The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-08-14
Says She Saw Three Men Near
Spot Where Murdered Girls
Body Was Found.
TWO OF THEM ARE IN CUSTODY.
Oscar Thompson, Again Sharply
Questioned by Police, Much Dis
turbed at the New Turn
Bartholin Still Missing.

Chicago Aug 1S.-The police obtained
their first clew of value in the Barthol!n
case tonight and developments that will
go far toward solving the mystery are eX-
pected within twenty-four hours.
Inspector Hunt late tonight found wom-
an who declared that at daybreak on the
morning following the night in which Min
ME Mitchell disappeared in company with
William BartholIn she saw Oscar Thomp
son, driver for a laundry company, and
who is now held in custody by the police,
John Claffy. the barn boss of the same con-
cern, and a man wearing a Panama hat
I and dark sack coat at the corner of Sew
enty-fourth and State streets, where Min
ME Mtchelrs body was found.
They were going back and forth in the
weeds and acting In suspicious manner.
Nhlle the ponce have always cunTCIied
that THOMPSON, who Was LJI-der in the
house OF Mrs. Bartholn. had n. owlecge of
her death. they hau hot sLspe, .ed InII h
was in any way connected with the murder
OF Minnie Mitchell.
Woman Positive In Her Statement
The woman, however, was positive in her
statement that she saw THOMPSON and
Claffy in company with the third man at
the TIM and place mentioned. She knew
both OF them and declared that tne.e was
no chance of her being mistaken.
The description of the third man. 50 far
as it describes anybody. is description OF
I5Grthelin the night he was last seen with
the Mitchell girl
Officers We're at once sent in search nf
Claffy and he was taken into custody with
out difflculty The Police will talk to him
Thompson was then called into the office
OF inspector and informed that he had been
seen with Claffy and BarthoIin On the
morning following the night OF the killing
OF the Mitchell girl.
The information mad a marked effect upon
Thompson and he seemed for a minute to
% h1U
ever, declared he was not there and knew
nothing of the case In any way. The Do
lice pressed him hard, but he would not al
much worried.
After tht interview Inspector Hunt de-
clared that he was more than ever i'm
pressed with the opinion that Thompson
had knowledge OF the murder of Mrs. Bar
would weaken and tell all he knows.
Il cannot give the name of the woman
who gave me the information about the
positive that she told me tbs truth. Sne
knows Thompson and Claffy personally, and
there is not one chance in thousand of
her being mistaken.
We had not suspected Claffy of being in
the case at all and her statement that she
positively recognized him makes il impossl-
Bile that she should have been mistaken
regarding Thompson, whom she knows as
well as she kncws Claffy.
The description of the third man, fits
Bartholin so far as 1t goes and feel very
confident that We are on the right track
and will have the strings all in our hands
before very long,
The police during the day had received
the usual number of ciews concerning the
whereabouts of Bartholin, but none of them
amounted to anything. They admitted to-
night they did not know what had become
of him.
Woman Confronts Thompson.
The woman tonight was confronted with
Thompson. and while he was forced TO ad-
NIT 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 that she saw him under the electric
light. When asked why he threw that cap
away to wear the one he had on when he
was arrested. he hesitated and then said
Give me until tomorrow. 1 will talk
with You then"
This plea was taken as an indication that
Thompson's wall of stolidity was broken
down al last by the strong evidence he had
been confronted with and the police think
he will tell all he knows tomorrow. They
expect he VIII confess to a share in the
murders
Claffv after Thompson, was confirmed
with the woman in black. At first he did
not know her. but minated that he did
when she called him by name. Claffy is
g man about 40 years of age. The woman
repeated the story in exactly the same way
she told it at first. He denied being with !
Thompson and Bartholn at the time and
was Immediately locked up again.