The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-02-26
THE PEARL BRYAN TRAGEDY.
Rev. DIR. Woods Statement as to His Sons
connection with II.

Rev. DR.. Woods Statement nA to Ills sohh
Connection with II.
CINCINNATI. o.. Feb. 25.-The Rev,
D. NJ. Wood, OF Greencastle, Ind, father
OF william Wood, who is In jail here
for completely in the proposed procur-
Ing of an abortion in the case OF Pearl
Bryan, the murdered girl. makes long
statement In the Commercial Gazette
In the way OF pallIatIng the share OF
his son in the crime. II not excuslng It.
Speaking Of those dreadful letters sent
by Wood to Jaskson. he said:
81 have no apology for the letters.
They were as great n revelation TO me
when read them in Mayor Caldweil's
office as they were TO any one else. l
did not consider him capable OF using
such language. They struck me as
being profane and coarseS rather than
as vulgar and indecent. They appear
to be such as a boy might write who
wished to appear as bad us some one
else, and It Is plain to any one who VIII
study them that they were exaggerated
and unnatural. They are clearly the
result OF Jackson's unfortunate infiu-
ence over my boy"
The reverend gentleman says the
feeling about GreencaStle and else
where In Indiana has become much
more mild toward VIII Wood. He
says Fred Bryan, brother OF the muir
dered girl, Is about the only one that Is
still bitter toward VIII Wood. He
hlames Pearl Bryan for inducing his
son to bring her and Jackson together
during last August and September. On
this score he says:
at was only after three or four weeks
OF urging on Pearls part that VIII con-
sented to take Scott jackson out TO
PEARLS home. Many young men OF the
town have come TO me personally and
assured me OF what they knew OF Pearl
Bryan and OF my son. that there never
was any Improper intimacy between
them. The feeling is growing that Will
was made convenient tool by Jack
son, and an intermediate friend to go
between her and jackson by Miss
Bryan"
The reverend gentleman does not In
innate who this intermediate person
was, or where he or she may be found.
He admits that VIII showed the letter
prescribing drug for Pearl. and that
he showed It to DR.. Gillespie. He says
VIII did not get the prescription filled,
ana does not KNOW lIlhI any One eise u
filled. VIII gave II TO Pearl Bryan.
Jackson, when he was at Greencastle
during the holidays, was. much dis
pleased to learn that Pearl Bryan had
the letter.
He relates at length how VIII became
acquainted with Scott Jackson In 1894.
and how he kept up that intimacy later
when Jackson was working In DR.. Gil
lespIe's Office. He now knows how
jackson tried to corrupt Wills mind:
how he described escapedes with girls
in his dN1t life. not with lewd women.
but WITH good girls he had seduced
from the path Of virtue. He explained
TO VIII how easy and safe Il was to get
rid OF the trouble in case OF mishap.
OF nll this the reverend father was
ignorant until since Wills arrest. jack
son made VIII believe that in the case
Of Pearl Bryan the operation to be per-
formed in Cincinnati was a common oc-
currence; was very simple and safe and
would detain her here only four or five
days. In fact she was detained here
alive only FIVE days.
He said DR.. Gillespie during the holl-
days urged jackson TO marry Pearl
Bryan. but he refused. Rev Wood
does not think Indiana will indlct his
SON