6 P\s lT\ STORIES OF THE SECRET SERVICE BY Capt. Patrick D. Tyrrell (/I <r~ * STORY No. 2 The Bothamley Murder Mystery Being an Account of the Efforts Made by This Government to Bring to Justice the Murderer of Clement L. Bothamley, an Englishman Killed in Kansas. By CAPTAIN PATRICK D. TYRRELL b* J {Copyright, 1905, by Marion G. Scheitlln.) There is an old country proverb to the effect that "Tombstones never lie." In an obscure spot in an old cemetery at Newton. Kan., is a grave at the haad of which stands a small marble aiab bearing these words: In memory of : • BERTHA L. BOTHAMLEY, : Beloved wife of : : Clement L. "Bothamley. : Contrary to the old saying, this 'tombstone lies, but it is a lie that will be forgiven its author because it was .engraven in marble to cover the sin of a woman. The rearing of this mod est marble slab marked the close of one chapter in a tragedy that had its scenes laid in two continents, ran the whole scale of human emotions and ended In murder. It is seldom that an operative in the secret service of the United States is selected to unravel crimes other than those against the currency of the coun- i try. My connection with the Botham- ] ley case came about through a request made by James J. Brooks, at that time chief of the secret service for the fed eral department of justice. John W. Carr, secretary of the British Associa tion of Kansas, had written to the British ambassador at Washington, asking that he solicit the aid of this government in cleaving up the murder of a countryman and securing the con- 1 viction of the murderer vr murderers, j Chief Brooks assigned me to the work | because the crime had been commit- j ted in territory with which I had be come familiar in the constant search for counterfeiters. It often happens that the man who makes the unraveling of crimes a pro fession is called upon to take a case long after the commission of the crime he is detailed to solve. Such tasks are the. most difficult in the detective's calling. Time is the criminal's strong est protector. This is illustrated al most daily in our criminal courts, in prosecutions which fail to -osult in sonvictions at the first trial. Before a second trial can be held some wit nesses die or disappear, the recollec tion of others loses its clearness and various considerations in favor of the accu(l appear. These same consid erations work to the advantage of a criminal before the case gets into the courts. This digression applies aptly to the strange case I am about to re late. Had the same efforts been made in the early -part of a certain October as were started the latter part of the following January I am convinced that the closing scene of this story would have been laid at the scaffold. Hail certain significant incidents in the do me itic history of a man and his wife In a small Dakota hamlet been care fully investigated several months be fore I was called upon togo over them. I am certain they would have led to startling revelations that, would have proved one murder and prevented an other. Briefly stated, the mystery before me was the murder of Clement L. Botham ley. a good-looking, middle-aged Eng lishman, wealthy as riches were com puted in the west at that time, and while on his way over the Arbuckle trail from Kansas to Texas, with 2.300 sheep. The Arbuckle trail was one of those great highways of the plains that then served the nomadic cowboy, sheep herder and immigrant as wagon road and railroad combined. Its winding course