Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-11-18
KETCHAM SENSATION.
New Developments in the Death Of
the Chicago Millionaire.
PERHAPS A FAKE" MARRIAGE.


Walknp's Butler, Personated John
b. Ketcham in the Milwaukee Mar
riage Ceremony-Willu 60 be Contested
Chicago, Nov. 18.-Relatives of the
late John B. Ketcham will contest his
will, If such an instrument is in exist
ence, on the ground that he was not
only of unsound mind at the time he
may have signed it. but for ten months
previous. Ketcham's two brothers and
two sisters will also deny that their
brother was legally married to Minnie
Wallace Walkup. They will claim that
he was entirely incapable of making
any kind of contract at the time OF
the alleged marriage, or indeed for
year previous. Attorney James e. Pur-
nell, who has charge of the case for
the Ketchams, has already served no.
tice on the Illinois Trust and Savings
bank to restrain Mrs. Walkup from
having access to the safety box in
which the dead clubman kept his Sc
curities.
Mrs. Walkup's butler, Joe Keller, has
suddenly become a very important
factor in the pending litigation. Keller,
according to his story, accompanied
John Ketcham and Mrs. Walkup to
Milwaukee on Sept. "a and was wit
ness to the ceremony which made them
man and wife. Rev. Mr.. Roberts, of
Milwaukee, who performed the cere-
mony, opens up rather startling pos
sibilities by saying, when shown pho
tograph of Keller, that the picture
much more resembles the man whom
he married to Mrs. Walkup than did
the picture of John B. Ketcham.
Several of the buffers prominent feat
ures, including small mustache,
which was not popularity of Mr..
Ketcham, were carefully noted by the
Rev. Mr.. Roberts, as common to both
Kellar and the bridegroom of Sept. "a
To add to the sensation caused by
the statement of the Milwaukee min
lister the butler, Keller, has disap-
peared. Keller left the Thirty-fifth
street police station Tuesday night
about 10 o'clock, after having answered
numerous questions with what the po-
lice claim were evasive replies, with
permission to return to the Ketcham
house at 1921 Indiana avenue. He did
not return there, however, and inquiry
at the different police stations de-
veloped the fact that he had not been
seen since his departure from the
Thirty-f1fth street station house Tues
day night. The police profess to be-
lieve that Keller, implicitly trusted as
he was by his mistress, has left the
city in order that no words of his may
involve her in further trouble.
It was said today that the police
- aIo
of Keller than they were willing to adj
nit. After being put through the
Sweat box" process by Lieutenant
Creighton he was held at the station
until IL o'clock, it is said. It is claimed
that the police are holding Keller some
where in Hyde Park, and will guard
him until he is wanted.
The death of Mr.. Ketcham, shortly
after his alleged marriage to Mabel
Estelle Wallace, the widow of John r.
Walkup, the man for whose murder
she was tried at Emporia, Kan, IL
years ago, recalls the sensational end
ing of the case, in which Mrs Walkup's
powerful testimony secured an ac-
quittal just as everything seemed to
be going against her.
The prosecution claimed that Mrs.
Walkup had purchased arsenic while
en- route to Emporia on her wedding
trip, and that she purchased quanti-
ties of the poison in Emporia. The
sentiment of the town was for con-
viction. The defense did not deny that
Walkup was poisoned with arsenic, but
said he took an overdose while taking
the poison for medicine.
The climax of the case was reached
when Mrs Walkup was placed on the
stand. She was very beautiful and well
schooled, and before she finished giving
testimony the lawyers, jurymen and
judge wept and the stenographer's eyes
were blinded so that he could not see
to write. The girl who had been be-
friended by only one man had cap
tured the hearts of all who were not
directly interested and they were ready
to swear that she was innocent A YER
dict of acquittal was returned.
Shortly after the trial Mrs. Walkup
left Emporia. The three children of
Mr.. Walkup all live in Emporia. They
are Mrs. John Martin, wife of the son
of ex-United States Senator Martin;
Mrs. Harry Hood, whose husband is a
son of Major Hood, and a wealthy and
prominent stock man, and w. R. Walk
up, a farmer.