Evening star., 1902-08-14
THE CHICAGO MURDERS
Police Have Two Men Under
Arrest.
WOMAN GAVE CLEW
SAW THE MEN WHERE BODY
WAS FOUND.
Positively Identified the Suspects
Bartholin Believed to Have
Been the Third.

CHICAGO, August 14-InspectOr Hunt
of the Hyde Park police station today be-
gan Systematically TO weave the net OF
evidence in the mysterious murders of Mrs.
Anne Bartholin and Minnie Mitchell about
Oscar Thompson, who for over twenty
years was a roomer of Mrs. Barthclin in
the Calumet avenue death house. The
identity of the mysterious woman in back
who last night told the inspector she had
seen William Bar;holin. oscar Thompson
ard "Old Dad" CIafy wrangling over
Thompson's laundry wagon early on the
morning of the Mitchell girls supposed
murder was cleared UP. She is Mrs. Mary
TaIerIay.
Today she positively identified Thomp-
sons wagon and horse as those she had
Seen with the men. An attempt to wiring
a confession from Thompson by putting
him in the sweat box it is expected. will
result in a statement that this horse and
wagon were used to convey the body of
Minnie Mitchell to the lonely field at i4th
and State streets.
Got Clew Last Night.
The police obtained their first c1ew of
value In the Bartholin case last night.
Inspector Hunt found woman who de-
clared that at daybreak on the morning
following the night in which Minnie Mitch
ell disappeared in company with William
Bartholin she saw Oscar Thompson. driver
for a laundry company, and who Is now
held In custody by the police; John Claffy,
the barn boss for the same concern. and
a man wearing a Panama hat and dark
sack coat at the corner of 18th and State
streets, where Minnie Mitchells body was
found They were going back and forth in
the weeds and acting in suspicious man
ner-
While the police have always contended
that Thompson, who was a boarder in the
house of Mrs. BarthOlin, had knowledge
OF her death. they had not suspected that he
was in any way connected with the murder
OF Minnie Mitchell The woman, however,
was positive in her statement that she saw
Thompson and Claffy in company with the
third man at the time and place mentioned.
She knew both OF them, and declared that
there was no chance of her being mistaken.
The description of the third man. far
1t describes anybody, is description of
BarthOlin the night he was last seen with
the Mitchell girl.
Claffy Taken in Custody
Officers were at once sent in search Of
CIany, and he taken into custody
without difficulty. The police will talk to
him later.
Thompson was then called into the office
OF the Inspector and informed that he
had been seen with CIafy and Bartholin
on the morning following the night of the
killing of the Mitchell girl. The informa-
ton had a marked effect upon Thompson,
end he seemed for minute to be on the
point of collapse He rallied, however
ard declared that he was not there and
knew nothing of the case in any way. The
police pressed him hard. but he would not
alter his statement, although he was
plainly much worried. After the interview
Inspector Hunt declared that he was more
than ever impressed with the opinion that
Thompson had guilty knowledge of the
murder of Mrs Bar rtholin, and thought
that before long he Will weaken and tell
what he knows
Il cannot give the name OF the woman
who gave me the information about the
three men, said the inspector; but 1 am
positive she told me the truth. She knows
Thompson and Claffy personally, and there
Is not one chance in a thousand of her be-
ing mistaken. We had not suspected Claffy
OF being in the case at all, and her state
ment that she positively recognized him
makes it impossible that she should have
been mistaken regarding Thompson, whom
she knows well as she does Claffy. The
description Of the third man fits Bartholin
as far as il goes. and feel very confident
that we are on the right track and will
have the strings all in our hand before very
long"
The police had received during the day
the usual number Of clues concerning the
whereabouts of Bartholin. but none of them
amounted to anything. They admitted to-
night that they did not know what had be-
come of him