Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-23
Unable to Stand the Strain Upon His,
Nerves Any Longer.
CALLS FOR THE SHERIFF AFTER DINNER
Calmly Rehearses the Details of the Killing
of Gay Hutsonpiller,
SAYS THEY QUARRELeD OVER MONEY
Does Not Remember How Many Times He.
Struck His Victim.
NOT KILLED IMMEDIATELY BY THE BLOWS
Says HutsonpilIcr Mace n Noise Like
n Man snoring and He Procured
Some ChIoroform to Make
Him Quiet.

The manner in which Gay Hutsonpiller met
violent death in room 40. at the Windsor
hotel on South Tenth street, last Tues
day afternoon, is now no longer a mystery.
every detail OF the crime has been given by
Charles II. Elliott who has been confined
in the county jail for the last two days. un-
der suspicion OF being the guilty man.
Yesterday afternoon he made a full con-
fession, comprising about twenty sheets OF
typewriter matter. The confession will, as
soon as transcribed be given to County At
torney Baldrige, and will be used by the
state in prosecuting Elliott on the charge
Of murder in the first degree.
While Elliott has preserved remarkable
nerve ever since committing the crime,
nerve which did not desert him when placed
under arrest at Cedar Rapids nor since be-
ing confined in the Jail in this city, he yes
terday gave up all attempt at subterfuge and
made a clean breast OF 1t. He told OF the
crime in all its details, and appeared like
man who was glad to unburden his soul OF
weight which must have hung heavily
upon it. The confession was not wholly un-
expected upon the part of Sheriff Mcdonald
| and the attaches OF the Jail. The proofs OF
the murder, which are in the hands OF the
that even Elliott must have surmised that
his only chance lay in asking the clemency
| of the court
Late Saturday night he showed the first
signs of weakening, and, although he said
nothing to the jailer and appeared outwardly
cool and collected, he paced his cell moro
than usual and did not sleep soundly even
when he had retired for the night.
| STRAIN TOO GREAT
Sunday morning his conduct was a repe-
tition Of the evening before except that he
! took occasional maps en- his cot, and re-
quested the keeper not to disturb him. The
strain upon Elliotts nerves was considerably
| enhanced by the fact that orders had been
given by Sheriff Mcdonald that he should be
| allowed no newspapers, or other reading
| material. The mental torture under which
| Elliott labored was more noticeable to the
jailers as the hours sped by. While he
said nothing that would lead them to suspect
| that he intended a confession, his sunken
eyes and other physical evidences of the
strain he was laboring under, belied the
bold front which he maintained.
Shortly after dinner he told Jailer Shand
that he would like to have q talk with the
sheriff. Elliott had shown a preference for
talking with Sheriff Mcdonald from the
time he first met him and little was thought
of his request to again converse with him.
The sheriff and Court Stenographer II. b.
Boyles went into the solitary" where Ell
lott Is confined, about 2 o'clock. Elliott
at once raised up eff his cot where he had
been reclining and said:
81 want to tell you how the whole thing
baprened and everything about it." With
out any further preamble he then went into
the recital of the affair with perfect coolness
and talked more like a man who had been
merely an eye witness to the murder than its
perpetrator. "Hutsonpller and | went to
South Omaha last Tuesday morning to get
passes to Billings. We could not get them.
Hutsonpiller then said he was going to Bill
ings anyway. ! owed him SIS and l wanted
him to sign a receipt for it, This was after
we returned to Omaha and had gone to our
room in the hotel. l told him l would not
pay it unless he did sign 1t.
DID NOT KNOW HE WAS DEAD.
81 was seated on the bed and he occupied
chair near the window. He called me a
vile name and said he would take II out OF
my hide. At that time l was sitting down.
He started to raise up. My valise was lying
on the foot OF the bed. The coupling pin
was lying by the side Of 1t. I reached
around and picking up the coupling-pin
struck him over the head with it."
Sheriff McDcnald-He was sitting on the
bed?
Elliott--He was sitting on chair. He
picked up the receipt and read 1t and threw
1t down and said he would not sign it, 1
told him | would not pay him unless he did.
Then he called me a hard name After I
struck him | don't know really what did
happen till left the room and went down
stairs.
81 did not know that | had killed him
then. | did not believe 1t when l was
rested ! thought they were trying to get
out OF me what they could. They would
not tell me at that time what 1t was for.
A reporter in Cedar Rapids told me / was
arrested for striking man with coupling
pin. They did not tell me he was dead. 1
didn't think he was then
IL went down stairs and bought some
choloroform then, and returning TO the room
put 1t on a towel and placed II over his
face. That was about half an hour after
/ first struck him / went to Gladlsh's
drug store, Twelfth and Dodge streets, and
paid Is cents for the stun. He was
breathing kind OF loud and | was afraid
that people in the hotel would hear him.
Any one passing through the hall might
have done so.
81 then left the room and walked around
the town until | took the train. / left
on the 4:45 Northwestern for the east.
bought my ticket up town from a broker
on Farnam street somewhere" a. Fore
man, Thirteenth and Farnam)
THREW HIS SHIRT AWAY.
Boyles-What became OF the shirt you
had on when you killed the man?
Ellott--Going up the viaduct to the depot
threw II of on the right hand side In a
vacant lot. just beneath. ! wrapped II up
in piece OF paper and threw 1t over the
rail.
Boyles--Dld you hit him more than oncef
elliott do not know After hit him
the first time | do not know what happened.
Boyles-Where did you get that coupling
pin?
Elliott-Down In the railroad yards.
Boyeg-Down at the depot under the Via
duet?
Elliott Yes, this coupling pin / had In
my Yallse. | had 1t In there to make the