Show THE MAN IN THE TRUNK A missouri Editors Deductions and Theories on the Southern Hotel Mystery Though additions to the circumstantial evidence in the MaxwellPreller mystery have been numerous since it was reviewed in the Republican on Saturday last the case lies now as it did thenbetween two I theories Either the corpse in the morgue is that of Preller murdered for his money by a criminal crank or it is not Preller and there has been murder committed The Republican has reviewed both theories without being able to reach any decision in the absence of positive evidence evi-dence either way The theory that the corpse is that of Preller has been the more probable on the face of the facts but the French proverb which says that probability is i not always on the side of truth is especially es-pecially applicable in such mysteries as this where there is only probability to goon go-on The extracts from the Boston Herald published yesterday have a most important im-portant bearing on the case They show on the authority of Dr E H Graham Dewey of Boston that just before leaving leav-ing that city for St Louis Maxwell succeeded suc-ceeded in procuring the corpse for which he had been seeking This is the most important piece of circumstantial cir-cumstantial evidence that has been developed de-veloped in the case The following paragraph para-graph from the Herald gives the statement state-ment of Dr Dewey on this point He thinks it a practical joke on the part of both the men He says that if such be the fact Preller will never make it known unless Maxwell is arrested While in Boston Maxwell was very anxious to get a dead body He asked I Dr Dewey if he knew where one could I be obtained That gentleman stated that the laws of the state were strict in regard to stiffs and he could not get one for use outside the medical school Maxwell said he wanted the body to experiment on A few days after this conversation Maxwell went away and was gone about three days When he turned up he told Dr Dewey that he had obtained a stiff He was asked how he obtained it and he replied that he got it in the oldfashioned V1ylie snatched it He told Dr Dewey when questioned that he would not tell him where he get the body but he would get as many more as he wanted and if he wished to that he it procure one he would see got Taking this statement of Dr Deweys in connection with the leading circumstances circum-stances of the case the absence of a moustache on the face of the corpse and its want of resemblance to Preller in other ways but more especially taking it in connection with the testimony of the Southern hotel porter who on Max wells arrival in St Louis carried his trunks to his room this new testimony is calculated to still discredit the theory that it is PrelleVs corpse in the I morgue The porter it will be remembered I testified that after taking Doctor Max I wells trunks to the room he uncorded all of them except the one which was afterward found to contain the corpse This trunk Maxwell would not allow him to touch Assuming that the corpse is the one I Maxwell obtained in Boston hisreason I for leaving it must be one of the mysteries mys-teries of the case It may be that it was a practical joke but tlie inference is strained We have never held to the I theory that any insurance fraud wag I contemplated there being nothing to i show that the question of insurance is at I all involved We have indicated the possibility I pos-sibility that the corpse was left for some fraudulent purpose but have only indicated I indi-cated it as a possibility Another possibility is that Maxwell having bought the corpse having it in his trunk in a warm room and finding that the process of decomposition was going on with uncomfortable rapidity made up his mind that both he and Prellor who had shared his room could decamp and leave it more easily than they could take it away or remain and allowing it toremain in their possession explain how they came by it A corpse in ones trunk at a leading I hotel would obviously be enough to frighten any man who had qome by it I without murder when he considered the I certainty that being found with it he would be arrested as a murderer with a I case of circumstantial evidence against himTaking it all in all the case is one of I the most interesting St Louis ever had It is worth watching for developments I |