from Caldwell, Kan., to Fort Reno. Indian Territory, was dotted on either side with lonely graves, un marked and in most instances spell ing "finis" to one of life's tragedies. In such a grave the body of Bothamley bad been buried the same day ho was found dead, his final resting place be ing near a small post known by the gr.'wsorue appellation of "Skeleton ranch." This bonier country was plagued by murderous Indians and white dcxpi>r auiutM, ou« as much to be feared by j the peaceful settlers as rho other, ard I each willing to cut a throat or use the ' j deadly six-shooter at. the slightest prospect of gain. Three months or more had elapsed i between the murder ot the Englishman \ and the time I was assigned to the | clearing up of the case, and this made j it necessary for me to secure all the ! j data concerning the finding of the j ! body and the incidents attending it at j second hand. Fortunately, a 17-year-1 old boy, Wesley Vetter by name, who | had been in the employ of the mur- j dered man, was in Wichita and dis- j posed to tell an unvarnished tale of ! the circumstances surrounding the J death of his employer. With this lad I visited the scene of the murder, 70 j miles from Caldwell. This visit re sulted in nothing except the fixing in my mind of the events as related by Vetter. " To reduce the statements of his Kan sas friends to a connected history, Clement L. Bothamley had arrived in Florence, Kan., some months before j the murder in company with a stately, ! handsome woman, whom he introduced ! as his wife. While the appearance of \ two personages of such evident distinc tion and wealth at the frontier town would naturally excite unusual inter- j est at any time, the advent of the t Bothamleys was an uncommonly memorable event, owing to the fact that their luggage consisted of .11 j trunks, to say nothing of innumerable boxes and portmanteaux. Bothumley's manner was that of a lord, and his ' companion indicated plainly by her hauteur of manner that her new en vironment was far different from that to which she had been accustomed. | In his talks with Florence people j Bothamley was a native of London, j who, with his wife, was seeking a i home in frontier America. He talked j of cattle and sheep raising as his in- j tended vocation. Attempts to learn ; more of him than he told in a business , way were futile. After two weeks he ! moved from Florence to Newton, soon after moving to a ranch of 640 acres i several miles from the town. Two months after his arrival at Newton his companion died in child- I QTT '.4 \H Wl t ' n I VLJTT LA PT \ brr- u'c??> r I |JI I/ / I 1 ir^l/J Mj kLL li ,// 1 TIIEIR LUGGAGE CONSISTED OF THIRTY-ONE TRUNKS. birth and was buried there. As there was no reason to doubt the truth of his claim that the woman was his wife, she was buried as such, and he I assumed custody of her personal ef ! fects. including a $3,000 pair of dia | mond bracelets and other jewelry and ! wearing apparel, amounting to much | more in value. Despite the distance at which Bothainley had always kept j his neighbors and ihe reticence he ' practiced in regard to his personal 1 affairs, there was a wave of sympathy | for him at the death of his wife. He retired to his ranch, went in for the 1 raising of sheep, and.in a measure, ■ dropped from view. Throughout that - section of Kansas there were several of Bothamley's countrymen engaged in tile same occupation he had taken up. [ One of these was William H. Phillips. who was made the