Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 23.pdf/147

 That Florafountin Murder Case terminate sentence with a six months’ limit. The Canadian authorities readily agreed to release Slidem from jail and hand him over to properly constituted American authority upon presentation of extradition papers. In this direction progress was highly satisfactory. The next step was the report as to the blood-clot on the piece of kitchen ﬂoor. The public chemist had delayed his report until he could get an independent

veriﬁcation if possible from a high ex pert authority of the state medical pro fession. After elaborate and most thorough tests these distinguished ex

perts practically agreed — one being cer tain that the blood was either that of a human being or of a hog, and the other so far agreeing with his brother microscopist, but was moreover in

clined

to

think

that in

this case

he could differentiate and say with

reasonable certainty that it was the blood of a human being. It is a well-known, accepted scientiﬁc fact that the blood corpuscles of the human and hog are as nearly alike as some other characteristics of the two mammals, and that it is usually con

sidered impossible to distinguish between them. However, as the hog proposition was out of the question in this case, the tentacles of the law were getting a ﬁrm

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of opposition, consented to waive the extradition proceedings and to cross the international boundary line in the joint custody of the Hamilton county sheriff and the Canadian police authori ties. The culprit therefore made the long trip with the sheriff and eventually was safely lodged in the Hamilton county jail. This feat, together with the remark

able and conclusive blood examination affair, brought the state's attorney felici

tous congratulations from the entire county._

It was apparent that if the sometimes admirable French criminal system were in vogue, making it practically neces sary for an accused aﬁirmatively to prove his innocence, the prisoner would

be as good as hanged already. But there was one most vital element lacking which was privately causing

Josephus Demos much anxiety. In the most plausible and convincing case of murder it is necessary to pro

duce or account for the body of the via timl The most searching investigation failed to cause either the neighborhood or the river to give up a body.

And no victim came forward to ﬁll the hiatus. Of course Bill Sykes and Pete Slidem's

wife had both mysteriously disappeared under most suspicious circumstances,

but had they disappeared from the face

grip upon Mr. Pete Slidem, alias Pierre Slickem, as a murderer who was likely to get his due. It evidently was a cold

of the earth?

day for him when he struck Medicine Hat where the Mississippi valley bliz

Slidem no doubt had killed them, but were they dead?

zards are supposed to have their origin.

Who could say that they, or either of

them, were dead!

If they were, Pete

At this juncture, and within twenty four hours of his arrival, Pete Slidem

Before the red tape circumlocution between the foreign office authorities at

himself came to the rescue.

Ottawa and Washington could reach a

theretofore refused to talk, but now

ﬁnality as to extradition, Pete Slidem,

he had sent for the state's attorney and apparently intended to make a

apparently convinced as to the futility

He had