The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-05-25
COMES AS ECHO
Of NOTED MURDER
Husband of Self-COnfessed Muir,
deress Talks of His Child
Wife.
HE DOES NOT BELIEVE
SHE PLANNED 1T ALONE
Visits Cell i'm Which She Was
Confined and Hospital
Where She Died.

w mere Sne DleQ.
The presence in Salt Lake Thursday
OF Cornelius Hodge recalls ono OF the
most vicious and mysterious murders
ever committed I'm this region. The vis-
ltor was the husband OF the wnyward
child wife. Aurora Hodge. the sef-con-
fessed murderer OF William F. Ryan.
Ryan was a travelling vendor of spec
tacles. and in his company was Mrs.
Hodge. scarcely more than mere girl.
but with an experience far beyond her
years.
Discovery of Body.
Ryan's body was found on the banks
OF Little Cottonwood creek. near Muir
ray. about the middle OF July. 1896. The
man had evidently been dead several
days. His arms were bound behind his
body with a whipcord, his legs were tied
| together with rope. his skull had been
mcnt and a bullet had entered the top
OF his head. This gruesome spectacle was
guarded by a faithful but vicious and
half -famlshed bulldog, chained to the
| wagon in which Ryan and Mrs. Hodge
had Travelled.
Woman Admitted Crime.
The mystery surrounding the murder
| and the vain attempts to OBTAIN any clue
| to the perpetrators of the deed. until
| Mrs. Hodge gave herself up In small
| town in Michigan, whittier she had fed.
| and claimed responsibility Tor the crime,
and the fact that the Michigan authori-
cent appearance at first refused To give
| credcnce to her story, Will be rcmem-
bered by the reading public generally.
Came Here and Died.
Mrs Hodge was subsequently brought
to Salt Lake, where, before answering
10 the charge OF murder, she was strick-
Ell with appendicitis and died. Her death
| was considered particularly unfortunate,
| for 1T left unexplained whether or not
she had an accompllce In the planning
| and execution of the crime,
This phase OF the circumstance has al
ways been matter of animated dispute
by all who followed the developments OF
tho case.
Said She Did It Alone.
At first Mrs. Hodge dIsclaimed that
| BILE for her acts, but later. after being
brought here, she ceased as was her
right TO discuss the case and It's circlm-
! stances. While a few gave credence 10
! her first statement, the general belief
was that she was both morally and ply
slCally incapable OF committing the deed.
| obtained was far less than what Ryan
wac known TO carry with him, and that
she acted with some other person. VINO VINO
| took the greater part OF the booty OBJ
| tained and then forSook her.
In Support of Theory.
In support OF this theorT. which was
| In her favor. II was claimed that she
] had been travelling with man who had
| over her a power that she could not re,
| eist and for whom. In order TO shield
| HIM she would have sacrificed her life
Ilf necessary, on the scaffold. Her hus-
band, whose name had been used by the
| MIA. and when located easily and conclu-
siyeIy established that he had not seen
| his wife for many months, and that ne
In no way was connected with the muir
This is a sufficient recital of tho his
| tory of the case for describing the visit
| OF her husband to Salt Lake and giElnS
some of his ideas and conclusions or the
| mystery
Resides at Los Angeles.
Hodge is native OF New York, but
| now resides at Los Angeles. where he is
| employed as harness maker. he Is
| to visit a brother in eastern Iowa, where
| he also formerly lived and where he
ioIned the odd Fellows lodge some years
southern California. and easily esteb-
| lIshed that he was not connected with
the crime He never saw his, wife aft
| erward but would. he said. have been
| here at the time OF the trial.
Tells Pathetic Story.
Hodge tells straightforward and pa
| ,hetic story about his experiences with
his wife He affects no display and
shows no emotion. but through all OF his
| conversation and his actions while here
| his attitude was such as To command re-
spect. IL not pity His visit here ut this
time awakens an echo of noted muir
| der,
Honeymoon Brief One.
| Hodge was married to the girl In Ques-
ton in San Jacinto, Cal. In January.
| 1902 after n brief courtship, and the
| honeymoon lasted a little less than a
| month, When the couple met. Hodge WAS
| driving a stage between San Jaclnto, Cal,
| 10 tho Relief Hot Springs hotel. a road
| house, gambling and sporting winter re-
| Aurora Smootcher on account of the pco-
| pies name who had reared her. as she
was an orphan, was employed as walt
Pretty and Attractive.
| The girl was pretty and attractive.
| Hodge was quiet and reserved. and they
began to talk seriously of life, She had
| phere Of the California resort neighbor-
] hood was. to say the least. bad. They
concluded that they preferred to go back
! TO industrial Iowa. The girl wanted to
| live better life, and Hodge wanted to
| help her In referring to her erring ways
| Hodge spoke as tcnderly and earnestly
/ as would a father Of wayward child. He
accused her of nothing but said they
wanted to live better lives
Girl Was Not Vicious.
There was nothing vicious IN her make
| up. Hodge oontended. He was temperate,
! as was she. but there was an intoNica-
| tIon In life that gave her moro of clotlon
| and depression than others receive from
| intoXI-ants and drugs. She was strong
| In ideals and ambitions, but weak I'm their
| execution In few days after they were
| married she left him and went with an
other man. She then rcpcntcd almost at
| once and wrote for her husband to como
| TO her which he did,
Medley cf Inconsistencies.
| Mrs Hodge WAS a medley of inconsist-
encIcs She was attractive. but In n re-
| morse that followed transsressions she
| hc pf "a had