administrator of j Bothamley's estate after the murder, and who told me that Bothamley's con ! neetions in his native country were | high. Later, among his effects we j found a uniform of an officer in the yeoman cavalry, which had been his, together with other evidences of his former prominent position in England. According to the story of Vetter, who was employed at the Bothamley ranch, his master announced one day j in the summer that he was going to Newton to meet his sister, who was | coming out from England. On his re ! turn he was accompanied by a petite, | brown-haired, blue-eyed young wom an of about 25, whom he introduced ! to the men at the ranch as his sis ter Bertha Bothamley. The pair lived at the ranchhouse as brother and sis- I ter, and th'* current of affairs ran I smoothly until Bothamley decided to | move to Texas, where. h<> claimed, lie I had n brother. Arrangements were ; quickly made for the trip. The outfit" consisted of 2,300 head of sheep, four yoke of oxen, some horses, a buggy nnd a wagon boxed in with ceilir This, wagon had been used by an itinerant dftguerreotypcr. The lious" part was j seven feet high and wide and t"n feel IOIIR. Ft was supposed to furnish shelter for Bot hamley's sister and to I protect the owner of the outfit from CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY i, 1906. wot wn'h»r, a* he suffered frnm ■ rheumatism. The atari, was made the | latter part of August, with Vet tor and i ; nother man, William Drulsou. to help | care for the sheep. Little progress | was made at first, as Bothamley was 1 attacked with rheumatism and had to | lie taken back for treatment. October found the outfit at Hackberry creek, | on the Arbuckle trail, the scene of the : murder. V'etter and Dodson seldom slept j more than 125 feet from the car, the : woman sleeping on a raised couch in ! the car and Bothamley on a "shake | down" on the floor, or in the covered I buggy close by. Karly in the morn ing of October 7 Dodson and Vetter, j who, contrary to their custom, had | gone to sleep some distance from the car, were aroused by cries from the woman, who was rushing toward them. "Something awful has happened at the car," she cried. She was much excited and dazed, j complaining that "something ailed her | head." Vetter immediately went back ! to the car, found the door shut and re turned to the others wihtout attempt ing to investigate. The woman urged j Dodson togo to the car. He opened ! the door and saw Bothamley lying on , the blankets 011 the lioor, dead. A bullet hole under the right eye told the 1 manner of his death. When Dodson informed the woman ' that Bothamley was dead she became | hysterical and wept violently. Dod- j j son saddled a horse and rodo several miles to the camp of a man named I Collins. Bothamley's body was pre pared for burial, the funeral taking | place the same day at Skeleton ranch, with the woman, Dodson, Vetter and ! Collins in attendance. The next morn j ing Dodson and the woman washed { the blood stains from the bedclothes. ' After three clays, during which Bothamley's supposed sister said she I had written to England concerning the j death of her brother, preparations j were made to continue the journey to Texas. Meanwhile, however, news of the ; finding of Bothamley's tody had trav- I eled over the thinly settled country | and reached the ears of the Indian ; police, the regularly constituted con stabulary of the Indian Territory. Just as the outfit was about to move on