The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-07
CLUE TO The MORTON MURDER
NEGRO PANIED TIE WOMAN,S
WATCH IN BOSTON.
The Police Think That II Proves Alan
MasOn's Innocence State Police Think
Differently and Hold That the Negro
Found the Watch on the Street


Found the watch on the street.
BosToN, Nov. 6.-William B. Watts, at
present chief inspector In the Boston police
Department, decided this morning that
Alan G. Mason, now IN Jail al Cambridge
under warrant charging him with the
murder OF Miss Clara Morton at Waverly
on last Saturday night, is innocent. Mason
is still in a cell and probably will be kept
there until his hearing on next Tuesday.
Inspector Watts thinks that negro in
ficted the injuries upon Miss Morton that
caused her death and he and his detectives
have been busy for thirty-six hours trying
To find muatto. who. West End pawn
broker says, pawned Miss Morton's watch
at his place early on Monday afternoon.
1t was the discovery of the young woman's
watch that caused Inspector Watts to give
his opinion that Mason was innocent Of the
crime and that the real Jack-the-Slugger
l. a negro. The watch had been sold TO the
pawnbroker for s..
II II said that an attempt was made TO
dispose Of the watch shortly after II o'clock
on Saturday night, more than two hours
after Miss Morton was struck down in
Wavorly, hut the proprietor Of the pawn
shop refused to take il a. il was after hours.
The finding of the watch, in the opinion
Of State police who are working on the
case has no material bearing n to the dis
covery Of the murderer In no way does
he answer the description Of the man seen
bending over the body OF Miss Morton,
Miss McPhee Of Cambridge. or any of the
old women who were assaulted The
theory advanced by the State police is that
- p11trl tbrpw tho az
as he did the chatelaine bag that it was
found by this colored man, who hast ened
nto Boston with it
thef Wade reasons the man would not
have called AZ the same pawnshop twice
In succession With the watch. if he had
any connection with the murder The
murderer must have known that by dis
posing of II In a pawnshop it would be
traced easily He must have also known
that to 60 TO such a place after business
hours would create suspicion The man
who sold it had no such fear, for no went
hack again on Monday afternoon after
every newspaper in Boston had said that
the watch was missing
This afternoon. Hardyside Pond. near
which Supt. Elderof the Beaver Brook
reservation saw man resembling Mason
shortly after the assault upon Miss Mason
Saturday night. was drained The only
thing found that looked AT all sis-
picious was a heavy file about eighteen
inches long which had evidently been In
the water only few days This il believed
down the dead woman. There we're no
signs of blood upon the file visible TO the
naked eye. but il will he submitted TO
Medical Examiner Harris for his opinion as
to whether IL was the weapon used to
batter in Miss Morton's head.
Two more persons have been found who
saw a strange man hiding about the shrub
berry inside the asylum grounds in Wavery
on Saturday night. Charles. +. Brown.
the electric car conductor who says that
Mason was on his car when ii left Waverly
at 1928 O'Clock on Saturday evening. now
says that the man got on at the corner of
Massachusetts, avenue and Boylston street
AT just IL O'Clock that night. According to
the pawnbroker who gave 81 for Miss Nor
tons watch, the mulatto came into his place
at about the same time.
The pawnbroker further says that when
the man came with the watch on Monday he
was in company with. another negro who
was much older, darker and taller To-day
the electives have been trying to ferret
out the muatto and also 20 find the watch
taken from Miss Agnes McPhee. the Camb-
ridge girl who was killed i'm SOmerVille by
the "Slugger If this timepiece can be
found and il can b" ascertained that a
negro pawned il the case against Mason is
quite likely 10 fall through.
Some comment j. being made in police
circles over the fact that negro valet is
employed NJ the fiat on Newhury street
wl ere Mason lives witn his mother.
MISS MCPHEE's wArCU FOUND
ate tonight it was m de known that the
watch worn by Miss Agnes hcrhea, the
first victim Of Jack the Suggcr," has be, n
found bv members Of the State polic.
Miss McPhce was struck over the head on
the night of DC, 3 in Spmerville, near the
Cambridge line. 4 few days later she died
Al the time Of the assault Miss McPhee's
watch was missing, but no SPECIAL effor,
was made 10 find il until to-day. This
forenoon the watch was found in the pawn
shop at ll5 Cambridge street the same place
where Mis- MortonS watch Is said To have
leen pawncd on Monday afternoon by a
mulattp.
Miss NcPhee's watch was pawned bv a
white man, but the police refuse to give
out a description of him at this time, or
TO say whom they suspect of being the
murderer Of the Can b idge woman. The
pawnbroker's name II Joseph Nemser.
and he made some singular remarks con-
corning the pawning of Miss Morton's
watch To reporters this evening
zone officer said | would get $500
Another said more. Some said n whole lot of
money said Nemser. What are YOU TO
receive all this money for?" asked one re-
porter
They told me 10 keep my mouth shut"
What do YOU mean by that?"
Why to stick TO my story"
What story
Why. the story | have Just told you
about the mulatto selling tho watch
Nemsers talk is tho subject of much
comment among the detectives WHY he
should be paid for telling a certain story
IA something that few understand