A moneyed young Texan becomes one of Mrs. Sanford's Lodgers. – The Bonds are seen, and their Numbers taken by the Detectives. – Mrs. Sanford Arrested. – Sudden and Shrewd Defense by the Prisoner. – She is found guilty of "Involuntary Manslaughter" and sentenced to the Illinois Penitentiary for five years. – Misdirected Philanthropy, and its Reward. – Mr. Pinkerton's Theory of the Manner in which Trafton was Murdered.

Having discussed my plan with my superintendent, Mr. F. Warner, I sent for one of my youngest men, named Thomas Barlow, and gave him explicit instructions as to the course which he was to pursue in connection with Mrs. Sanford.

On the first day of February, therefore, a young fellow called at Mrs. Sanford's about five o'clock in the afternoon, and asked if she had any rooms to rent. She was very civil to him, and offered him the room at the head of the stairs, for three dollars a week. While she was showing him the rooms, she asked him a number of questions about himself; and as he was a smooth-faced, innocent-looking young man, he told her all about his affairs. He said that his name was Thomas Barlow, from Texas, where his father was a great cattle-raiser; he had brought several hundred head of cattle to the city, and had sold them at a high price; he intended staying in Chicago for a short time, and then he should go up the Red River of the North, in the early spring, to do some fur trading, as he believed there was a good deal of money to be made up there, by any one with sufficient capital; he intended to have a good time in Chicago first, however.

As soon as Mrs. Sanford learned that he had money with him, she became very affectionate indeed, telling him that she would make him more comfortable than he could be anywhere else, and that she would treat him like a prince. She introduced Morton as her brother, and said that they would all go to the theatre together. At first, Barlow refused, but she insisted so urgently, that he finally consented to go. He went away for an hour to get his valise, and when he returned, Mrs. Sanford was dressed in her most stylish clothes, as if determined to make the best possible impression upon him. He was very good-natured and boyish, apparently believing all she told him, and laughing at all her attempts to be funny. After leaving the theatre, she learned that one of her old acquaintances was to have a "grand opening" in a new saloon, and she was obstinately determined to find the place. After walking about for an hour, she called a hackman, and offered him five dollars to find this new saloon, where she was anxious to take a drink, as she said, "for good luck and old acquaintance' sake." After driving about until midnight, she learned that the opening was postponed, and they then went to a restaurant near her house to get supper. It was two o'clock before they went to bed, but before going, Mrs. Sanford learned that Barlow was to receive his pay for the cattle in a check for over four thousand dollars. She talked with him about the risk of carrying money around on the person, and told him that he ought to buy bonds, as then they would not be lost even if they should be stolen. He agreed with her, and said that he would try to buy some bonds when he got his check cashed.

The next morning they took breakfast with Mrs. Sanford, as she seemed anxious to keep Barlow with her as much as possible. It was noticeable that she did not, as she had usually done in all previous instances, tell him anything about young Trafton, who had died in her house, "with eighteen thousand dollars in bonds in his boots." She told Barlow that she had some bonds, and he would do well to get the same kind.

"I don't know much about them," he replied, "but if you think they are good, I guess they are good enough for me. What are they like? I never saw any."

"I will show you mine," said Mrs. Sanford. "I am going to sell one of them soon, as my lease is up at the end of the month, and I want to buy a house."

She then went into her bedroom, closed the door, and remained several minutes. When she came out, she had a fat pocket-book in her hand, and she took from it the two pieces of folded paper which she had shown to Morton. On opening them, she spread them out, and both Barlow and Morton saw the numbers plainly, as they looked over her shoulder.

"There, these little tickets are coupons," she explained to Barlow; "and every six months I can get fifteen dollars in gold by cutting off one from each bond."

"Did you say you wanted to sell one?" asked Morton. "If you do, perhaps you might sell it to Mr. Barlow, as a sample of the kind he wants to get."

"Yes, that would be a good idea," said Barlow; "then they can't fool me with any other kind, when I go to buy."

"Well, I guess I will do it," said Mrs. Sanford; "at any rate, you can see me about it before you go to buy yours."