the woman and the two men wero taken into custody by the Indian i>o lice and sent to the Wichita jail pend | ing an investigation of the murder. ; All three stoutly protested innocence. There was no general belief that cither of the men had any guilty knowlcdgo of the crime, but many thought the woman had committed the murder. This remained to be proved or dis proved. Eliminating the possible guilt of j the murdered man's supposed sister, the most tenable theory of the affair j was suicide. This was the belief held by those who did not think the | little, mild-mannered woman guilty. I Steps were immediately taken to learn | Bothamley's history, and this invest 1- ! gat ion wj3 not without results. I Through different agencies it was j found first that Bothamley had desert | ed his wif-? and two children in Ixm | don, and, second, that the woman i with whom he first came to Kansas j was not his wife, but a Mrs. Harriet I Miller, an English woman of wealth j and position, win* had deserted i>cr husband in ixmdon in order to flee with Bothamley to a country where they could continue their guilty love affair without the ostracism and pun ishment with which they would have met in their native land. They burned ail their bridges behind them, and started their new life in a si ot where it was not customary to pry too deep ly into the affairs of one's neighbors. Then death look a hand. Thousands of miles from the home she had de serted for love of another woman's husband Mrs. Miller died and was bur led under the name of the man for whom she hml sacriflteil all. |Tn Ito Continued.! Japs Take Honors. Five American youths In the Univer sity of California flunked nn examina tion, but the Japanese who waited on their table paused the eour e with hlga j honors. The Japs must go. POPULAR SCENIC ROUTE. Buffalo & Susquehanna Railroad Company. Condensed Timo Table in Effect June 4, 1905. Rkad Down. Rrad Up. Sun clay Week Days. Dtily Week Days. only I P.M. A. M.j A.M. A.M. P.M. P.M. STATIONS. A.M. A.M. P.M. P.MPM SIS ' 8 !H 1118 fi 18 .!Lv Addison Ar 10 13 i U HSO 600 '.) OD 12 00 li 00 K noxvillr 1130 ' 4 00 M<W 811 917 12 11 611 W tat Held !l 17 :« *7 765 647 947 12 47 647 Gaines Junction ... 841 Vll 725 10 to 10J Ar. \ iLv 823 711 700 10 20 5 0(1 7C» Lv. } uaitton,. j Ar 83 „ 4co - 0 - 740 11 01 5 4«; Cross Fork June... 739 623 800 11 20 602 ! Hulls '7 18 602 820 1140 6 20, I Wharton I 6 5)1 i 540 | 12 15 1 Sinnamahotung... | 5 to | 12 ''o Driftwood : 4 52 1 02 | Medixßun j 4 CH 12" ! Tyler i 342 ! 131 Penfield ; 333 " | 2 00 j Dultoia. 1 3 00 P. M. P. M. P.M. i A.M. P.M. P.M. A. M. P.M A.M P.M 820 U 45 620 I ! Wharton 656 '5 20 1110 829 112 00 629 ! j Costello 641 15 08 1058; 838 12 15i i I | Ar J ll.v 63a 500 10'.0; 1 oo; 638 800 | Lv ( • AU«un / ,ir | 310 95U 805 200 705 84V j.... Keating Summit A.M.! 220 9107 40 P. M. I A. M.I A.M. P.M. A.M. I A. •«. Sv M. 830 330 Wellsville I I 8 M 8 f.B; 3 521 Genesee 7 II <118! 909 4 oil West Bingham | | 7to 2 06[ 927 415 Newfield Junction. .j 7 13! 1 50, 10 10i 4 55: Gaieton ! ! BMi 105 j I I I _ m | p M 11 05 1 625 ! Cross Fork June.... i 730 j 540 11 55 710 Cross Fork (130 | 440 IIIJI I I t I CONNECTIONS. Additional trains lc.ive daletoa at 8:15 a. m. and 6:23 p. m., arrivtig at Ansonia at 9:21 a.m. and 7:90 p. m. Returning leave An3onia at 9:35 a. m., ant 8:39 p. m., arriving at Oaletoa at 13:09 a. m., and 9:05 p. in. At Driftwood with P. R. R. At Illinois with B. R. & P. Rv. At Keating Summit with ». & A. V. Div. of Pennsylvania R. R. At Ansonia with N.Y.C.