The Clue in the Rubber Boots
A fire in a barn on White River leads to an arrest after a trail of distinct boot prints is discovered.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Yesterday forenoon, on complaint of J. C. Stephenson, Edward Iden, a young German aged about 30 years, was arrested on a charge of burning the H. P. Keyes barn, on White River, recently sold to J. C. Stephenson. Iden was taken before John Alexander, Justice of the Peace at Titusville, when he had a preliminary examination and was bound over in the sum of $500 to appear before the grand jury. Being unable to furnish the requisite amount, he was sent to Seattle in charge of Constable R. H. Roberson, who turned him over to Sheriff McGraw. It appears that out at the scene after the fire, the fresh tracks of a man were plainly seen going toward the barn and also leaving the barn. Those indicating that the man was going toward the barn were close together, indicating slow walking, while those leaving, made by the boots, were much farther apart, showing that the man left in a hurry. The tracks were followed and led directly up to Iden's cabin, three-quarters of a mile distant. The tracks were made by rubber boots, partially worn. The heel of one of the boots had two nails in it, and the other heel had three nails. On entering Iden's cabin before he was notified, those who had followed the tracks saw near his bed a pair of rubber boots, and on examining them, found the nails in the heels and toes to correspond with the tracks to and from the barn. Iden denied any knowledge of the affair, but his bad actions, as well as his evasive and stolen statements concerning his whereabouts on the night, tended to confirm the suspicions of his guilt.
“Those indicating that the man was going toward the barn were close together, indicating slow walking, while those leaving, made by the boots, were much farther apart.”
Forensic evidence—specifically tracking footprints to a specific pair of shoes—remains a cornerstone of criminal investigation. This case from the White River area highlights how the rudimentary 'detective work' of the 1880s still informs the logic of modern police procedure.
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