was only pleading to him in whom she had reposed
that confidence which only women can repose in any
human being.
The cruel decapitation, the cruel concealment of the
head, and the diabolical attempt to deceive the loving
family, and even to cast a shade on the moral char-
acter of the one they had already made their victim,
goes to make this crime one that will ever be remem-
bered by the American people. -
Out in the church yard at Green Castle was laid
away the headless remains of Pearl Bryan. Not far
from that sacred spot the old father and mother are
passing their days in indescribable grief. Over in the
city of Green Castle, Jackson's poor mother is pining
away. Fifty miles north of Cincinnati is another
mother whose grief must be unspeakable.
All these heartbreaks and griefs are the result of
false steps, bad company and bad habits.
THE END.





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