The Monitor-register., 1896-02-07
PEARLBRYAN'S MURDER
How the Headless Young Woman's
Body Was Identified.
JACKSON HER PROBABLE SLAYER.

The Unfortunate Girl the Victim of Grim
inal Operation-Three Men Now Under
Arrest for Completely IN the Crime.
Jackson's Partial Confession.
CINCINNATI, Feb. last Friday the
headless body of an unknown woman
was found in the field in the Kentucky
about a half mile south of Fort
Ihomas. There was no clew but a shoe,
a corset and womans check dress
Bloodhounds were called into reouisi-
tion. One went to the Covington reser-
voir and others went to a point in the
road and stopped. The reservoir was
drained and the head was not found; the
shoe was traced to farm in Greencastle,
Ind; hundred clews were worked to
thelr end without result; the dead body in
Covington was identified as that of a
young woman who was afterward found
to be alive; the dress and the shoes were
the only clew left
On Wednesday Mr.. and Mrs. Bryan,
farmer people near Greencastle, identified
the dress and shoe as those of their daugh-
ter, Pearl Bryan, who left home last Tues
day week, Jan. 49, to go to Indianapolis
The detectives wired Chief Deitsch, OF
Cincinnati, yesterday to arrest Scott Jack
son, a student at the OhiosDental college,
and charge him with murder. They got
him after two hours' watch at ii O'Clock
Wednesday night. The detectives also ar
rested William Wood, as an accomplice at
South Bend When arrested Jackson pro-
tested his innocence. He is we'll connected
at Greencastle William Wood, who was
arrested at South Bend, son of Rev. D. A
Wood, of Greencastle.
Yesterday Jackson admitted the mur.
der, though he does not admit that he is
the murderer. Not word of details OF
the crime has he spoken. When he ad-
mits the girl was musdered he does 1t as II
a third person had committed the crime.
The striking thing about it is the impli-
cation OF his room mate, Alonzo Walling,
in the crime. Walling has confessed
knowledge of the crime, but only as a go
between for Jackson.
There it no doubt that Jackson was the
principal, and that William Wood, ar
rested at South Bend, Ind, and now on
his way here, is deeply implicated Abun-
dant letters from Wood to jackson bear
this part of Jackson's confession out.
Nearly all of Woods letters are about
girls, and some of them are too grossly in
decent to be read aloud, much less printed
Pearl Bryan would have become u mother
in four months Jackson says William
Wood is responsible for her condition. She
arrived here Tuesday night, Jan 2S, at 7
o'clock. John Belli took her to the In
diana House, and by her orders notified
Jackson. She told Belh that if Jackson
did not come to see her Walling would
Jackson says in his confession that she
came here to have an operation performed
He implies that Walling was the man that
procured it. Meantime he admits that she
was killed in the attempt to perform the
operation.
Neither Alonzo Walling nor jackson
are specific in their statements at this
writing as to exactly where and how the
crime was performed. Both agree that it
was committed last Friday night. Wall
ing is the more frank in his statements
Jackson speaks stolidly, but looks as if he
would burst with remorse. His eyes are
lusterless and leaden. He confessed that
he visited the girl Wednesday, Jan 49,
He admits that he took her clothing out of
her hand satchel and made way with it,
''to cover up our tracks," he said
The valise was shown him. The police
had obtained it in a barber shop, where he
left it last Monday night, enjoining the
barber to let no one but him have it. He
admitted that the stains on it were blood
stains, but when the chief asked WAS it
in there that you carried the head?' he
replied: 81 tell you l did not carry the
head''
The prisoner was obstinate on this point
He said in his private conversation in
Colonel Dietsch's Office that he thought
the head was thrown into the Ohio river.
The poor girls satchel was stained in the
bottom and on the sides purple with her
own blood.
Whenever Jackson was asked about that
valise and the girls head in it he said: II
never carried it with anything in it. Wall
ing wanted me to carry it, but would not
do it." 1t was empty when he left it in
the barber shop.
The outcome Of the confessions, COM
PEELED by dense throng of accusing cir
cumstances, is that three men are in
volved-Jack most deeply, William
Wood only a little less deeply and Wall
ing incidentally, but still criminally.
Woods letters indicate that he was the
Mephistopheles of the trio.
More and more the attitude of jackson
and Walling is that of each trying to cast
upon the other the onus of the actual mur-
der. While doing SO they make state
ments clearly showing the guilt of both
Walling, talking to colored turnkey,
said: jackson murdered and beheaded
the girl in Kentucky and kept tho head
here three days, when he dropped it into a
sewer" A search of the sewers has been
instituted.