Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-13

/ Chicago. Ill.,, Oct. 13.--Earl Ellsworth,
aged "a. was arrested here as result
of an alleged confession which the de-
Itectives obtained.
| Eighteen months age at Woodstock,
| H., Benjamin Ellsworth Earl's father,
finding his wife in company with Amos
Anderson. shot and killed both and
\ then. according to Earl Ellsworth, who
gave the police the story, the old man
committed suicide. Earl admitted hay
| ing advised his father to kill the cou-
pie, and at the time was arrested as
an accessory. but was allowed to go,
public sentiment generally being in his
| favor.
An insurance company. however, be-
| ing liable for $4,000 Insurance which
| the elder Ellsworth carried. decided to
Investigate. The confession OF young
Ellsworth is said to have cleared ELS
Eprth's mother of the charge of faith
| lessness, and to have LETT open to doubt
the statement that the senior Ellsworth
killed himself. 1t is said there was
conspiracy to obtain the insurance
money, Earl Ellsworth and two prom
inent citizens OF Woodstock being in
polved. and the young EllsWorths
alleged conversation With the detec-
tives, who pretended to be his friends,
leaves open to grave question the state
ment that the killing OF Anderson and
Mrs. Ellsworth was by the elder ELS
worth.
Interesting details of Earl Ellsworth's
confession OF participation in the triple
murder at Woodstock eighteen months
ago came to light yesterday. At the
same time all doubt as to the young
mans admissions were removed He
recided the story Saturday afternoon
In a room of the Tempe Court build
ing in Dearborn street to Detectives
Twomey and Thompson. the latter OF
the Central detail. Behind a partition
were l.. E. Mentch, chairman OF the
board Of supervisors Of McHenry coun-
ty; Benjamin Throop, supervisor from
Nunda: States Attorney l.. D. Lowell
OF McHenry county and officers.
The story he told then was a repe-
tition of what he had told Mr.. Twomey,
whom he believed his closest friend. 1t
related how Earl had planned the trag-
edy with his father. who Was insanely
Jealous of Amos Anderson's supposed
attentions to Mrs. Ellsworth. Sta
toned In the attic over Anderson's
room, Earl signaled his father shortly
after o'clock In the morning. ELS
worth rushed to the honse and up the
stairs. He found Mrs. Ellsworth in the
room, as Earl says. and started shoot
ing Earl declares he crept downstairs
and entered the room also. He then
started firing.
Ellsworth senior had turned his re-
yolyer upon himself and sank to the
floor wounded. Earl asserts he went
over and placed his own pistol to his
fathers head and fired II second bullet
and then turned the revolver on An
derson, who already was seriously hurt.
Don't do 1t, Earl the old man is said
to have pleaded, but Earl pumped sew
eral bullets into Anderson. BY this
time Mrs. Ellsworth was shot--Earl
says he does not know who killed her.
The coast seemed clear for whatever
Earl wished to do. His next move.
he declares, was to extract two promis-
sorry notes from Andersoa's pocketbooS.
These showed an Indebtedness of the
boys father of several hundred dollars,
and Earl apparently understood the
matter. He thrust the papers in his
pocket and shortly afte1ward gave the
iSNhtuSs tiiS muse cCAAiil itiiii
when he went away to tell the neigh
bors of the shooting.
Mrs. Mary Lee, who boarded at the
Ellsworths. first gave an inkling of the
alleged guilt of the 24-year- old SON.
Earl liked her and gave her bits OF In
formation. Mrs Lee went to Harvard
and fell iii. In her sleep one night
she talked of the tragedy Friends
Al
brought TO Crystal Lake. but Eari's
lawyers spirited her away. as alleged
by the prosecution, and the trial of
young Ellsworth's case had to be post
poned.