The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-04-12
New Phase In the Brooks Mur-
dor CaSs Is Startling,
MARRIED MEN AND WOMEN
Claimed 10 Han Been al Hotel Where
Brooks Was Killed Under Circumstances
That Are Open TO Suspicion.

New York, April 1.-TWO more fami-
lies are threatened with disruption as a
result OF the tragedy that cost Walter
Brooks his life and placed a cloud OF sus-
picion upon Florence Burns. Detective
Sergeants Price and McCafferty have sue
ceeded in learning the identity of the
four persons who entered the Glen Island
hotel with Walter Brooks and his COM
panion. and who were assigned 10 rooms
at the same time that he was sent UP TO
room No. IL. In which he was shot an
hour and half later.
OF the two men who are 10 he called
as witnesses when the coroner's inquest
Is resumed one is married. The other IL a
business associate OF the first but is not
married. The two women are sisters
One is not married; the other is said TO
have a husband and 10 be the mother OF
two children. The detectives are reticent
about this new evidence, but IL is under
stood that the two women live In New
Jersey, where the unmarried man is en-
gagged in the brokerage business.
When Walter Brooks and the woman
who was with him entered the Glen ISL
and hotel about o'clock In the evening
OF Feb. 16 he found that an acquaintance,
In the company of another man and two
women, had just preceded him up the
stairs. Brooks made II known that he
did not want 10 be recognized and no
word was spoken.
His acquaintance, who is married. was
accompanied by the unmarried OF the
sisters and his friend was with the one
who had forgotten her marriage vows and
her children. The identity OF this quartet
was discovered as the result of an exam
ination OF the Glen Island hotel register
by a hand writing expert.
He found that one man had signed the
register for all They had been registered
as Mr.. and Mrs. Dean and Mr.. and Mrs.
Johnson A comparison of hand writing
OF men under suspicion soon resulted In
bringing n confession from one OF those
most concerned.
Both OF the men have now told their
stories. They have taken all OF the blame
upon their own shoulders and are now
only anxious 30 protect the women who
were with them the night that Walter
Brooks was shot. The men promise 10
| take the stand and TO testify to every
| thing that they know about the death of
Walter Brooks II the two sisters are not
exposed.
No promises have been made, but IL
Is possible that some arrangement may
he made that will permit the women to
hide their misdeed from the public The
names OF the women are known TO De-
tective Sergeants Price and McCanerty,
who have consulted with Captain Titus.
He mas appealed to Assistant District
Attorney Schurman, who Will have 10
decide whether the ends OF justice can
be fully served without calling TO the
witness stand the women who can tell
whether II was Florence Burns or some
other girl who was with Walter Brooks
IN the Glen Island hotel.
For few seconds at least the three
women were together In the reading room
OF the hotel, while their escorts were al
the desk outside i'm the office arranging
for rooms. Ii Is believed To be impossible
that under the circumstances the women
would now he unable to identify the one
who was there with them. The men, too,
saw the companion OF Brooks ana u
they are positive In their identification
Il may be that their testimony will be
accepted as sufficient
IL was said last night that the result of
this turn I'm the case Will be of no benefit
10 Florence Burns, who is still living with
her parents at Echo Lake, n. j. One OF
the men has described the companion
of Brooks In manner that does not
tally well with that of Miss Burns.
His friend, however. Is more exact and
gives n description OF a tall. well formed
blonde wearing a large black hat, and
who was dressed throughout I'm black.
one OF the men has seen Florence Burns
since the tragedy and he asserts that she
Is the girl who was with Walter Brooks
on the night OF his murder. IL has been
impossible to learn anything concerning
the testimony that may be given by the
two sisters