The herald., 1898-12-10
ALLEGED CONFESSION
JOE HUNTER SAID TO HAVE AD-
MITTED HIS GUILT
DISTRICT ATTORNEY INFORMED
New Story of Where Harry Clark Got
the Money He Had When He
Was Arrested

The Tropico murder mystery mas occa-
stoned numerous sensations, and ASSISTANT
District Attorney Williams has been IN
formed of new one. The story brought to
his office concerns Joseph Hunter, who is
alleged to have confessed that he killed
Wong Sing Hay, the Chinese laundrymau,
who was slain May Slst last, and whose
fostering body was found four days after
ward under the house of Hunter at Iropleo.
Harry Clark has been convicted OF the
murder of the Chinaman and confesses
that he was accessory after the tact, Dut
charges Hunter as principal. Hunter mas
steadfastly denied in court and out that he
had any personal knowledge OF the crime,
but testimony corroborative OF clark S re-
suited in Judgment OF probable cause, on
which Hunter was committed to jail WIN
out bail A few days ago he was released
on a $4,000 bond by order of Judge Smith,
and he is at present at liberty.
The information brought to the district
attorneys office is to the effect that Hunter
il on terms of intimacy with woman, VINO
has been draining his pockets for some
time past, and who now says that ne ad'
mitted to her that it was he who shot the
Cbinaman, relating in substance a story
which tallies we'll with that OF Clark's latest
version of the case.
No name is given yet for puollcation' put
Mr.. Williams expresses commence that
there is something in the story, though the
character of the woman and her mercenary
disnosition are circumstances which would
affect the value Of her testimony. 1t is
understood that she was present 1or pars
of the time during Hunters preliminary
examination.
Another bit Of information which has
been gathered by the detectives casts some
light on the money found in Clark's posses
sion when he was arrested. Though not
TO his credit, it accounts for the four or
five dollars which he could not satisfactorily
explain and which he said were given to him
NV tramp, later amending the story by
saving the money was what was left from
az riven to him few days before the mur.
der by his mother.
1t now transpires that the boy went
few days before the murder with Letltia
Alice, the girl with whom he was living IN
Illicit relations, to Broadway store IN TINS
city, where he bought for her pair OF boots
In payment for the purchase he rendered
worthless check for 81, receiving in change
$3.50 or S., the boots costing $3.50 or S2
This gave Clark a small handful OF silver to
Jingle before the eyes of Letitia and lengthen
out her stay with him at the Hunter house
As some $3S in cash was found on the
body of the Chinaman, it has all along ap-
peared that the money either had not been
removed when the murder was committed
or that it had been replaced in the CHINA
mans pocket after the officers began 10
search for the missing man, the idea being
presumed to be that the discovery OF the
money on the body would divert suspicion
from the real offender.
Clark ran away on the next day after the
murder, escaping from the officers, and the
likelihood that he at any time returned
to the Hunter house for the purpose of re
placing the money in the Chinaman's pocket
reserving only the few dollars found later
in his possession when captured, has not
been thought reasonable. The shoe store
was buncoed on the false check plan for the
money.
The present theory is that the money
found in the Chinaman's pocket had beer
there all the time, OF was returned there
by some one other than Clark. The flight
of the latter, however, even were it not foI
his inadvertent admission when last on the
witness stand, that he went ahead to spy
out and report to Hunter, when the latter
was alleged to have been leading the China
mans horse down to turn it loose in the
road, thus confessing his guilt as an accom-
plice at least, has all along made Clark ap
pear as equally criminal, If not actually the
principal actor in the tragedy. His notori
Gus shortcomings and utter absence OF
truthfulness have made him very unsatis
factory prosecuting witness against Hunter