The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-12
IN EONGN'S MURDER
POLICE EXAMINE LODGERS AT
HOME WHERE SHE WAS KILLED.

Brutal Crime Presents Strange Elements
Throat Cut while T~wO-YearsOld
Child Looks On n the Body Thrust
n ClOset-A Theory OF the Crime
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. ll.-Following an
all night and day investigation into the
murder Of Mrs. Morris X. Lewis, one Of
the most mysterious crimes ever COM
mitted in Philadelphia, the police tonight
took into custody Harry Somers, a boarder
at 2lO3 North Eleventh street, where, some
time yesterday afternoon, the woman was
killed.
At the same time they confronted him
with b two-year-old boy Of Mrs. Lewis,
who was in the house with his mother when
she was killed.
Not a word would the child say as he
faced Somers, although he did not seem
fEightened' Last night he bad lisped;
not be induced to say a word.
While the police say that Somers is not
under arrest, he has been subjected to the
third degree continuously since Z o'clock,
and will not be released tonight.
The known facts in the case are these:
Mrs. Lewis was a Pittsburg girl. She had
been married to Lewis for four years and
had o child two years old. Lewis IL a sales
maj for Green a Co.. soda fountain manu-
AdCbuIOTbs DOLn W6T6 DbItOOH Oh FoHn0-
ment and Lewis had means beyond that
brought in by his business. Neither had
any enemies. and Mrs. Lewis, a very at
t~ractive woman Of 20, was devoted to her
husband and child. There is no suspicion
OF any liaison on her part.
On August Z the couple wen TO the Flew
enth street house and took apartments.
The house was kept by Miss Charlotte
Kelley. Last week Lewis went TO Altoona
on business
YastarJav roorn;co .hono wo - A.
house Miss Kelley, Mrs. Kelley, her mother:
Somers, Mrs. Lewis and the baby At 0
O'Clock Miss Kelley and her mother went
shopping. Somers before that had gone to
work. At IL o'clock f., P. Whitcomb, a
pension examiner. applied for a room He
was met by Mrs. Lewis. who showed him
over the house, collected 50 in advance
and gave him a receipt, He left about II II
Mrs Lewis was seen at the door after he
had gone
A little after 5 O'Clock Miss Kelley and
her mother returned In the vestibule
they ound the baby covered with blood.
big man hurt herr he cried. as the woman
picked him up. The two summoned the
police. In the parlor was the money from
Whitcomb. Then a trail of blood was found
leading out into the hall. With the baby
running in front they tracked this down
into the dining room. Here they found
some hairplns and two combs. The streak
then led back to the hall and to a closet.
Two chairs barricaded this so it could not
be opened from the inside. Opening the
closet the police saw the body Of Mrs. Lewis
wedged in a corner. There was blood On
a shelf four feet from the floor, showing
that the woman had been able TO stand when
forced into the closet. but that she had,
while dying. gradually slipped to the floor.
Another examination show ed that Mrs
had been approached from behind
while in the dining room, had been seized
by the hair and her head jerked back and
that then a slender sharp instrumen mt had
been forced through her neck, severing
the jugular vein.
She had then been carried first to the
parlor and then to the closet. There had
been no criminal assault and none of Mrs.
Lewis's iewelry had been touched. The
baby must have been a witness Of the whole
affair and had become stained with blood
while trying to open the closet into which
he had seen his mother thrust.
Somers was absent from his place OF
business, twenty minutes away from the
house, from IL o'clock until I.
No one was seen to enter the house by
the neighbors and no sound Of a struggle
was heard. A pair Of stained scissors
were found; These probably were the
weapon used.
The theory upon which the police are
working is that the murderer knew Mrs.
1 evils, that he made advances upon her,
was repulsed, was threatened with ex-
posture and to protect himself crept quietly
into the house, snatched up the scissors and
killed her.
Somers ia a grocery clerk and occupied
a back room on the third floor. He dis
covered this morning while making a search
Of his room at the request Of the detectives
thai a new suit Of clothing had been taken
from a closet in his bedroom.
The suit Of clothes was recovered to-day
in a pawnshop.
The detectives are Of the opinion that
after the crime had been committed the
murderer wen to Somers's room and there
exchanged his bloody garments for those
away.
Late tonight Superintendent OF Police |
Taylor announced that Somers had fur
nished a complete alibi. He offered to dis
charge the prisoner at once, but Somers