She then put the bonds into the pocket-book again and went into her bedroom. On her return, Barlow told her that he must go down town to get paid for his cattle, and he asked Morton to go with him. Accordingly, the two men went out about noon, but Mrs. Sanford called Morton back a moment to tell him to stay with Barlow all day.

"Don't you lose sight of him for a minute," she said; "and bring him back here with all his money."

They did not return until after four o'clock, and Barlow told her that he had been obliged to go to the stockyards to get paid. He then went to his room for a few minutes, and Mrs. Sanford asked Morton whether Barlow had his money with him.

"Yes, they gave him a check for the amount, but it was too late to get it cashed, and he will have to wait until to-morrow."

"Couldn't we get it away from him and forge his name to it?" she asked. "We could get it cashed the first thing in the morning."

"It would be too risky," he replied, "as they probably know him at the bank, and we should be arrested at once. But you can offer to go with him to the bank in the morning, and he is so soft that you will not have much trouble in getting a large sum out of him."

During the evening, Mrs. Sanford was very affectionate toward Barlow, and she learned all about him. He told his story in such a way, that she believed him to be an innocent country boy from Texas, whose most dangerous experiences had hitherto consisted of hairbreadth 'scapes from steer and bull. He showed her a check on the First National Bank for about four thousand dollars, and told her that when he got it cashed in the morning, he would give her a nice present. It was then agreed that she should go to the bank with him next day. The evening was spent in reading aloud and singing, and they all retired much earlier than usual.

When Morton and Barlow left Mrs. Sanford at noon, they had, of course, come to my office to report their discovery of the stolen bonds. There was now no possibility of a mistake, as they had seen the two bonds of the series A, numbered 57,109 and 87,656. I therefore instructed Mr. Warner to obtain a warrant for her arrest, and a search warrant for her house, both to be served the next morning before the hour appointed for going to the bank with Barlow. Everything was prepared in advance, a trustworthy constable was obtained to make the arrest, and a telegram was sent to Mr. R. S. Trafton in Cleveland, asking him to come to Chicago immediately. A reply was received the next morning, stating that he had left by the evening train.

About eleven o'clock on Saturday, February 3, Mr. Warner and the constable arrived at Mrs. Sanford's rooms. On knocking at the door of the sitting-room, they were admitted by Morton, who asked what they wanted.

"I would like to engage rooms, if there are any to rent," said Mr. Warner.

"I will speak to the landlady," said Morton, going to the door of her room.

"Tell the gentleman to call again," said Mrs. Sanford; "I am not dressed, and can't see him."

"I only wish to see her a few minutes," Mr. Warner replied, addressing Morton in a tone loud enough to be heard by Mrs. Sanford, whose door was slightly ajar.

"Well, I can't see the gentleman until this afternoon," she replied.

"I have some important business, and I must attend to it now," answered Mr. Warner, putting his foot in the opening and pushing the door in with his shoulder; then he continued, addressing the constable, "This is Mrs. Sanford, and you can arrest her now."

The constable immediately took charge of her, and she was allowed to complete her toilet, though Mr. Warner first searched her dress, before letting her put it on. He then made a careful search of the bedroom, during the progress of which Mrs. Sanford was very noisy and troublesome, crying, and pretending to go into hysterics several times. Once, when Mr. Warner was looking very carefully through her trunk, she said to him, in very tragic tones:

"By the way you act, one would think you were looking for a murdered man."

"Well, perhaps if we had come a little sooner, we might have found one," he replied, quickly, giving her a sharp glance.

As nothing had been said to her or to any one else about any charge except that of larceny, this remark was highly significant; and, on her trial, it undoubtedly had great weight with the jury.

Mr. Warner soon found the pocket-book containing the bonds under the mattress of her bed, and after examining them sufficiently to identify them, he gave them to the constable. Mrs. Sanford was then taken to my office, and, as Mr. Trafton had arrived from Cleveland, we tried to have an interview with her relative to young Trafton's death. She was too crafty, however, and she pretended to go into hysterics whenever we began to question her.

