Fifty Years a Detective: 35 Real Detective Stories. Thomas Furlong
attended to a matter of business for his firm at Boston he had to go to Toronto, Canada, where he would be detained but a day or two. Then he would leave Toronto for St. Louis, Missouri, where he also had some business to do for his firm, which would require but a short time, and that from there he would go through to San Francisco, California, and sail from there on the first steamship to Auckland, New Zealand. Maxwell told him that he believed he would go from Boston to St. Louis, where he (Maxwell) would await the arrival of Preller from Toronto, then accompany him to Auckland just for the trip. This proposition pleased Preller.
They arrived safely in Boston, where they remained two or three days together, and where Maxwell learned that Preller had in his possession seven one hundred dollar bills. After Preller had finished his business in Boston they settled their bills at the Adams House, where they had stopped, went to the depot together and separated, Preller going to Toronto and Maxwell to St. Louis. They had agreed that Maxwell was to stop at the Southern Hotel in St. Louis, there to await Preller. Maxwell arrived at that hotel and engaged a room, where Preller joined him a couple of days later. I think it was Saturday when he arrived, and they occupied the same apartments.
On the following Sunday, after they had eaten their dinner and returned to their room, Preller complained of suffering from stomach trouble. Maxwell claimed to have some knowledge of medicine, and administered an overdose of morphia, hypodermically. A short time after administering the drug, and when he saw that Preller was beginning to breathe his last, he poured more than half the contents of a four ounce bottle of chloroform into Preller's almost lifeless lips. When Preller was dead, Maxwell stripped the body and placed a suit of his own underwear on him. Maxwell was small in stature, being only about five feet five inches in height, while Preller was much larger and about six feet tall. Maxwell's clothing was marked with the name of Hugh M. Brookes, and they were entirely too small for the body of Preller.
In removing the underwear Maxwell used a candle snuffer, which is very much like a pair of scissors, only the cutting surface had a half-circle. He cut the undergarments the full length of the limbs so that he could easily strip them off. Then he managed to pull his own garments on the body. He emptied out the trunk belonging to Preller, and pressed the body into it. He had to almost double it into a circle to get it into the trunk, but he succeeded. Then strapping and locking the trunk, he put his own, as well as Preller's effects into his own trunk, and retired for the night.
The next morning, after breakfast, he called at the cashier's office, settled his bill, and stated to the clerk that his friend Preller had been obliged to make a short run out of town, and would be back to the hotel in two or three days, and desired that the room be held for him, as his trunk and effects would remain there until he called for them. Maxwell explained that he had to leave that morning and expected his friend Preller to join him later.
He instructed the head porter to bring his large trunk down into the corridor. The one he had ordered brought down contained the dead body, but, to his consternation, the porter brought down the one in which his and Preller's effects had been packed. He became very much alarmed, and had his trunk taken to Union Station and checked to San Francisco, buying a ticket for that place. He departed over the Frisco Road, and arrived in San Francisco, where he remained one night, and the following day bought a ticket for Auckland, New Zealand, and sailed that afternoon.
The weather was quite warm in St. Louis, and after a few days decomposition set in upon the corpse in the trunk. The odor from the room attracted the attention of the servants. They reported to the office, the room was entered and the body found. The police were notified at once. A good description of Maxwell was furnished by the hotel people, and telegrams were sent in all directions, giving this description, and requesting Maxwell's arrest.
Capt. Leas, Chief of Police of San Francisco, received one of these telegrams, started his detectives to investigate, and succeeded in learning that the murderer had sailed for Auckland some three or four days before he had received the telegraphic description of him from St. Louis. Whereupon Chief Leas cabled the proper authorities of Auckland a full description of Maxwell, and even the number of the stateroom he occupied on the ship. Of course, Capt. Leas' telegram reached Auckland several days before the ship arrived.
When the ship arrived at Auckland, the police sent out two of their detectives with the pilot, who was to guide the steamer on which Maxwell had taken passage into port. They arrested him as soon as they boarded the ship, and when the vessel landed immediately notified the St. Louis authorities, in accordance with Capt. Leas' instructions to them. After obtaining proper extradition papers, the Chief of Police of St. Louis sent two of his detectives to Auckland to bring Maxwell back to St. Louis. They went to Auckland by way of San Francisco, found Maxwell in jail there and brought him back to St. Louis. It was a long and expensive trip, and cost the city of St. Louis a great deal of money.
On arriving in St. Louis the prisoner was locked up without bail, on the charge of murdering Preller. He immediately employed two lawyers to defend him. After having consulted with his lawyers, Maxwell became jubilant—so much so that he became obnoxious to his fellow prisoners. He was naturally inclined to be overbearing, and seemed to hold himself aloof from the other prisoners. He was rather inclined to braggadocia, and attracted a lot of attention. The daily papers devoted a great deal of space to him, which he seemed to enjoy immensely. In fact, the notoriety appeared to be very pleasing to him.
Marshall F. McDonald
The Famous Criminal Lawyer who prosecuted Brookes, alias Maxwell
A few days after he had been lodged in jail in St. Louis, Ashley C. Clover, Circuit Attorney of St. Louis, in company with Marshall F. McDonald, Assistant Circuit Attorney, drove out to my residence one night. I was then Chief Special Agent for the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, and both Messrs. Clover and McDonald were personal friends of mine.
Mr. Clover stated that the object of their visit was in reference to the Maxwell case. He went on to state that although the arrest and returning of Maxwell from Auckland to St. Louis had cost the city of St. Louis a great deal of money, and the case had become one of international importance, yet he did not believe that the officers of the St. Louis police department had made any efforts to get at the real facts in the case. So far they had not found enough evidence to procure a conviction, in case the defendant went on the stand and testified that the giving of too much chloroform to Preller was an accident. Mr. Clover said that he wanted the real facts in the case. "For," he said, "while there is scarcely any doubt that Maxwell caused the death of Preller by an over-dose of chloroform, yet he may have done it innocently, and if such is the case, under our laws, he could not be convicted of the murder, and ought not to be, in my opinion. But, on the contrary, if he dosed him purposely and feloniously with forethought and malice, he ought to be convicted. If he did it innocently, and I could be assured of that, I would be pleased to ask the jury to acquit him, but, as I said before, if he is guilty it would be my duty as circuit attorney to insist on his conviction. And now, Tom, I want you to get the facts in this case for me."
To which I replied, "Mr. Clover, I really do not know anything about this case, except what I have read in the newspapers, and, of course, you know as well as I do that a man cannot base much of an opinion on a case of this kind on newspaper accounts, and, therefore, I wish you would give me a little time to think the matter over. I fully approve of the sentiments that you have expressed in connection with the case, and will be glad, indeed, to do all in my power to assist you."
Both gentlemen said they wished that I would take the matter under advisement until the following evening at eight o'clock, at which time they would again call at my house to talk the matter over with me.
The following evening at the appointed time they called and were both apparently anxious to learn what I thought I could do in the way of obtaining the facts pertaining to the case.
After the usual greeting, and when both had been seated, I said, "Gentlemen, I have been thinking about the case in question, and have become satisfied that there were but two people who knew the whole facts connected with the case, and the facts that you now desire to know. One of these persons is now in jail, and the other