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Is This The Man?

Is This The Man? image
Parent Issue
Day
14
Month
February
Year
1889
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

During this week, an old, seedy-lookine; individual has been around the city apparently very busy, but at the same time very secretive. Testerday it developed that the man was detective Ballard, of Jackson, and that his business here wbb following a clue in the mysterious Crouch murder, in Jackson county, several years ago. Ballard was at one time in the employ of the Crouch family hunting for the murderers,butfeeling himself handicapped, he bas been working for the rewards for the past three years. Ballard was convinced that there was one man living, who altbough perhaps not implicated in the crime, undoubtedly knew more about it than had ever been made public. This man was named Hiram WincheU, and he was about Jackson at the time of the murder. He had traced Winchell all over the country but had never been able to lócate him. Ballard traced the history of the man about the time of the murder, and found that he was in Jaoksou the morning following. He was met driving out of th city by a farmer whotn he had had dealings with, early on the morning after the murder. The farmer told him tb stop at his house and get something to eat, and he would see him when he returned from Jackson. The farmer learned of the Crouch murder on arriving at Jackson, and on gerting back home told his wife that the whole Crouch famüy were stabbed that night. The visitor spoke up and saiö, "No, they were shot." Although he haa been at the house all the morning, he hail not mentioned the aflair until this time. The detective asserts that his man was at the Crouch homestead a short time before the murder, and that he warned the servant girl (who said on the trial that she had heard no plstol shots) that if she heard anything strange that she must not mention it or she would be killed. The detective asserts that he had knowledge of other damaging circumstances concerning the afiair and is satisÊed that if the suspect was not an acces3ory to the murder, at least he knows the details and who the murderers were. The detective had a photograph of the man that he was after.and yesterday morning asked Philip Duffy, who lives near VVhitmore Lake to identify it. Mr. Duffy pronounced it a likenesa of a man named Hiram Winchell, who was working for him on his farm. He said that the man had worked for him at different times during ihe past six years, but was not working for him at the time of the Crouch murder. He says Winchell is a quiet, hard-working man, about 39 years old and unmarried. Detective Ballard, feeling sure that he now had the man he wanted within his grasp, left immediately for Mr. Duffy's farm, accompanied by Sheriff Walsh. They were to have returned by six o'clock last evening, but had not returned at noon today, and it is impossible to say whether they had the right man or not. The officers returned today after taking WincheH'B statement. They claim that he imparted information wbich will be valuable in tracing the clues they eow have.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register