Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-04
CRISWElL TRAGEDY
COMMENT IN NEW YORK OVER
EDITORS TRAGIC DEATH.

CINCINNATI, Ohio, August 4.--The
tragic death OF Robert w. Criswell in New
York last night following the complaint
made against his paper. the New Yorker.
for a publication involving Representative
Rhinock of Covington. KY, Miss Alice
Roosevelt. Representative Longworth and
others. led to the supposition that 1t was
case of suicide caused by the results OF
that publication. Representative Rhinock
reached Cincinnati today after a brief alb
sence. He said he was shocked by the
news. 1T probably was suicide" he said.
but 1 do not believe the charge l filed
against him prompted the act, for Criswell
knew there was nothing immediate for him
to fear In my case. Other affairs which the
general public have not been informed OF
prompted the deed. l think. AS matter
of fact, / do not believe 1t is revealing a
secret now to say that since the publication
of his arrest on the complaint l made. Crls-
we'll had been summoned to the district at
torney's office half a dozen times on cases
entirely distinct from mine. After the Ice
was broken others who had not up to
that time dared to take action went to Je-
rome or his assistant. Krotell. and told their
stories. l believe CriSwel saw himself
hopelessly enmeShed and decided to end 1t
all.
Was Sorry for Publication.
II believe Crisweu sincerely sorry for
the publication He so impressed me, and,
as l told you at the start, he gradually
drfted along. getting his paper more and
more sensational, without realizing the ex-
tent to which he was going
HE did not reveal to me the author OF
the article, but promised to do so at the
hearing In September If by that time the
man did not come forward himself and &C
knowledge the authorship.
He not promised immunity. / tOlO
him 1 would DO what 1 could for him If he
told all. but that did not mean much, as 1t
was not my case. but that of the district
attorney. | am only a witness in whatever
the case develops into even now. Assistant
District Attorney Krotel did not promise
him immunity-that l know-but he told
Criswell he would be easy as he could.
After Another Article.
1.-The district attorney declared. 1 know.
that he will go anywhere to arrest the au-
thor of the article. I know the district at
torney was more anxious to get the author
than the publisher when last 1 saw him
DO you know the author of the article?"
he was asked.
well, there is a general suspicion and
that suspicion points to only one man. But,
Of course, suspicion is not evidence.
Criswell was at one time connected with
a Cincinnati morning paper and had a large
number of acquaintance here.
resident Of this city. who knew Criswell
at his former home in Indiana, related to-
day several interesting stories of his early
career Illustrative of his aptitude for clever
writing. 1t is said that he held a great
reputation In the surrounding country as
humorfst. According to the story that is
related of him, his first successful attempt
at newspaper work was a masterpiece in
the "fakirs'" line.
He sent special dispatch to the New
L. CIV,
detail the discovery of a large cave In the
vicinity of his home town. Aurora Ind, and
succeeded in interesting through his account
a number of scientists. The story took
markably we'll at home because 1t named
several of the village loafers as the ener-
getic discoveries. The natural manner in
which 1t was handled made 1t seem the YER
liable truth to all who read it without
knowing the facts