The sun., 1878-08-30
PRICE TWO CENTS.
WHY HOWARD WAS KILLED,
SHOT UHTIE QUdRRELLTNG OTER Tim
PROCEEDS or 4 BURGLdRY.
Recent rnvestiantIons TINT Leave No Dc.ss
Tint grVinR md Draper Knew that he Wa
Murdered aud Taken 90 u n onkcr. Farr>-

Recent Investigation. thnt Leave No Dorss
TINT IRWIN md Draper Knew that he v-s
Murdered and Taken 60 ~ n onk.r- Fsru-
Quiet Investigations that have been going
on for somo time have resulted in what Ia be-
lievcd to bo definite Information regarding the
murder Of George Lester. alias Howard. How
ards body wns found three months ago in ths
woods little out Of Yonkcrs with two
bullet holes in the head. investigations
satisfied tho police aud every one else that
no had becn murdered and then taken to Yonk-
ere. and that the body had been laid out with .
pistol by the side. to give the impression that
suicide had been committed. After moro or
less dosutory work the detectives turned their
attention to something else and dropped tho
case. with the theory that he had been mur-
dored Ivy some jealous person. bscauae no bad
won tho affections Of a woman away from this
person.
Detective n. A. Plnkerton-how or why he M
present prcfcrs not to say-has learned enough
within few days to satisfy him that that theery
is wholly false. lie also believes that the actual
murderer Of Howard will be found out only br
confession. but he admitted yesterday that he
had learned that Howard was not assassinated.
but shot in quarrel.
Howard was known TO have worked with tho
Irving Draper and Porter gang. tho most OK
pert burglars now out Of the State prison. These
three men, with another were captured by the
Brooklyn police on sunday. the 1lth inst. They
had hocn living in a house in Patrhen avenue.
md hnd been watched several days by Detective
Murphy. The report Of the robbery that thor
had committed was received in the police STA
tion n few minutes after tho men had been ar
rested. They are now awaiting trial. AZ the
time OF thsir arrest II was sa!u thht somethlnR
more might be learned about HOwnrds muir
der. and something has been learned. There
Is now no Doubt that Howar1s body was
taken from Nilnmshurgh TO lonkers. AL
,noush they have never admitted ~ The
Now York detectives were satisfied OF that
before they dropped the ease. There is also no
doubt that Howard worked with tho Irving
iore his i b"Iy Was found. 6urriaryy was S COM
| miued in Brooklyn few DAYS before the laet
| day ON which Lester was seen alive. and it Is
| believed by those now investigating the case
tnnt the lrying-Draper gang were the burglars.
aud that Howard was with them. Porter
and Irving were arrested ln New York but wore
| discharged for want Of evidence Since then.
| il il r'u6rtrd some of tho stolen property has
| been found in the patchen avenue house. How
stolen al, INT burglary. 1t %eonsis,eed cons .et
| robhcry it was reporter ths. the proprietor OF
the store had folded up in one 81 Tho pieces, ot
| SIX about $4,000 ~ grncnlmchS, think ing thm
| the money would be safer there than in his snte.
i WAS that money that cost. in all probability.
What havc learned amounts to this. which
| | am tolerahly confident r. the correct eXplnna-
| ton" Mr.. Pnkerton said Yesterday. Tho
burglars saw the reports, IN the newspnpers
that the money was rolled up I'm the silk. and
| OF course they drmanded their share OF
| IT, Whether Howard denied finding any.
| which is the most probable. or whether
| there was n disagreement about tho
division Of 1t don't know. but there WAS un-
questisnably quarrel about ii; Howard was |.
| stubborn man of few words, while any one OF
| the gang who did that burglary would bo per-
| fetly willing TO shoot a pal who was.
| as thcy thought deceiying them. Tho
| quarrel grew hot and one drew, a
| Lis,ol in passion and fred, killing
| Howard instantly. Then they realized what
had been done. and tho next thing WAS to do
eide how TO get rid OF the body. and those elnb-
crate preparations of dressing the body in
clean clothes. taking 1t from Wiamshurgh
TO Yonkers. and leaving Il In the woods with a
pistol near it, followed. This would never have
been done had Iowarl been nssass!nated. IL y
wns deliberately uann'd mur Ter h. would
had TO coutriyc some such plan as this to ret
the body AWAY from the place whore he was
killed. There were no witness ~ Of the murder
| except the men who sto a hy when Howard WAS
shot. Therefore the crime can never be liked
any closer than it now is unless some ono con-
In regard to the woman theory. Mr. Pinker-
ton regarded that rs bOsh from the FIRST. Now
IL is known thut the only woman with whom
Howard had u late Kept company had no lover
who would murder "A man on her account.
| The Hruuklyn police have been suilsnr from
the first that Porter and his gang knew all
that Howard disappear, Il immcd iatrly after the
| burglary with which he aud they were con-
ne,ted. II il also believed that Porter, Irving,
and Draper are the three men who quietly patu
| the cNlenses of IlOwnrd's funeral, which wa
| secretly conducted under their direction.