The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-10-15
A WoMAN'S CONFESSION.
A REMARKABLE STORY.

4 Nm " OF tne mOSb fcinuTkaDle cuses
" on record is now being investigated
at Bridgeport, Conn. It shows regular
conspiracy to murder for the purpose of
selling the bodies of the victims.
Lorena Alexander few days ago en-
tered the Bridgeport police Office and
said she had been q witness to a murder
committed by Frank Bassett, the victim
being Frank Weinbecker.
The reason she told of It was that
Bassett, on his return from New Lon
don, found that 1t would go hard with
him unless he could prove that on
Setember Goth he did not steal the pock-
et-bool1 which p. Mckay, Vandalia I'LL,
had laid down on fence in front of Bas-
sett's house, in East Bridgeport Mckay
had taken out the book, which contain
ed $6S, with postal-card, and after
writing on the card forgot to replace the
book in his pocket. Two girls saw this
and saw Bassett pick it up. They in
formed the police, and this caused the
arrest in New London. Lorena Alex
ander was Bassett's mistress. They
lived in room fitted up in an old car
riage factory, and the furniture Lorena
claimed as hers but Bassett when ar
raigned here for theft, having only $40
left of McKay's money, sold the furni-
ture in order to employ counsel. He,
however, was convicted of theft and
locked up, and when Lorena found their
home bereft of all its scanty comforts
she said, :" know something that will
put him where he ought to be-"
City Attorney Holt and Chief of Po-
lice Marsh closely pressed Lorena, and
she finally told, with many tears, the
whole story Of the murder. She said
that Weinbecker, who was otherwise
known as Suffering Jack" and "Jack
Rufus" an inofIensive fellow, whose
only vice was drunkenness, on the night
of the 10th of last May came home with
Bassett, at the latter's invitation, to
supper. Bassett had resolved to kill
Weinbecker solely for the paltry sum of
money he was supposed to have about
him as pay for one months services as
deck hand on coasting vessel,
amounting to less than $5, and for the
amount his body would bring when
sold to the Faculty of the Yale Medical
School in New Haven. The total sum
to be realized would not aggregate $50.
Weinbecker after supper was persuaded
to lie down on a sofa. He had been drink
inn lti riYar ha 1axy nd q
any eagerness in Bassett's manner
which might have awakened alarm he
was not in the proper condition to OBJ
serve it. He soon fell asleep. Bassett
had previously provided himself with a
two-ounce bottle of chloroform. Wet
ting sponge with the liquid, he placed
it against Weinbecker's nostrils, where
he held it, Lorena said that she asked
Bassett what he was about. "Shut up, or
l will serve you in the same way" was
the reponse. She was frightened and
gave no alarm, though she started once
or twice to do so, but was deferred when
Bassett swore at her savagely. She
contented herself with demonstrating as
the gasps of the doomed man grew
fainter and fainter. When there was
no sign of life, Bassett looked in Vein
becker's pocket, but found therein only
rs cents. He then prepared to make
some disposition of the body.
Lorena Alexander has one child, and
in order to provide for it's necessities
she went to New Haven some time age
and proposed to DIR. Sanford, of the
Medical Faculty, that he should ad.
vance her some money and have in
return her body for dissection when she
died. DIR. Sanford would not make any
bargain with her, but, according to hel
story, offered to purchase the bodies OF
any of her friends. When she came
home she told Bassett of her visit, anC
he said that they might get hold of 8
body and "make q stake"
There was an empty flour barrel in q
corner of the scantily furnished room
Bassett now drew this out and tried tC
force into it the body of his victim. But
it would not go in with all the clothing
on, and Bassett with pair of scissors
cut the coat in two pieces and pulled the
garment away, and then took off the
shoes. Then the head was pressed
against the knees, and the body squeezed
into the barrel, the head of which was
nailed in securely. The barrel was ther
rolled to corner of the room. During
the enactment of the tragedy Loreni
said that she had been compelled to we