The evening bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1887-1905, 1896-09-12
FRANTZ'S CONFESSION.
1t Proves Him Guilty of Bessie
Little's Murder.
HIS STATEMENTS IMPROBABLE

Farrell Has Procured Lot More Cir
cumstantial Evidence - Unsuccessful
Search For the Revolver.
DAYTON. O., Sept. 12.-The confess
sion of Albert j. Frantz made to Chief
Farrell that he had thrown the dead
body of Bessie Little into the river and
had then thrown the revolver into the
water practically clears up the case. 1t
fixes the fact that Frantz was on the
bridge ON the night of the murder with
the girl, and notwithstanding his claim
that the girl suicided, the officials claim
to have sufficient evidence to convict.
In his examination before Chief Farrell
Frantz acknowledged that two shots
were fired. This statement knocks his
claim Of suicide completely out Both
shots entered the right ear of the vic
tim and it is the sheerest nonsense to
claim that person committing suicide
could do such thing.
Frantz's statement i'll substance is as
follows: "On Thursday evening, Aug.
q, met Bessie by appointment on the
boulevard. 1t was about & o'clock. We
drove around Dayton View, and on our
way back took the old road to the new
we got there she pulled out a revolver
and before knew what she was going
to do shot herself. was so frightened
that l took the body out of the. buggy
and dropped it over the railing into the
water. Then tossed the revolver over,
too. ="
The prisoner stuck to his story of sui
eide and ON being questioned said he
had never owned a revolver i'll his life.
When asked why he had called at the
girls clearinghouse the following day
and denied ON several occasions that he
knew she was dead, he said it was be-
cause he was frightened.
Chief Farrell has at last located the
place where Frantz three weeks ago
purchased a revolver. 1t is known that
Frantz visited the place and was waited
on by one of the clerks. He bought
cheap pattern 32-caliber revolver, pay
ing for it and box of cartridges So. 70.
The clerk remarked at the time that
Frantz was rather young man to carry
a revolver.
After completing the purchase Frantz
put the weapon in his pocket and
walked cody out of the store. He was
also seen by customer, who was in the
store at the time. Chief Farrell has the
name of the clerk who sold the revolver
to Frantz. The young man is confined
to his home by illness, but when shown
picture of the accused murderer he at
once identified it as that of the man
who bought the revolver. For certain
reasons the name of the clerk will not
be disclosed until the weapon is found.
Chief Farrell, in speaking of this
phase of the case, said: Il shall not
i H. g IL Al -.
clerk as yet. Frantz must now prove
for what purpose he bought that pis-
toll"
The prisoner spent restless night.
Hour after hour he tossed nervously ON
the hard couch in his cell, and buried
his head as if to hide from sleepless eyes
phantoms which filled the air. Many
believe that the prisoner can stand the
strain little longer, and they predict
that within a few days he will make
full voluntary confession.
Jailer Wood, who is in charge of the
bastile in which Frantz is kept, is very
much concerned about his prisoner.
Jailer Wood has lost one or two impor-
tant prisoners through suicide and the
people of Dayton are watching this case
pretty close. That Wood is fearful that
Frantz will make away with himself is
made apparent from the fact that he
has issued positive orders not to permit
the prisoner to have razor with which
to shave himself. This is privilege
that is granted all the other prisoners in
the Jail.
Coroner Corbin has returned the fol-
lowing verdict in the case:
"After having heard the evidence
and examined the body, do find that
the deceased, Bessie Little, came to her
death by pistol shot in the head. The
testimony points SO strongly to Albert
Frantz being the murderer that l am
warranted in holding him over for ex-
animation before higher court
This closes the case as far as the cor
oner is concerned.
Prosecutor Kumler and eA-Prosecutor
Patterson, who will assist him, will be-
gin at once to get the case in shape
and take it before the grand jury as
soon as possible.
Diver Ben Graham of Newport KY,
with his diving bell began searching for
the revolver yesterday. The news of
his arrival at the scene of the murder
spread rapidly and in short time the
bridge and river banks were lined with
people. A raft was securely anchored
III Uuo iuluCle VI tuo rlVer anu ~ Was
from this craft that the diver made his
descent in the water. So far he has ex-
plored an area of 100 yards square in the |
bed Of the river without success.
A. e. Pate, an expert swimmer, who |
dives without any appliance, has come
all the way from Toledo and volunteered
to assist in the search for the revolver |
He is working on the edges of the river |
at the scene of the crime, and, with |
Ben Graham, he will cover every foot
of the river bottom within a radius of
half a mile. Pate is the champion
swimmer and diver of the northwest.
U.rnInAr Ind Can't 10 -Claua