& II R. It. for all points north and south. At Newlleld Junction with C. & P. A. Ry., Union Station. At Genesee with N. Y & Pa., Ry. Union Station. At Addison with Erie R. R., Union Station. At Wellsville with Erie R. R. for points east and west. At ginnamahouing with P. R. R.—P. &E. Div. M. J. McMaxxon, Div. Pass AK't.,Ga,leton, Pa. W. C. PARK, Gen'L Supt., Gaieton. Pa. E. A. NIEL, Traffic Mgr. Buffalo, N.Y. C. PETER CUBIC. Gen'l >l<r. Buffalo, N.-Y. Jill M-POLKA.OOT.CANS.aK W flt MIT] I POWIS THE TIMEToPAINTIi M Important LJ * P*.«i s*o 001(40 00 Übot. sy> 00 (*!•«), will last b*t T>ir« Tk« HOI ;«IAT »r* '>2o 00 Üboi SM) 00 pa.M), will u« »«;?<»« fU r«. Tbw ia« Wu* goo 4 patmm't m$U 00- ik« f*A>, fxaui'i. |X)«. , r Abovc all, USE GOOD PAINT! |g [ _ The oil I linseed oil I Just pure linseed is the "life"—the one great rcquis» ■h- Itt o( tood paint (or which there is no substitute—and the sure wjy to Pet the, Mb | JH pure, fresh linseed oil is to buy the oil and Mnloch KB |4j > n MOUSE PUUMT . ■j separately." For (very gallon of Kinloch Paint buy one gallon of linteed oil. ■■ BR This makes two gallons of-paint, ready for use. You then know that the paint' Hi I you're putting on your house is alive—"ihe genuine oil is in it,"and paint is not £ ] paint unless it contains 50* of really pure oil. Wc will furthet explain 'Jie virtues ■ of Kinloch Paint if you will call us. ■»" BH L POR SALE BY Q BHURTEAU & FORBES 0 rwmw* KEEEBgEgggM ■ ■ ■ G.SCHMIDT'S,' — FOR FR£SH BREAD> J fjopdlar p '" noy " e k "r E a«. n Mui £ £ ramaNM? CONFECT|ONERy Dally Delivery. All orders given promptand skillful attention . §WHEN IN DOUBT, TRY Theyhawsstood thetntofyeg^ OTDnUC i-_ *g "a hav« cured thousands ol ulnUfaU (■ M J * ¥ fvcases of Nervo*is Diseases, tuck W /LbQiS-* Debljitv, Dizziness, Sleeple«»- |n|||| I andVaricckrele,Atrophy,&c AuAlll I clear the brain, strengtheß . . .... perfect, and Imprrt a healthy vigor Co the whole All drains and losses are checked permanently . Unless patients are properly cured, their condition often worries them into Insanity, Consumption or Death, Mailed sealed. Price $i per box; 6 boxes, with Iron-clad legal guarantee to cure or refundlhs money, #5.00. Send for free book. Address, PEAL WfcDlClNi CO., CUvolttd. Q. Ver tale bjr R. 0. Dodscn, Druggiit, film yttrium, Pi. THE I Windsor | Hotel 1 ffi Between 12th and J3th Sts.. on Filbert St. H I Philadelphia, Pa. Three minutes WALK from the Reading B Five in unites ,e Penn'a R. B European Plan $1 .no per day and upwards. B American Plan s2.<>o per day. . FRANK M. SCHEIULEY. Manager. B 8 A safe, certain relief for Bupprefiwd B u Menstruation. Never known to full. f*afe! B ■ Bora! Speedy I Bfttiithctlon Guaranteed I ■or money Refunded. H«*nt prepaid for B ■ £I.OO per box. WillKend them on trlnl, to B R be paid for when relieved. Bam plea Free. B B UNITED MIDICALCO., Bo< 74. L*NCA»TC» PA. B Hold iu Kiuporiuui by L. i'l'aggart am 11. C. Dodaon. Foley's Kidney Cure makes kidneys end hi wider rixht Kft Ha I cr^—^F E * I NL\I DE. C. DBWITT Be COMPANY. CiIiCAGO. ILL. bowl by H. G# Dodtton, Druggint. j j j | | Bend model, sketch or photo of invention for < 1 j free report on patentability. For free book, r j : 1 j The Place to Day Cheap S ) J. F. PARSONS' / MUM'S COMPOS a peed 7 regulator: 2!le*nta. Drugg!*** or mall booklet free. DK. LAFKA.NCU, Philadelphia, l*a. 1 TJMR TARLF NO. IT. ! COUOERSPORT & PO.