The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-02-20
She Says scott Jackson Wrote To Her
SAYING that He Had Put Pearl
Bryan Out Of the Way.
EFFORT TO SAVE WALLING
TO WHOM MISS SMITH Is REPORTED
TO HAVE BEEN ENGAGED.
She Asserts the eliminating Letter
story Proves to he Untrue.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

was transferred to this city to-day. \ dis
patch from Cincinnati reported that Miss
May Smith, the fiancee of A;onzo Walling,
had received letter from Scott Jackson,
telling her that he had beheaded Pearl
Bryan. Miss Smiths home is in Louisville,
and a few days ago she went to Cincinnati
to regain ring she had loaned to her
lover. The dispatch further says:
Miss Smith told q reporter that Jackson
had told her he intended putting Pearl
Bryan out of the way, and on her advising
him not TO do so, that he might be caught.
he replied that he was too smart to be
caught. Miss Smith further tells of u let
ter written TO her by Jackson after the
murder. in which he says he killed the girl
by giving her medicine and afterward be-
headed her to prevent Identification. The
letter. she says, she left at Byron Listers
house, No. 62l Fourth avenue, in Louis
vile. She says that 1t was Jan. IA, at Hell
der's restaurant, when jackson told her of
his intention TO Kill Pearl Bryan, and con-
tinued her story as follows: " 1t was. l
think. on Feb 3 that L received a letter
from Jackson, the last he sent me. The let
ter was In substance as follows. You re-
member spoke to you about the girl, Pearl
Bryan, and told you that Wood was going
TO send her TO Cincinnati. Well. he sent
her here. l told you / intended to put her
out of the way il she came here. 4 really
did not mean those words, but / gave her
too much stuff and ! saw that il was kill
ing her. thought she was dead. You
mans house. ] knew / had to do something
10 keep from being caught. / got vehicle
and a colored man to drive Ii. L told Wall
ing that he would have TO help me and he
refused. l insisted, and Walling finally
helred me to put the girl in the vehicle.
We drove TO Fort Thomas, and i cut her
head off. For Gods sake. whatever you
do, destroy this letter soon you read
it, The Smith woman said she burned
the letter. but, being pressed further, said
she had concealed It between the mattress
VI M haR had let fCpf in ntfle
vile. Later. she said. she wrote to the
Listers. telling them of the letter and re-
questing them TO destroy it,
SHE'S ANOTh Err LULU MAY"
Investigation here does not bear out Miss
Smiths story and some people say she is
another Lulu May Hollingsworth. In a
two-story brick structure at No 62i Fourth
avenue is a private boarding house, the
upper floor of which is used as a dress
cutting establishment, conducted by Byron
Lister and his wife. Certain letters. it is
said. were received at the above address
which may throw some light upon the ter
rible murder of Pearl Bryan. and eventually
solve the mystery that has baffied the most
skilled detectives o. Cincinnati. Until last
Saturday one week ago, some little time
after the perpetration of the horrible crime,
May Smith was a boarder at the house and
di ciuplOyt VI til- LiSttf uItsS CultlIS eS-
tabIishment. on Jan. A Mr.. Lister anu mis-
Wife came 10 this city from Cincinnati and
opened the business which they are at pres
ent conducting. Soon after their arrival in
this city they were joined by May SMITH.
She had been a pupil Of dress-cutting
school at Cincinnati, and she had become so
proficient in the art that she was sent for
and given a place in the school in this
oitx no nod hor
last Saturday one week ago. wnen her
brother came to Louisville from Covington
and she returned home with him. The
Smith girl had on several different occasions
spoken of both Walling and Jackson in the
presence of the people here and she at one
time said she was engaged to marry the
former.
When the reporter visited the Lister es-
tabnshment to-day Mr.. Lister was not
there, but his wife was at home. Mrs. Lis
fer is a good conversationalist and she hac
no reluctance in telling what Miss Smith
had said to her. although ii was evident
:Did Miss Smith conceal some letters
under the bed mattress?' was asked Mrs
Lister.
went to her home in Covington."
Did you know the contents OF the let
mo, l did not read them, but the lad,
of the house did
Where are the letters now?"
They have been destroyed. The lady:
little girl destroyed them after her mother
had read them ana saw that they contained
nothing OF Importance.
} was there nothing in them that bore di
the the girl, or in any way alluded to Wall
ing or Jackson
LON" WAS ILL.
.sWell. there was one letter from girl in
Cincinnati, in which she said that Lon was
sick
"who is Lon?'
THAT is Walling-his name is Lon.''
What became of that letter.
1T was destroyed along with the rest
There was nothing in 1t of any Importance
so far as we know
What was the name of the girl who
| wrote the letter."
I'VE don't remember that. We did not at
| tach enough Importance 20 1t to make any ef
| fort 10 impress IL on our memory.
When was that letter received; was i
after the murder?
sslf remember correctly. the date of tht
| letter was after the AFFAIR.
"Why were the letters and telegram:
| which belonged to Miss Smith destroyed@'
Because they were not considered of an,
..Did not Miss Smith write to some ON.
and ask to have them destroyed?'
| No, she dlu not
.sDid not some friend of Jackson or Wall
/ ing communicate with some in tn,
| house either by letter through som,
| friend. and ask TO have the letter de
no: they were not destroyed at the in
| stance of any one.
$50 you say the letters were of no impor
4 tance whatever!
| ether was nothing In them OF any conse
| auencc, for she always destroyed her let
! ters.''
| "You say Miss Smith never preserved be
| letters. but always destroyed Them
Yes.
well. why did she preserve tnose tha
were foundT
| were one or two kilograms from my hus
| '.Did Miss Smith ever read you any of he
| letters?''
Yes. occasionally"
sHas she read YOU any recently
Yes; she read me letter ABOUT tw'
| weeks ago.
WHO was 1t from
..It was from Jackson.
What was the nature OF the Ietter?s
she did not read all of IL 10 me: only
| part
! any light upon the recent murder"
IN TROUBLE WITH A GIRL.
The letter stated that Walling was al
that lie had gotten into trouble with
girl"
did Miss Smith say whether the lette