The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1902-11-14
MASON OUT OF 1T
NO Longer a Factor In the
Morton Murder
NEGRO HELD FOR THE CRIME

NEGRO HELD FOR THE CRIME
"A Weeks Investigation of the "Slug-
ger" Mystery Shows 1t to BE Case
OF Startling Developments and Con-
hicting Evidence
Boston, Nov. 12-Alan G. Mason
was released from custody yesterday
by Judge Amy of the Cambridge dis
trlct court, on motion of District At
torney Sanderson, on the ground that
there was not evidence enough to war
rant his being further held on the
charge Of the murder of Clara A. Morton
at Waverley.
George l.. 0. Perry, the negro. who
paWned the watches taken from the
Dody Of Miss Morton and of Agnes Nc
Phee of SOmerville, was held without |
bail on similar charge, lower court |
warrant having been issued against
him Immediately after the release of |
Mason. After the warrant was is
sued, Perry's case was continued until
Nov. Is, and he was committed to jail
Perry has changed from the smiling,
thOughtless young man of day or two
70 +bT WORRYING fpATfuI
man who is resting under the grave
charge of murder. The vast difference
between being held as a witness ana
being sent to Jail without bail OH the
serious allegation Of murder shows 1T
self markedly in Pcrry's dcmeanor
Investigation by the state police has
now led them to believe that Perry was
in fact the real Jack the Slugger.'
They still believe, however, that he had
some kind of an accomplice, and for
this man an extensive search has been
instituted
The accumulation of CircumStantial
evidence which manifested itself Mon
day seems to be materially strength
ened, according to the police, rs the re-
suit of information which has come to
them after closer scrutiny Of Perry's
history during the summer and autumn.
There has not been in the records OF
Massachusetts police investigation q
case where developments have come
with more startling suddcnnpss. or
where evidence has been more contra
dictory than in the Jack the Slugger'
investigation of the past week. The
crime which led to the investigation was
the murder of Miss Clara Morton on the
grounds of the Mclean asylum mt
Waverley, on the evening of Nov. l, and
the Belmont police at once called or
the state detectives to help them-hclp
which they were eager to give since
their offices had been refused by the
departments of the other municipalities
where crimes of similar nature lad
been committed during the summer.
. The suspicious Of the officers were
directed against Alan G. Mason almost
from the first, because of several peo-
pies testimony that they had seen him
in Waverley during the afternoon and
{ in the evening at about the time of
the murder, and because he was known
to have been at various times under
treatment at the asylum for insanity
They reached a point where they felt
obliged to put him under arrest Oh the
morning of Nov. 1 and on the follow
ing day they charged him in the Cam
bridge court with murder. His case
was continued by Judge Amy the
prisoner taken to the East Cambridge
Jail, and the investigation continued.
The most important of the state wit
nesses were conductor on whose car
Mason was alleged to have been pas
senger from the scene of the crime on
Saturday night, and the superintendent
of park reservation near tho asylum
grounds, who declared he saw Mason
just after the crime was committed
Against these witnesses the defense
was ready to produce the prisoners
brother, mother, and two friends, to
show that he did not leave his New
bury street house until 9:2O on the night
when the girl was killed at $50, and Il
car conductor and another man to show
that from the time he went out until
midnight he rode on the cars to Somer-
vile and back again.
Meanwhile startling discovery had
been made, on Tuesday afternoon, that
a watch taken from the body of the
murdered woman had been sold on Mon
day to Cambridge street jeweler ny
man described as a light muatto.
Search was at once made for this man,
hampered however, by the jewelers.
many conflicting tales as to how and
when he came by the watch. Two
days later an even more startling dis
cOyery was made in the same shop of
watch taken from the body of Agnes
McPhee, murdered by Jack the
Slugger'' in Somerville, on Oct. 3.
Though the jeweler remembered posi-
lively that a white man had sold him
the McPhee watch, the handwriting of
the men who sold both timepieces were
found to be the same, and through this
means they were traced last Saturday to
George L. o. Perry, the young negro
held on murder charge yesterday.
The young man confessed to selling
both watches, but declared they were
given him by Mason, in a statement
which has since proved to be a tissue of
Hes. According TO the police investiga-
ton into his account of the intimacy
with Mason, it is doubtful if the lad had
ever seen the prisoner before he was
confronted with him at the Jail.
In the course of the weeks detective
work an astonishing number of clews.