As soon as he received it the Mayor sent for D. D. Woodmansee the attorney for Jackson, and with his consent opened the communication. It was dated Feb. 5., the day on which Jackson was arrested. It was marked 8:30 p. m., less than two hours before his arrest. It was written on letter-heads of the Palace Hotel, while the envelope bore the style of Al Heider's Hotel, on Fifth Street. The letter says:
"2-5-96.
"Hello, Bill—
"Write a letter home signed by Berts name telling the folks that he is somewhere & going to Chicago or some other place—has a position etc—and that they will advise later about it—Say tired of living at home or anything you want. You know about the way he writes. Send it to some one you can trust—How will Smith at La Fayette—tell the folks that he has not been at I but at La Fayette and travelling about the country get the letter off without one seconds delay—and burn this at once. Stick by your old chum Bill—And I will help you out the same way—some times. Am glad you are having a good time— D.
"Be careful what you write to me."
"Bert" in the letter means Pearl. In that portion of the communication which explains that "he has not been at "I." "I" evidently stands for Indianapolis.
After the letter from Jackson to Wood was opened and read, a reporter went to Jackson and asked him if he wrote the letter.
"Yes, sir, I did."
"What does that signature, the letter D., mean?"
"Why, he called me 'Dusty,' and I signed it for that."
"Who is meant by Bert?"
"That is a nickname we had for Pearl. We always called her Bert."
"Then Bert means Miss Bryan?"