The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-07-29
THINK WOMAN
DID 1T ALONE
Officers Believe hrs. Hodge Had
No Help.
SILL LOOKING FOR HUSBAND
rIoNEY PACKAGE NEVER RE-
CEIVED AT PosTOFFICE.

Regardless OF the various theories
that have been advanced to the effect
that Mrs. Aurora Hodge was assisted
in the murder and robbery of William
X Ryan, the officers Of this city say
they are convinced that she and she
alone planned and executed the whole
crime. However. they are making ev-
cry effort TO locate Cornelius Hodge
the woman's alleged husband, in order
10 prove beyond a doubt that he was
H. no way implicated. 1t is freely ad-
mitted that IT was a bold deed for n
woman 20 attempt alone. yet they are
convinced that Mrs. Hodge is capable
Of doing it,
Sheriff Emery arrived in Grand
Idpids yesterday, according 10 sched-
ule time, but nothing has been heard
from him yet. The requisition papers
have been forwarded. and it is expect
Cd that the officer VIII be back within
q few days
There are several reasons why the
officers do not believe that Mrs. Hodge
had any accOmplice in her crime. The
chief one is the manner in which the
crime was committed.
Woman Did It Alone.
The fact that Ryan was tied with
q rope proves to me that a woman
murdered him and did it alone" said
an officer in discussing the matter yes
terday. NO man would have tied the
pddler I'm this way to rob him. a
man would simply shoot his victim. rob
him and leave him lying where he fell
Tying him was a WOman's work. The
manner in which the rope was tied fur
Their indicated that IL had been done by
a woman, for it had been wrapped
around the throat and the knot was
. imperfectly made.
This is the manner IN which 7 be-
lieve the thing was done. and ! believe
that if Mrs. Hodge is questioned closely
enough she VIII break down and admit
il. OF course her strength was not
equal to that of Ryan, and she knew
il. She had been deserted by her hus-
band. and wanted money to get back
20 her home. She knew that Ryan had
f. and the question with her was how
TO get il and escape. She admits hav-
ing talked to him about the possibility
Of tying him so he could not get loose
She was evidently then evolving a
scheme to rob him. I believe that if
IN examination is made it Will be found
that she gave him some dope and then
tied him with the rope to prevent him
harming her should he come to while
she was getting his money. She knew
the effect of drugs, and no doubt had
some with her. because she had at
tempted suicide herself
Why She Shot Him.
1T is my theory that after she had
doped and tied him he rallied and prob
ably tried TO free himself. RealzinE
that if he got away she would be
caught, she took her revolver and shot
him in the head. 1t isn't certain thai
he was struck over the head at all
If the pistol was held close to his skull
il could easily have caused some kind
OF indenture that was taken to be the
effect of a blow. No examination was
made to see If there was a bullet in the
brain.
Besides these things. there is not
one iota OF evidence that Mrs Hodge
was in any way connected with any
other men save her husband and Ryan.
The former deserted her several weeks
before the murder occurred. and al
though he cannot he found, il he had
been connected with the affair nc
would have left some clue that would
have pointed 10 him / am convinced
that when sine has been made TO tel
the whole thing it will be found that
she planned and executed the crime
alone and unaided."
The conflicting stories told by Mrs
Hodge are accounted for by the Off
GERS on the ground that she is simply
lying i'm weak effort TO save herself
and not for the purpose OF trying &c
screen some one else.
In regard to the claim of Mrs Hodge
that she received "a letter from tbs
Salt Lake postofice containing $40
this part is believed TO be fiction. In
vestigatiOns were made by The Herald
at the postofiice yesterday. and il was
proven beyond a doubt that no sucl
letter came by registered mail as II
would have done without doubt had Il
contained money.