The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-02-07
The Two Men Took Miss Bryan in n
Cab to Kentucky and Then Killed
AMI Decapitated Her.
WOOD HELD Asa WITNESS
BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A VICTIM
OF A FRIENDS KNAvERY.
jackson Once Narrowly Escaped the
Prison i'm New Jersey-SOrrOw
at .Greencastle.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
CINCINNATI, Feb. 6.-Almost every hour
to-day some new and horrible revelation
has been made in the now notorious and
shocking murder case from Fort Thomas,
Ky. Each succeeding story was more
heartlessly cruel as it went TO explain the
manner of the death of poor Pearl Bryan,
the Putnam county Indiana, girl who came
here at her lovers invitation to be re-
lieved of an everlasting shame which he
had brought upon her. The latest informa-
ton tonight makes Scott Jackson, of
Greencastle, a cold-blooded villain, whose
murderous instincts are rivaled only by
the notorious II. III. Holmes and the San
Francisco medical student. Theodore Dur
rant. Jacksons roommate, Alonzo WALL
ing, formerly of Greenfield Ind, and later
of Hamilton, o., made a statement at mid
night, which If true. shows that Miss
Bryan's death was not the result of an
accident during an operation by her be-
trayer, but was coolly planned and carried
out with the heaitlessness Of fend If
Walling's story contains even the elements
of truth, Scott Jackson never felt the in
fluence of love during his relations with
this innocent Greencastle girl, and instead
OF bringing her to Cincinnati that she
might De renewed OF tue rum
her, he deliberately plotted to get away
with her either by poison or violence, SO
as to free himself of any further trouble
or worry arising from his base betrayal.
One who could plan to commit such a
devilish murder would not be squeamish
about carrying about with him the gllastly
head of his victim until he could cast it
in the river or drop it in the sluggish slime
Ever since the arrest last night of jack
son and Walling, the two sought to in
criminate each other as the principal Grim
inal jackson. however, was the bolder liar
and limited that he had not been responsible
for the girls condition, laying the blame on
young Wood. the Methodist minister's
at Greencastle, who arrived tonight from
South Bend. Jackson then proceeded to de-
fine how his roommate, Walling, had been
secured to DO the ugly work. He made
walling the actual murderer. and said that
Walling could explain the manner
of the girls death and why her head
was cut off and her body dumped by
the roadside in Kentucky. Tonight the
officers. took Jackson's statement to Wall
ing, and when he saw how deeply he was
being implicated he turned on his former
friend, as was expected, and revealed what
is now thought TO oe nearer the true story
than anything heretofore elected
HOW PEARL BRYAN DIED.
Just exactly how the murder was COM
mitted is not yet explained 10y either Wall
ing or Jackson and for that reason IL Is be-
lieved that both must have been present
when the girl was killed. The evidence
shows that they both were with her on Fri
day night. The most acceptable theory is
that they drove across to Kentucky, and
that Miss Bryan was either murdered in
the cab perhaps by being shot in the head
or strangled, and that they then took the
body to the secluded place Fort
Thomas and cut OF the head, tumbling the
body into the bushes and bringing the head
back TO the city to be disposed OF at their
leisure. When Jackson was accused by
walling tonight he acted as mailman and
would have killed him had officers not been
present to prevent them coming together.
The City Hall was packed after mid
night, owing to the interest that was being
taken i'm the arrival of Wood and the con-
fession which Alonzo Walling nad made
to Mayor Caldwell, Chief Deitsch, Sheriff
Plummer and the detectives. WalIing's
statement was given out at midnight. and
i'm 1t he said Scott jackson had told him
about his trouble with Pearl Bryan, and
in which he said william Wood was also
interested. Jackson never referred to any
thing except the proposed abortion until
Pearl Bryan came to this city, JAM %.
Then he talked about the serious condi-
ton, and consulted with druggists and fell
low-students about the best drugs with
which to kill. Jackson got drunk night
or two after Pearl came here. and told
his roommate that he proposed to get
away with her. He had several plans.
which he outlined. One was TO take her to
a room and kill her with drugs. and leave
her as if she had suicided. Another plan
was to kill her with the drug. cut up the
body and drop it in vaults, unless he had
good opportunity to cremate it at the fur
mace in the dental college. His third plan
was with acids, which Walling explained
at length.
waIIing denied that he was with Jack
son and Pearl Bryan in the cab last Fri
day night before the murder was COM
mitted. A colored porter and barkeeper.
who saw the hack drive away from their
saloon, testified, however, that walling got
in the hack with them. Walling insisted
that the last time he saw Pearl Bryan was
last Wednesday night, but that he did see
Jackson on Thursday and Friday nights.
and that Jackson went to their room and
put on part of Walling's clothes in order
to throw suspicion and blame from him
self onto his roommate.
In Jacksons statement to-day he has
accounted for the blood on his clothes by
saying that Walling had gone TO their room
and put on his clothes before going out TO
commit the murder. Walling SAYS that
Jackson told him on Thursday night ne
intended to drive over to Fort Thomas with
the girl and get rid Of her. and that he did
so on Friday night.
During the time that Wailing made his
confession Scott Jackson was present and
heard 1t all. and lied everything as his
roommate proceeded with his story They