Wanted for Wife Murder, John Reed

Paragould, AR: [1912].

Broadside, 5.5 x 11 inches. Stamp indicating receipt by the San Francisco Police Detective Bureau on June 24, 1912, as well as another blurred partial stamp, otherwise unmarked; very good. This wanted circular, issued by the Deputy Sheriff of Paragould, Arkansas, offers an uncommonly nuanced description of the criminal, who (according to local newspaper reports) fled after bludgeoning his wife, leaving her in a pool of water, and burning the tent they had been living in. Following the usual details of height, weight, hair and eyes, this circular describes Reed as "having a kind of silly grin and will not look you in the face when talking to you. Likes to brag about what he is worth and what he can do and will talk as long as anyone will listen....he has large feet and walks as if they were hard to move along." We have been unable to determine if this information ever led to Reed's arrest.

Item #19822

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