Meantime, Morton and Barlow had accompanied her, and Morton offered to get her a lawyer to advise her. She was very grateful to him, and said he was her only friend. He soon brought in a lawyer well versed in defending criminals, and the whole party then went to the justice's courtroom. At the close of the examination, she was held to await the action of the Grand Jury, and, in default of two thousand dollars bail, she was sent to the county jail. She told Morton that her lawyer could not half lie, and that she should not pay him a cent. She stood up, when the justice's decision was announced, and made quite a speech; and the native cunning of the woman was never more clearly shown than in this plea, which was undoubtedly invented on the spur of the moment. She claimed that young Trafton had given her the bonds to support her child, whose father he was, and she spoke with so much vigor and cunning that many persons believed her statement to be true. Thus, without consultation or legal advice, she invented in a moment the strongest possible defense against the charge of larceny, – the charge of murder had not then been brought.

When she was removed to the jail, she gave Morton the keys to her rooms, telling him to take charge of everything there, and to find a purchaser for her furniture. He therefore informed two young men who were lodging there that Mrs. Sanford had been arrested, and that they must find other rooms, as he intended to sell out the furniture. After they had gone he cleaned up the house, packed Mrs. Sanford's trunks, and made everything look as well as possible. While she was awaiting trial, he visited her every day and gave her various delicacies to improve the prison fare. One day he pretended to have pawned his overcoat for five dollars, in order to get her some lemons, tea, and sugar. She was very much touched, and she gave him five dollars to get back his coat; but this action was due to a momentary impulse. She had plenty of money, and was able to get anything she wanted; but her desire to hold fast to her money was greater than her wish for good food. Indeed, she came near jeopardizing her cause by refusing to pay the lawyer she had engaged, but finally she gave him a retaining fee of fifty dollars.

She was very anxious to learn who were the detectives employed in working up the case, and she said that she believed Barlow had had something to do with her arrest. Morton agreed with her, and, as the papers had said that there were three engaged in the case, he suggested that perhaps the two men whom she had turned out of doors were also detectives. She never suspected either Ingham or Morton for a moment; and when Ingham called upon her in jail, she was delighted to see him. She tried to get bail from the two brothers, named Pratt, who had occupied one of her rooms, as one of them had been very intimate with her; but they were afraid of getting mixed up in her difficulties, and so refused to help her obtain bail. She also asked Ingham to swear to a number of falsehoods about her intimacy with Trafton, and when he refused to do so, for fear of being tried for perjury, she said that she could get "her Billy" to swear to anything. This "Billy" proved to be one William Simpson, a barkeeper, and her former paramour. He was tracked for some time by my detectives, but he suddenly disappeared, and was not seen again until her trial for larceny, when, just as she said, he was willing to swear to anything. He then disappeared again, but I did not take much interest in following him up, as I knew that he would not dare to repeat his perjury when the murder trial should take place. His testimony was to the effect that he had overheard a conversation between Mrs. Sanford and young Trafton, in which the latter acknowledged that he was the father of Mrs. Sanford's child, having been intimate with her in Buffalo about eighteen months before. The question of a support for the child was discussed between them, and Trafton said that he would give her fifteen hundred or two thousand dollars in bonds, to enable her to bring up his child in comfort. The witness also testified that Trafton and Mrs. Sanford were very intimate with each other, often occupying the same room together; that Mrs. Sanford often spoke of her former intimacy with him; and that he inferred from their conversation that Trafton had been the cause of her separation from her husband. This testimony was very skillfully manufactured and artistically developed, so as to make Trafton appear in the light of a libertine and profligate, and Mrs. Sanford as a confiding wife, led astray by the wiles of a treacherous man. In spite of the bad character and appearance of this fellow Simpson, his testimony had enough weight with some of the jury to cause a disagreement, and Mrs. Sanford was remanded to jail.

Mr. Robert S. Trafton was anxious to bring her to punishment, as he felt confident that she had caused the death of his son. The circumstances of the case caused considerable delay, and it was not until January 27, 1873, nearly a year after her arrest, that the trial on the charge of murder took place.

The testimony in this trial was highly interesting on many accounts. The County Physician, who had made the first post-mortem examination of the remains, and who had given congestion of the lungs as the cause of death, stated that he found the deceased lying dead in Mrs. Sanford's rooms, and that he took charge of the property found in his possession. He stated that he should have made a closer examination if he had not found the bonds and money; but he did not suspect foul play, and therefore made only a hasty investigation.

By the testimony of two or three witnesses it was shown that on the night of Trafton's death Mrs. Sanford went into two saloons about midnight, asking for "her Billy," meaning the man Simpson, by whose testimony she escaped conviction on the larceny charge, he being then living on her bounty. While looking for him she was very wild and excited, her clothes being disordered, and her watch-chain broken. To one witness she said that she wished Billy to come to her house to look at the "prettiest corpse she ever saw." One witness testified that she returned to his saloon about five or six o'clock in the morning, and induced him to go up to her rooms to look at the body; he did so, and found the body of a man lying in bed, partly covered up. She had a large roll of money and papers in her pocket-book.

A surgeon of the highest reputation in Cleveland was called, and gave his testimony in the most direct and convincing manner, like a man who knew perfectly well what he was talking about, and who was not guessing at any of the facts as stated by him. He declared that death resulted from the blow on the right side, aided by the violence on the throat and neck. There was very slight congestion of the brain and of the lungs, but he was positive that death was not the result of either of these; indeed, leaving out of consideration the marks of external violence, he said that he should not have been able to account for Mr. Trafton's death. At the conclusion of his re-direct examination he said that death could be caused by a heavy blow of the fist, followed by choking, and he would swear positively that Trafton's death was produced by violence. The testimony of this witness was corroborated by that of several other surgeons of high reputation, and then a sensation was created by the calling of John Ingham for the prosecution.

As Mrs. Sanford saw her well-beloved friend, Jack, take the stand and acknowledge himself to be one of Pinkerton's dreaded detectives, she broke down and cried bitterly. Ingham related the history of his connection with the affair, stating the different stories which Mrs. Sanford had told about Trafton's death, and also her fear of going in the room where he died. He then gave the inside history of his arrest for the alleged robbery of Adamson, showing that it had been planned in advance by me to induce Mrs. Sanford to give him her confidence. After her arrest for larceny, he had visited her in jail, and she had tried to get him to swear that he had heard Trafton promise to give her the bonds to support her child. When he objected, on the ground that he might be arrested for perjury, she had told him that "her Billy," meaning William Simpson, would swear to it anyhow.

The testimony of Mr. Warner relative to finding the bonds in Mrs. Sanford's possession was corroborated by that of the constable; they also repeated Mrs. Sanford's remark made during the search, before any charge of murder had even been suggested: "By the way you act, I should think you were looking for a murdered man."

When the testimony for the prosecution was all in, the defense had a turn, and they produced as many medical experts to prove that Trafton did not die of violence, as the other side had to prove that he did not die a natural death; indeed, from the medical testimony given, there might have been grave doubts raised as to whether he had any business to die at all, for, according to both sides, no adequate cause of death had been discovered. Several witnesses testified that they believed him to have been on a long spree just before his death, but these were soon rebutted by equally trustworthy witnesses for the prosecution.

In summing up, the counsel for the people presented a highly plausible theory of the manner in which the murder was committed, and asked a verdict on the following grounds:

Young Trafton, as shown by the testimony of his father and others, visited Chicago to buy grain, and he was, therefore, under the necessity of carrying with him a large amount of money. Being unable to get a room at any hotel convenient to business, he probably entered the first place where he saw the sign, "Rooms to Rent," and engaged a sleeping-room, taking his meals at a hotel near by. While lodging with Mrs. Sanford, he was trying to buy grain at a paying figure, and he was daily in consultation with Captain Dalton, who commanded one of his father's schooners. Finding that he could not buy to any advantage in the existing condition of the grain market, he sent the schooner back to Cleveland on the last day of November, in order that she should not be caught in the ice in the straits at the close of navigation. He was then ready to return himself, and, doubtless, on going to his lodgings, he so informed Mrs. Sanford. As he had made no secret of his reason for visiting Chicago, she was, probably, well aware of his object, and also of the fact that he had a large amount of money with him. Seeing his careless ways, the idea occurred to her to rob him, and, having his expected departure in view, she knew that she would have only one more opportunity to carry out her scheme.

On his return that evening, therefore, having just parted from Captain Dalton in perfect health and sobriety, he was invited to eat supper with her. Suspecting no harm, he sat down and ate a hearty supper. In some way, either in his food or drink, a dose of morphine was given to him, and he soon fell fast asleep. The woman's opportunity was before her, and all the natural thirst for money which characterized her came upon her with full force, urging her on and inciting her to any lengths necessary to accomplish her object. Having laid him on his bed, she began to search his pockets with the stealthy touch of a practiced hand. Finding nothing at first to reward her search, she pulled off one of his boots and discovered the United States bonds, which he had concealed there. But the violence necessary to remove the boot caused him to partly waken from his drugged sleep, and he became vaguely aware that some one was trying to rob him. Still in a drowsy, confused state, however, he was unable to do more than to sit up and clutch wildly at his assailant; having caught one of the bonds, he clung to it until it was torn in two pieces, the fragments plainly showing how they had been wrenched asunder in the clasp of two determined hands – those of the murderess and her victim. But she soon found that he was gaining his senses too rapidly, and that she would be foiled in her attempted robbery; hence, with every blinding passion aroused, her greed and her fear equally inciting her to action, she struck him a heavy blow on the thigh and another more powerful one on the side. Partly stunned by the concussion, he fell back, and she then seized him by the throat. Her round, plump hands, though powerful enough to strangle him, left only slight marks of abrasion on the skin, and in a few minutes all was over. His property was at her mercy, and she gave no thought to the body of her victim until she had seized every piece of valuable paper in his possession.

But her position was a dangerous one, and, on cooling off somewhat, she saw that something must be done to remove any appearance of foul play. How could it be done most effectually? Manifestly by giving no apparent ground for suspecting that she had any object in his death; and no course would be more effectual than to leave such an amount of property in his possession as to make strangers believe that none of it had been taken. It may well be imagined that this was her hardest task; for to give up money was probably a greater hardship for her than for some people to give up life. Still, it would never do to run the risk of being accused of murder; so, reluctantly, she placed one bond in his pocket, and, by accident, included with it one-half of the torn bond, the other half being placed under his head, in the boot from which it was taken. She then undressed the body, placed it naturally in bed, and went out to look for "her Billy," her paramour and panderer in vice.

This was the history of the crime, as pictured by the prosecution; and all her actions since that fatal night had been in harmony with such a theory. Her allegations of intimacy with young Trafton were unsupported, save by the testimony of this William Simpson, her paramour. It was noticeable that, while this man had testified in the trial for larceny that he had overheard Mr. Trafton's acknowledgment of being the father of Mrs. Sanford's child, in the murder trial he was not asked to give any such testimony, nor was the existence of such a child even hinted at by the defense. The counsel for Mrs. Sanford were well aware that she had never had a child, and that this fact could be proven if necessary. On discovering, too, that Jack Ingham was a Pinkerton detective, instead of Mrs. Sanford's best friend, they saw other reasons why it would not be advisable to cause Mr. William Simpson to perjure himself again.

The defense contented themselves with claiming that there was no sufficient evidence to prove that Mr. Trafton had died a violent death at all, and that there was no evidence whatever to show that, even if foul play had occurred, Mrs. Sanford had been the guilty person. This plea was ably presented by the counsel, and the judge then briefly charged the jury as to the law, and the form of their verdict. During the early part of the trial, Mrs. Sanford behaved very badly, often contradicting witnesses aloud, and making many audible remarks to the jury and the Court; after the testimony for the defense began, however, she paid very little attention to the proceedings, often dozing and sleeping in her chair. This habit was, undoubtedly, due to the use of morphine, of which she consumed large quantities.

