Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-08-14
MAxWELL,s STATEMENT.
A Startling Story Concsrningt ths st.
Louis Trunk Murder.
WAS ARTHUR PELLER NOT MURDERED
The Accused Man Declares He is
Alive and that the Tragedy
Was a Scheme to
DEFRAUD AN INSURANCE COMPANY.

SAN Francisco, August l3.-The CORE
spondent today received the first informa-
ton which any one has obtained of the line
of defence which will be pursued BY W. b.
Lennox Maxwell, the Engishman, charged
with numbering his companion, c.
Arthur Preller, at the Southern Ho-
tel, in St. Louis, last April, and who
was brought back on Monday BY extra
dition papers from Auckland, New Zealand.
Last evening, after he had been engaged tor
several houys n grading ihs inquiries OF
curiosity seekers and people who fancied
they could identify him with adventures
whom they had met, sn ex-United States
secret service officer, who has been connect
ed with many important Government cases,
and who had great success in securing the
confidence Of criminals and obtaining taeir
secrets, called on Maxwell in his cell. Par
ticulars of this i'm portant interview, emitting
only o few points on which secrecy was
promised, were given to the correspondent
this morning. They may be vouched for
as representing MaxwelPs case, and they
are highly interesting, as giving the best
clue to his phenomenal GOODNESS under an
ordeal which would shatter the nerves OF
even an experienced criminal. The story
as given by the eX-secret service officer Is
as follows:
When told him who was and what l
knew of the case, his manner changed at
once. He seemed to fee relief, and light
ing fresh cigarette, he said: You know
enough about this case to know there Is
mystery in i; which has not yet come out
will tell you frankly that didn't murder
Preller; that Preller is alive to day, and
proof of his existence will De
forthcoming by the time Of my trial. You
can't blame me for lying to these people.
Here is q crowd ofreporters, some OF whom
ry TO wheedle and others to bully my
secret from me. Then come detectives,
and say this thing and that has been
discovered, and that they have all this
circr mstantial evidence against me.
Knowing every fact in the case as l
do, / know that they are lying and are on
sn entirely wrong scent, so | simply puzzle
them more or uf them with new inVen,
tions. They have all rot one theory and
they are trying to 6t facts to that theory In
stead Of making a theory from the facts.
They have been In here with certain articles
| and have said did this at such a place,
when know very well that no such occur
renee ever happened.
The Disguise Confessed.
They have traced ME very well III my
6rst visit TO this city, because | made no
effort TO cover ny track | used the same
| name and the same disguise ss French
officer all through from the time | lett st.
Louis to the time | boarded the Auckland
steamer and throughout the voyage. 1t
came to my mind on the train because the
| people asked me questions and 1t was
amusement to mystity them and tell them
stories. This was the origin of the French
Captain and all his exploits. 1t
WIS simply blind to pre-
serve my identity unsupported, and to
allow me 10 reach the Colonies, which /
thought could be easily done before any
news of the st. Louis affair cou'd not reach
them. | didn't know that cable communi-
cation was go perfect or that the news could
be POSSIBLY sent to Auckland before the
steamer reached there.
"'But what about the st Louis mystery
CAM you give any detailsY
All can give you is an outline, and that
| is more than anyone else got out of me.
| They brought in here tonight General
| Clunie a lawyer OF this city, who offered
10 get out habea' corpus pape-s
for me tomorrow and who was enger to go
on TO st. Louis as my counsel. He may be
square, but it wouldn't do for me to trust o
stranger with my secrets. No prefer to
wait I'LL get TO st. Louis before engaging
counsel II T, is ht g st Of e St.L uis m s.
terry which has puzzled the country for toar
months. Preller and / were old friends
We came to Boston from Liverpool togeth-
er On the steamship Cephalonia We were
constant companions, and made arrange
mepts to meet at St. Louis at the Southern
| Hotel and there to carry out a scheme
| Which PreIler had devised fer
ret,ins insurance on his lie. We met
according to agreement We,were in room
| l44, in the hotel, for about all the time We
spent there, but, mind you, Preller was at
the hotel only three DAYS He remained in
seclusion for the remainder OF the mys,ery
at the Southern Hotel, and he left St Louis
alive and well on the same day that |
started West
That wasn't Preller's body found in the
trunk at the hotel. When the case comes
up for trisl shall have proof Of where the
! body found in the trunk was procured, who
it was bought Of at what hour 1t was
brought to the hotel and all the details Of
the plot. can tell you nowthat the corpse
was brought TO the hotelin trunk in broad
daylight and was carried up TO room IA.
Relping an Old Friend.
Everything was arranged to give color
10 the theory Of sudden murder and hasty
fight. Nothing was omittd which |
thought would add to this misconeep-
ton. Ny design was TO get clear out
of the country before the body was discov-
cred. and, once in Australia, / thought
it would be easy TO bury my identity in the
East Indias until things had been forgotten.
| will show you how entirely | trusted Pre!-
/ Ter and how completely / was his assistant
in this scheme when ] tell you | don't know
to-day how large an insurance he
carried on his life. know it was tor a
big sum, and gave my help in the enterprise
solely because he was an old friend and as
sociate Where he is or Whst arrangement 5
have for communicating with him, OF
course it is out OF the question for me to
tell, but you can rest assured of the ac'
curacY of these facts l have given you
and they viii sil be proven on trial.
AYoung Girl Missing.
Si,srSal 10 tAS RaJitsg