<T ALLEGANY R. R. | Taking eileci 4<» v 27111. lUII. EASTWARD. FlO 3~j4 I 8 I 2 1 STATION'S. I ; ! 1 I\ M.I 112. M. A. M A. M. Pert Allegany,.. 3 15' i 7 05 11 3# i Coleman '3 21 « ; «U U 1 Burtvllle, «.t I i#i ;11 47 Roulette, ii iO 1 7 HI, ~ 11 M Knywlton's »3 «!.... •» ! «ll M IdiCA, : 3 69! I 7 3.0 ! 12 03 Dimmed, N US: !«7 38 . *n 0* Ruuimonds j OO j ] Ol .... «12 IS rf.>r»n„ri / Ar 420 A.M. 745 ... 12 IS ,p °rt' j Lt.; j0 10 1001 00 North (Joudoisport, »« is! 00 <| us Krlnk'e .1 ;s| 'c, in »i na Colesburg | *8 40: *6 17 1 M Seven Bridges I :»r, «! «o 21 »1 V 4 Raymonds'*, i *7 co| ...."6 30 1 Oold. ] I 7 05 1 63 d 141 Newtleld, 1 00 | ] 4^ Pfewfteld Junction,.. j 1 7 37' 6 45' 1 AO I ferkln* «7 43 *6 4.1 •! 58 Carpenter's, 1 740 i OO *1 57- Crotvell'g, I ! 7 60 «a 53' '2 01 i Uly«e» Ar. j 305 ..... 105 111 i U.M.I I | P.M. WESTWARD. ' FTI « P 'sTl STATIONS. — -I ! |A. M. P. H A. M. ..... - OTywes,. Lv.: 720 225 910 I Oroweii'a «7 27 *2 32 • 9 19 j Carpenter's 00 »2 34 • 9 221 Perkins *7 S2 *1 in '9 20 .... | NewfieldJJune'ion, j 787 242 9 32! Newfleld, # 7 41 246 a ' ..... Gold ! 744 243 9 40j Raymond's j*7 49 254 * 917 .... j Seven Bridges, e H 01 *3 01 *lO C 2 ....» Colesburg, •<! 01 3 0') *lO l«i ..... Frink's, *8 12 «3 17 *lO 23| North Coudersport, 00 *3 28 *lO 35 .. . < Ar. 3 25 8 SO 10 45 Coudersport, i I j P.M. ( Lv. » 28 8 00! 1 30j Hammond* 00 ! 00 j 00 ..... Olmsted !H 33 «8 06 *1 3! ..... Min», 837 810 1 37; Knowlton's 00 :«6 17| 00 ..... Bcilettc, 847 621 1 61;...., Burtvllle 8 54- 628 2 011 ; Coleman *6 31 00 ..... Poi t Allegany, 9 Oft 040 2 251 • (*) Flag stations. (°°) Trains do not stop ♦ l Telegrsph offices. Nos. 3 and 10 will carry passengers. Tains 8 and 10 do. Trains run on Eastern Standard Time. Connections—At Ulysses with Kali Brook R'j( for points north and south, At B. & 3. Junc tion with lluftalo Si Susquehanna R. R. north lot Wellsvllle, south for Qaleton and An«onla. Al Port Allegany with W. N Y. & P. R. R., north for Buffalo, Olean, Bradford and Smethporti south for Keating Summit, Austin, Emporium i c.od Penn'a R. R., points. B. A. McCLURE Gen'lgupt. Coudersport, Pa. jlWho is Your Clothier? I If it's R. BEGER & CO,, you are getting the right kind of merchandise. There I is no small or grand decep ■ tion practiced in their store. 1 Sustained success demon strates that there is j "growth in truth"in the I retailing of I NEW AND UP-TO-DATE ] CLOTHING AT POPULAR PRICES. j R. SEGER CO. | For Bill Heads, 1 Letter Heads, Fine Commercial Job Work of All Kinds, Get Our Figures. jJWWfcb 1 Mm I IIIIIIIIHI Hi HUH i itfW tl rt A onr. tn«r«r.t»el If you u«. ( I PILES Suppositorgj uj D. Xa'.t. Thompson, Supi. B M Graded 8?hoola, Rf!<. G\, wrltas •' ! ean »r.j B H th«y a q til TOU dlHlui for l>r. l>r. 8. M. I)« Tor«, I 13 Fl»»<sn Rook, w. V»., «rltet: Thtr anlrorsat O VI factloa." Dr. H. I». keOKl, CUrkihcrf, Tcor. . irritca: I H "In % pr««tlct of 33 jeart, 1 b»v« fotul 00 r«nic4T to | H equ-l jwuri." Pkira, to c BFTS. flarnp:*! Free. Sold K P? l>? DrUfjliU. MAnT |N BUOY, LANCASTER, PA. | Sold iu by 1-. and &. <1 Oodaon. EVERY WOMAN Jfej Sometimes needs a roliabln jrPOT monthly regulatittg medicine. Sw" » /A dr. PEAL'S PENNYROYAL piLLS, Are prompt safo and certain in rasult. Tho conu. ico (Dr. l'eai'B) never dUuppoinC. cl.oo per boiv Sold by R. C. Dodson, druggist. K0c205 Dyopepesa Cuk 1 12« Diga«ts wiiai you cat. Foley's Kidney Cure makes kidneys and bladder right. BANNER BALVE the most healing salve In the world.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers