Morning journal and courier., 1886-05-19
News by Telegraph
 FROM ALL QUARTERS. BROOKS TELLS 4 TALE Of How His Friend PreIIer Died. AN OVERDOSE OF CHL0ROF0RM Which He Used As A
 Narcotic. GLADSTONE CRANES HIS NECK. While LabOuchere Feels
 the ParneIlites.
GLADSTONE CRANES HIS NECK.
BROOKS MAKES CLEAN BREAST.

1 the Parnellites.
 ] BROOKS MAKES A CLEAN BREAST.
 He Admits Killing His Friend Prsl- ! Ter But Claims That 1t Was Acci- 1 dental by the Administration of
 Chloroform For Medical Treatment. l ST. LOUIS, May 19.-An evening paper 1 publishes the following as 8 confession from 1 H.. M. Brooks, whose trial was begun to-day l for the murder of c. Arthur Preller at the l Southern Hotel in this city April 5, 1885. 1 The confession foreshadOws line of defense
 upon the murdered by imprudenee theory l which was predicted in these dispatches l some months ago. The following is Brooks statement:
 l "Mr. Preller was suffering from a private disease for which I had previously prescrib- 1 ed, mixing the medicines myself from the
 bottles in the medicine case carried with me, but his ailment had reached stage 1 when it was necessary for me to make ceE- | tain investigations. I was obliged to use a l catheter, and ill using catheter when | the parts were infamed I had previously ] applied chloroform in order to produce a condition of narcotism. I used chloroform in this manner on a man named Harrison in Liverpool without serious results. I ex- plained the process to MT. Preller and told him what should have to do. He was not only willing, but very anxious for me to treat him in this manner During the day purchased four ounces of chloroform which was standing in bottle on the edge of my washstand when was washing some surgi- cal instruments. This washing of the instru-
 ments took place Sunday afternoon and was
 intended as preparation for the operation. In washing the instruments I overturned the
 bottle of chloroform and it went headlong
 into the basin, the cork coming out and all
 but an ounce and quarter or so going down
 in the sink. This was probably 3 o'clock
 and after getting my instruments ready
 went out to secure more chloroform. 1
 went to the drug store-I do not know where
 but the store near the hotel (Fernows) and
 asked for the chloroform. The clerks or
 some persons there have said was excited
 and in hurry. This was not so. I sat
 down in a chair in the drug store for more
 than a quarter of an hour and was altogether
 very leisurely about my business, for there
 was no hurry. If am not mistaken had a
 conversation with some one in the store.
 When got the chloroform repaired to my
 room. Preller had been in and out of my
 room all the afternoon. About five p. m.
 we began the operation. I administered the
 chloroform in the usual form, holding sat
 urated cloth to the nose. Preller passed
 through the first stage all right; it took
 several mrments-I do not know ex- actly how long then he entered the second stage and here the terrible result came. I discovered too late that he was dy- ing. Imagine my horror when the fact dawned upon me. was wild with fright, but had presence of mind enough to cut the shirt and undershirt from the body and get ting wet towel I beat him about the shoul- ders. did not give up and I was ready to drop from exhaustion and my efforts were not relaxed until he had been dead some time. All the clothes he had on at the time were his shirt and undershirt. What did do when I saw my friend was deada What could do? I did not know what to do ex- cept drink and I drank freely. I drank everything I could get-wine, whiskey, everything. What were my thoughtsa Il pair of drawers, the first that fell into my hands, and put the body into my trunk, from which I had removed everything. What was done beside this have no recollection of. Liquor and consternation took possession of me and know only that my feelings were of the ut most horror. l remained in my own room that night, the same room in which the re- mains were, and it would be lie to say slept for did not. was glad when morn 1 ing came. What I did after leaving my room you known, for it has all been printed d'' l
 ''Was a catheter found among your medi- l cal instrumental" "I do not know. I car ried some of my instruments away in a va 1ise and threw them into the Pscifc.''
 ''Had you any plans about disposing of the DoQys' 'NOne whatever. l meant to | leave it there, expecting it would be discov- 1 cred sooner than it was and thinking post mortem would reveal the true state of facts, l that Preller had met his death while under | going an operation"
 stKow about Preller's moneya" fI know l nothing about Preller's money. I had plenty l of money of my own I could not have 1 made the long trip that did.''
 According to his own story the cutting off l of Prellers moustache, the inscription about traitors and all the other qu@er incidents l connected with the tragedy are to be at l tributed to the liquor and his crazed condi- l tion.
 Notwithstanding Brooks confession the l trial proceeded as usual after dinner. The 1 assistant circuit attorney opened for the | State and talked three hours. He outlined | the case for the State wherein he expected | to prove Brooks connection with Prsller | from the first meeting on the Cephalonia, the | prisoners long series of falsehoods including | his claim of being baronet, g physician of | the royal college, the purchase of the chlo- l roform, the flight and arrest, making | 8 perfect chain. of circumstantial evi- | denee. Merritt Noble, new of Texarkana, | Ark, formerly a. clerk at the Southern | Hotel, was the only witness examined to-day. l He identified Brooks and said the body l found in the trnrik was undoubtedly the | corpse of Prel1er., He swore to Brooks | strange and nervous actions at the time of 1 the murder and his sudden and unaccount- | able change from poverty to the possession 1 of large amount of money. Brooks was ev l identity in great mental distress at the close | of