The jury retired at three o'clock, and, on the first ballot, they stood nine for conviction and three for acquittal. After discussing the testimony for more than four hours, a compromise was reached, and the judge having been informed that the jury had agreed upon a verdict, the prisoner was brought in to hear the finding.

All being in readiness, the clerk read the verdict as follows:

"We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and fix her time of imprisonment at five years in the penitentiary."

At the word "guilty," Mrs. Sanford gave a violent start; but, as the remainder of the finding was read, she seemed to feel agreeably surprised. She asked for a glass of water in a low tone, turned very white, and then fainted away before the water could be handed to her.

She was then removed to the jail to await the argument on a motion for a new trial. While there, she gave one of the most effectual evidences of her ruling passion – greed. She was the object of considerable sympathy among a certain class of sentimentalists, and the amount of compassion wasted upon her was remarkable to those who knew her real character and habits; but there is no accounting for tastes, and so Mrs. Sanford was treated with great consideration by a number of well-meaning but unsophisticated people. Among the Good Samaritans who took the most interest in her was a lady named Mrs. Jones, and this lady visited her quite frequently in her cell, bringing her books and papers.

One morning, Mrs. Jones complained of feeling unwell, and Mrs. Sanford immediately gave her a glass of water. Soon after drinking it, Mrs. Jones became very sleepy, and in a few minutes, she was in a sound slumber. This effect had been produced, of course, by a dose of morphine in the water, and Mrs. Sanford then proceeded to rob Mrs. Jones of all her valuables. Mrs. Jones was in moderate circumstances, and her purse was not sufficiently well filled to satisfy Mrs. Sanford's avaricious demon; hence, she made a thorough search for other plunder. It happened that Mrs. Jones, having lost all of her upper teeth, had supplied their place by an artificial set, mounted on a plate of solid gold. Not content, therefore, with plundering her benefactress in other respects, Mrs. Sanford actually took the set of teeth from Mrs. Jones's mouth, and hid them in her own trunk.

Of course, on awakening, Mrs. Jones missed her teeth and charged Mrs. Sanford with having taken them. The latter denied having done so, railed and swore at Mrs. Jones, and tried to prevent the officers from searching the cell. The teeth and other articles stolen from Mrs. Jones were found at the bottom of Mrs. Sanford's trunk, and Mrs. Jones retired from the jail strongly impressed with the conviction that philanthropy had its hardships as well as rewards.

The motion for a new trial being overruled, sentence was pronounced in accordance with the verdict of the jury, and Mrs. Sanford was consigned to the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet.

In regard to the manner in which young Trafton was murdered, I have always had a theory of my own; and, while of course I do not pretend to any surgical learning, I give it for what it is worth, prefacing it, however, with the remark that several eminent physicians concur in my opinion, or, at least, admit its strong probability.

It will be remembered that Mrs. Sanford used morphine continually, and that she boasted of her ability to administer it in just the proper proportion to cause her victims to fall into a heavy sleep. In all probability, as suggested by the State's Attorney, she gave young Trafton a dose at supper; but it is also possible the effect was not sufficient, and that when she tried to rob him, he slightly revived, struggled, and, seizing one of the bonds in a convulsive grasp, tore it in two.

So far, the theories are identical, but I failed to see a sufficient cause of death in the slight blow and mild choking, especially as the lungs did not present the conditions which would have appeared had death resulted from strangulation or asphyxia. On searching Mrs. Sanford's rooms, Mr. Warner found two or three small syringes, intended for making hypodermic injections, and these led me to believe she caused Trafton's death by morphine alone. My idea was as follows:

When she found that Trafton was not sufficiently drugged to enable her to rob him in safety, she probably let him alone, and the drug again took effect to the extent of putting him to sleep. She then resorted to a subcutaneous injection of morphine, knowing that the soporific influence of the drug would thus be made more rapid and powerful. This operation was performed on the side, and then near the large veins of the leg, and thus were caused the apparent bruises filled with extravasated blood. Now, the effect of morphine varies largely, according to the constitution, temperament, and habits of the persons to whom it is given; but the combined result of internal and external doses almost invariably is death.