Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-21
Murder of Pearl Bryan.


The tale of Pearl Bryan's killing, with
it's incidents, rivals in horror the ex-
travagances of Poe. The hideousness of
this crime is accentuated by the fact that
all persons involved are young men Of
liberal education. considerable intellectual
ability, and some pretensions as to station
and social position. The unfortunate VIC
tim of these monsters of blood outlines
was a young woman of culture and refine
ment.
Pearl Bryan was killed on the night of
Friday, January 81. The following morn
Ing the headless body of a young woman
was fo, Id in field In the Kentucky high
land opposite Cir cinnati. about a mile
south of Fort Thomas. The head has
not yet been found. There was no clue
but a check dress, a corset and one shoe.
The shoe was the sole clue of value. 1t
was traced to a Greencastle, Ind, dealer.
Farmer A. B. Bryan, living near Green
castle, identified the shoe and dress the
property of his daughter, Pearl Bryan,
who left home January % to go to In
dianapoiis to visit Mrs Louisa w. Fisher
of No. 10 Central avenue. She did no: go
there. but, subsequently learned by the
detectives working on the case, went 20
Cincinnati, where she met Scott jackson.
Pearl Bryan was the youngest of twelve
children, of whom seven daughters and a
son are still living. The girls all enjoy local
celebrity for their good looks and their ac-
complishments. Pearl, the child of her
parents old age, was even handsomer than
her sisters, and her education had receiv-
ed careful attention. In the neishbornood
she was widely popular. She graduated
from the Greencastle High School four
years ago, and since that time had studied
much at a college. In person she was small
and graceful. Her beauty was Of the pro-
nounced blonde type.
The Jackson family had Its origin in
h.t,,
Jersey prior to coming to Greencastle.
Jackson, when in the east, became in
volved IN the embeZZlement of S24.On be-
longing to the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany. He and his partner in guilt, Alex
ander Let's, squandered the money at the
race tracks and in high living jackson
furnished the evidence which convicted
Let's, and the latter is now serving a SEN
his reward for testifying against Let's
jackson was permitted to go free.
jackson Meets Pearl.
He went west to friends in Indiana. He
entered a school of dental surgery at In
,dianapolis, and made frequent visits to his
friends in Greencastle. There he met Pearl
Bryan, and they became intimate. The
country maiden was not able to resist the
wiles of the race-track plunger and tough
ened man of the world. Their Illicit con-
nection began last September. Later in
the fan Jackson went TO Cincinnati to
prosecute his professional studies. He was
informed by Miss Bryan that her disgrace
could be concealed no longer. Then was
opened a correspondence, in which in
structions were given the girl, which she
followed to her death.
The girl was 20 leave ostcnsibly for a visit
to Indianapolis, but was really to go to Gin
c.nnati where Jackson said he had made
the necessary preparations for criminal
operation.
He had taken into his confidence AlonZo
Walling, a fellow student at the Cincin-
natl Dental College. They had been at the
indianapolis institution together, and in the
Ohio town We're room mates. The week
before the girl came Jackson had been
reading up on poisons and their effect He
made special inquiry as to cocaine and
prusSic acid.