Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-08-06
THE BENNOOD MYSTERY
IS BEING SWIFTLY SOLVED
Quoted MYRTLE N0ST. Is
BEHIND PRISON HAIRS.
ROGERS TELLS A MIXED TALE.
IL is Public Opinion That Young
Hoffman IL Innocent-The Missins
Girl the Victim of Deep Laid
Plot-she VIII he Returned
shortly to Her Home.


Gus disappearance of Myrtle Yost was
written. that startling developments
would take place yesterday in the case.
and that the principal ruffian would
shortly be behind the bars.
The expected arrest occurred. John
Cline. the man who held up young
Hoffman with a gun and spirited the
girl away, was captured yesterday at
9: 80 a. m. by Marshal Furbee, and
taken to the city jail.
This made a total of three arrests in
the case: Sam Hoffman, the missing
girls escort: Clayton Rogers, the extra
amorous married admirer. and John
Cline. the man with the gun.
Cline and Rogers were included In a
warrant for abduction. Cline was also
charged with assault with loaded gun
and threats TO kill.
The release OF Hoffman. who was
being held as an important witness by
the police, was peculiar.
Squire Smith of Benwood. came to
tine station" said Officer Altmeyer,
"and asked me to bring Hoffman out
of his cell to the chiefs office. as he
wished to talk with him. | did so.
Smith had him sign his name to a
paper he had, which ! afterward dis
covered was a warrant. Then Smith
told Hoffman to refuse to be locked up
again. | said to Smith that he would
have 10 be responsible for his appear
ance II ! didn't lock him up
At six o'clock yesterday afternoon the
cases came on before Justice Smith.
Attorney S. NJ. Noyes, of Howard Il
Handlan's office. appearing for defense
of Rogers, the others having no
attorney.
Cline was called and, after much hes
itation. pleaded not guilty, and asked
time to secure an attorney. At the
suggestion of Prosecuting Attorney T..
J. Parsons. of Marshall county, all the
cases were continued for one week.
Rogers bond was fixed at $500. and
Clines at $500 in each case, making
q total of 81 000 At the last informa-
ton obtained they had been unable to
give bail and it was stated that Cline
would probably be taken to Moundsville
in the morning.
When arrested Cline was at work as
a bricklayer at the new Riverside mill
He professed to be very indignant at
his arrest. and claimed that he knew
HOlulUS dDOut tut AhSts liz ih0aN be'ft
a dozen different statements to as many
people. but when the Register repre-
sentative suggested that much more
serious charge might be placed against
him in the matter of the girl, he said:
Il can f'have the girl here In the next
six hours, andAr'- Here he stopped,
seeing that he had been trapped. He
hesitated, then said, She can be got
here from Pittsburg all right In that
time"
Whereabouts in Pittsburg is she?'
the reporter asked.
But he shut UP like Q clam. and
would say no more. This is not his
first experience with the law. He has
been in various avocations, and was at
one time mill man. He resides in
East Wheeling, but would not state the
exact locality.
His arrest was brought about in the
following manner. Last night after
his arrest Rogers, when questioned
closely, weakened and told the officers
that the man who held up Hoffman
and carried away Myrtle Yost was
John Cline, a bricklayer at the River
side mill.
Asked how he knew. he said he was
walking up the railroad track just
after dark and sa wtwo men and
woman north of him. One man and
the woman started away and came
down the track, meeting and passing
him AS they passed the man said
That's the fellow" and he recognized
Cline. After they had passed Rogers
he turned and followed them and saw
them cross the river toward Bellaire.
He described Cline fully.
The police then gave Cline's descrip-
ton to Hoffman, who at once recog-
nized it as that of the man who held
him up. A warrant was sworn out by
Hoffman for Clines arrest.
When Cline was brought into the
station, Hoffman, who was inside, be-
fore seeing him, on hearing his voice,
which is peculiar. cried out, That's
the man that held me up; | remember
that voice"
Cline declared he knew nothing
about it, and was locked up. Rogers
also declared again that Cline was the
man who took Myrtle Yost away from
Hoffman. He said Cline was madly
enamored with the girl and that Cline
was very jealous of him (Rogers). He
ted about letters his wife had received
and the wife, under advice of his at
torney, refused to allow the reporter
to see them, though she had them in
her hand. Rogers said: II suspected
Cline of writing these letters and have
been going to see him about it."
This accords with the statements in
the unsigned letter to Myrtle, publish
ed exclusively in yesterdays Register.
Rogers further said he had only a
speaking acquaintance. Il never wrote
any letters to the girl"
Garth Smith, an honest appearing
young man, has already stated he car
ried letters from Rogers to Myrtle I'M
til he got sick of the fellow" and will
state this under oath.
Cline was married man but sep
arated from his wife. who. it is said,
has since died.
Marshal FurDee and his force have
done splendid work in this case, and
Officer Eskey has been of particular as
sistance to the Registers representative
in running down every clue in the case,
and aiding the law in its efforts to un-
ravel the case.
There Is a big surprise in store for
some of the principals in this case.
The remark made that Cline and
Rogers resemble each other, was the
cause of much amusement among those
who had seen the two side by side. As