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Show BLOODY CRUTCH HI PROVE GUILT Cripple Stands in Shadow of the Gallows for Murder Committed for a Few Cents. Web of Circumstantial Evidence Being Be-ing Wove Around Alleged Murderer Mur-derer of Salt Lake Painter Who Was Beaten and Strangled to Death. Salt Lake City. A bloody crutch may prove the Important clue which will bring to the gallows the murderer of John C. Burnett, the painter who was beaten and strangled to death in a rooming house in this city, the crime evidently having been committed with the purpose of robbery, the murderer, however, securing less than $5 after committing one of the most revolting re-volting crimes in the history of the city. In Hugh Meyers, the one-legged man, arrested a few hours after the discovery of the mutilated body of John C. Barnett, the police believe they have the real murderer of the unfortunate-painter and paper hanger who was lured to his death for a few dollars. Gradually a web of circumstanl ial evidence is being woven around Meyers, Mey-ers, and as the meshes are being drawn tighter there seems little likelihood like-lihood of the escape of Meyers from the direct accusation of being the actual murderer, or at least an accomplice. accom-plice. The most importance piece of evidence evi-dence so far obtained, and which so strongly incriminates Meyers, is his crutch. It developed Saturday that the crutch exactly fits into the wounds upon the head and hands of the murdered man and fits so perfectly perfect-ly as to leave no room- for doubt in the minds of the police that the crutch was the instrument used in the death-dealing blows. In addition, several other important import-ant bits of evidence, all tending to fasten the crime on Meyers, were secured. In the running down of the evidence the detectives proved conclusively con-clusively that the story told by Meyers Mey-ers in connection with the incidents of the night of the murder was false in many respects, that he had betrayed be-trayed his own falsehoods in telling conflicting 'stories. Equally important import-ant was the result of an analysis made by State Chemist Herman Harms, which revealed fresh blood stains on Meyers' shoe, crutch, hat and handkerchief. The shirt worn by the murderer, and from which the bloodstained cuffs and sleeves had been torn off, was also found in a. toilet room in the Mambino saloon,' and the officers are positive that the shirt belonged to Meyers. |