Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-14
GLEN IN DARTHOLN CASE
Woman Tells Police Story duplicating Two
Men in the Murder.
ANOTHER ARREST MADE on STATEMENT
Chicago Police Endeavor 60 Worm
Confession Dat OF Prisoner
ThOmpson, BeIievine they Are
on Track OF Murderer.

CHICAGO. Aug. 1s.-The police obtained
their first clue of value in the Bartholin
case tonight and developments that will
so far toward solving the mystery are ex-
pected within twenty-four hours.
Inspector Hunt late tonight found q
woman who declared that at daybreak on
the morning following the night on which
Minnie Mitchell 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 Ciaffy. the barn boss for the
same company, and a man wearing a
panama hat and a dark sack coat, in front
Of the laundry.
While the police have always commended
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 muir
der Of Minnie Mitchell. The woman. how
ever. was positive in her statement that
she saw Thompson and Clahy 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 so far as It describes anybody, is
a description OF Bartholin the night he
was last seen with the Mitchell girl.
0hicers were at once sent in search OF
Clafy and he was taken into custody with
out difficulty. The police will talk to him
later.
Thompson In sweatbOx.
Thompson was then called into the Office
of the inspector and Informed that he had
been seen with Claffy and Bartholin on
the morning following the night Of the
killing of the Mitchell girl. The Informal
tion had a marked effect upon Thompson
and seemed for a minute to be on the
point Of collapse. He rallied, however, and
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 In
spector Hunt declared that he was more
than over impressed with the opinion that
Thompson had guilty knowledge Of the
murder Of Mrs. Bartholin and thought that
before long he will weaken and tell what
he knows.
II cannot give the name OF the woman
who gave me the information about the
three men," said the inspector. but l
am positive that she told me the truth.
She knows Thompson and Claffy personally
and there Is not one chance in a thousand
Of her being mistaken. We had not sus-
pected Clany Of being In the case at ali.
and her statement that she positively recog-
nized him makes It Impossible that she
had have been mistaken regarding Thomp-
sen whom she knows as we'll as she knows
Clafy. The description Of the third man
fits Bartholin so far as II goes and 1 feel
very confident that we are on the right
track and will have the strings all In our
hands before very long"
Tn police during the day had received
the usual number of clews concerning the
whereabouts OF Bartholin but none Of them
amounted to anything. They admitted to-
night that they did not know what had
become of him. s,,a sssE ga4s
Thompson Slightly weakens.
The woman tonight was confronted with
Thompson and, while he was forced to ad-
init that he knew her, and she knew him
he denied her story. The woman declared
that a light colored cap. which Thompson
had attempted to throw away, was one
that he wore at the time she saw. him under
the electric light.
When asked why he threw that cap
away to wear the one he had on when ar
rested, he hesitated. and then said:
Give me until tomorrow. l will talk
with you them"
This plea was taken as an indication that
Thompson's wall Of s~tolidity was broken
down at last by the strong evidence he
had been confronted with, and the police
think he will tell all he knows tomorrow.
They expect he will confess to a share in
the murders.
Claffy, after Thompson, was confronted
with the woman in black. He at FIRST said
he did not know her, but Immediately ad-
mitted that he did when she called him
by name Clafy is a man about 45 years
OF age. The woman repeated the story
In exactly the same way she told 1t at
first. He denied being with Thompson and
Bartholin at the time and was mmedi-
H. falv looNa6 IN oootr