 He didn't know who had pulled them, and the first confession had been brought to him, already prepared, while he was in the jail.p.210

McKinney and his wife were then given new suits of clothing, and he was granted unusual privileges, allowed to spend time away from the jail for free meals and to see his wife.A trial was held for the three union men, and McKinney changed his story again, this time asserting that his original confession was true, and that the repudiation was false.He testified that he didn't know who paid for the meals and clothes.p.105-106

But some of the testimony in the trial implicated the detectives who had arrested McKinney, and suggested that the detectives pulled the spikes, intending to blame the union.