124 clean breast of it.
The Green Bag He had designedly
been kept in ignorance as to the state's
anxiety, but appeared to be taking things quite coolly. He of course knew all about it. But Pete Slidem started his moment ous confession of that awful murder by asking embarrassing questions. He wanted to know if the state's attorney
had found the bodies of his wife and Bill Sykes. The wily Josephus parried by sug gesting that the prisoner was no doubt well-informed as to where the bodies
were. Pete was thought to be facetious when he then allowed that the bodies were probably somewhere in Iron county in a mountain state where they originally came from. This seemed preposterous, but the ac
cused murderer was resting comfortably from his long journey, and for the time being refused further information. On a venture, the authorities of this Iron county were communicated with, and the astonishing information was elicited that the "bodies” of both Mrs. Slidem and Bill Sykes were there, were in fairly good condition, and, moreover —- were alive! This of course ended “that awful murder case."
their old home in Iron county and there was no satisfactory evidence that their relations were or ever had been im
proper. A day or two thereafter Pete Slidem
had secretly gone to the Alberta county with the view of eventually selling out
in Hamilton county and settling in Canada. Arriving at Medicine Hat he had gone on a protracted spree, lost all his money, and been incarcerated in
jail as before stated. The blood found in the kitchen re sulted from the killing of a chicken which
Pete had prepared for his dinner before he went away, the expert microscopic examination to the contrary notwith
standing. The mysterious note was never satis factorily explained, but the handwriting was very similar to Pete Slidem's, and
it was the state's attorney's theory that Pete had written and caused the note to be mailed to the sheriff for the pur pose of getting out of the Canadian jail and free transportation home into the bargain. No more satisfactory explana tion was forthcoming. Pete Slidem was discharged without
apologies.
There was no statute under
which he could be punished for send
ing the anonymous note, even though
pointed to the commission of a horrible crime, developed the probable facts. It appeared that Pete Slidem, his
the charge could be brought home to him. After all there did not seem to be any serious misstatements in the note. Even when referring to the blood-clot, and saying "it looked like there had been some fowl play," he seemed to keep
wife, and Bill Sykes who was a distant connection of madam, had engaged in a
strictly within the truth though he probably was guiltless of an intentional
protracted, final, recriminating, tongue lashing quarrel. There had been no seri ous physical violence, but as a conclu
play on words.
sion the three determined to separate
the
permanently without delay. Mrs. Slidem and Bill Sykes took a midnight train for
emporium and explained the final situa
Subsequent investigation of this curi ous denouement of what from all rea sonable deductions of apparent facts
The state's attorney ventured into county
seat's
main
refreshment
tion to his fellow guardians of the law.
