The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-15
MADE FAKE CONFESSION
OSCAR THOMPSON FOOLS THE
CHICAGO POLICE.
After Confessing to Completely in
the Mitchell Bartholin Murder
He Said That He Had Lied
to the Inspector.

Chicago. Aug. A-Becoming desperate
tonight while being subjected to a vigor-
Gus examination by Inspector Hunt, Oscar
thompson. who is detained pending in
vestigation of the Bartholin- Mitchell MUIR
ders confessed to everything that the
police have been trying to make him
tell. When he had finished Thompson
laughed derisively and said: Inspector,
that story is a lie. You wanted me to
tell you all these things. have admitted
all. but must confess that 1t is all lie"
Inspector Hunt, who has been iaboring
with Thompson for days. thought for
moment that the solution of the mystery
was pouring from Thompson's lips, but
the next moment he realized that Thomp-
son was endeavoring to perpetrate a joke.
In making the bogus confession Thomp-
son said: Yes. Bartholin made me go
to the laundry barn and get the wagon
that Wednesday night. He made me
bring 1t to the house at 4310 Calumet Ave-
nue. and back 1t up to the curb Then
Bartholin came out of the house carrying
a mysterious bundle. He put 1t in the
wagon. Then we drove to the Engle-
wood prairie and hid the bundle in the
weeds. You have been telling me to
tell you that and admit 1t is the truth.
You have told me the same stories day
after day and have pressed me to confess
that they are true. / will tell you that
all these things happened, but Inspector
Hunt, will also state to you that every
word l have spoken is false. Every
thing have told you is a deliberate false
hood"
The bogus confession came just at the
very moment when confession was ex-
pected and Inspector Hunt was greatly
disappointed After Thompson was re-
turned to his cell Inspector Hunt said:
Il believe that strange confession is
Thompsons last card and that he will
tell a terrible story before long"
What the police believe to be another
strong link in the chain of evidence be-
ing fromed around the men under sus-
picon was developed tonight when Police
Lieutenant Backus under instructions
from Inspector Hunt took the horse and
laundry wagon which 1t is thought may
have been used to convey the body of
Minnie Mitchell to the spot where IL was
found and went over the same ground
again. The police officers who were
unaware of the locality where the body
was found were put In charge of the
wagon. After proceeding leisurely to
Sixty-eighth and State Streets, the horse
was turned in State Street and given his
head Slowly he ambled along to within
260 feet of the spot where Mlnnit Mitchell $
body was found. There he stopped and
nibbled bunch of grass growing along
the side of the road
Then, turning a half circle. he crossed
the road and stopped at APPOINT directly
in front of where the police had found
a pair of bloody cuffs on the prairie few
feet from the road, which are believed to
have belonged to Bartholin. AT this
point the driver turned the horse about
and he crossed Seventy-fourth Street and
stopped at a point where Minnie
Mitchell's Shoe had been previously pick
ed up. From this point the horse leisure
ly took his way south until within few
feet "of Seventy-fifth Street. where he
turned abruptly and retraced his steps.
stopping about twenty feet north OF
Seventy-fourth Street and about forty
five feet north of where the body was
found A second test was made by Lieu
tenant Backus and upon this occasion
the horse stopped directly in front OF
the spot where the body was found.