The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-09
HaIf-Witted Young Man Says
He Was Forced into Making
Confession that He Murder
ed Dona Gilman.
HE WAS IN TERROR OF
HIS LIFE, HE CLAIMS
Sensational Developments Fol,
low the Arrest and Confes-
sion of the Young Man Who
is Center of Attention Now.
publishers Press.l


Dayton, O., Dec. S.--Despite the
fact that half-witted David Curtis was
remanded to Jail without bail 10
await a hearing before a local mag
istrate, the public refuses to serious
ly accept him as the murderer OF
Dona Gilman and the belief will not
down that the county force and the
imported talent have found only a
mares nest
The confession secured from Curtis
has been attacked on the grounds of
undue Influence and in the light of
his subsequent repudiation has lost
much of its importance. As mat
questionable validity that its bearing
on the case has been almost univer-
sally discredited
The circumstances of his arrest,
were unusual and the fact of his de-
tention for period Of over twelve
hours, during which time he was inn
prisoned in the Office of the prosecut-
ing attorney, make the matter an un-
usual one in local criminal annals.
Upon his arrest. Curtis was hurried
to the office and the full strength of
a battery of questions turned upon
him. He told as straight story as
could have been expected from a man
OF his intelligence. and for a long
time the questions failed to break
him down.
Says Mcbride Grabbed Him.
Mcbride grabbed me by the throat
and choked me-" said Curtis. "If YOU
don't say you killed this girl 1 will.
send you to Jail and Sheriff Wright
will hang you right away
He insisted that his confession"
was false in whole and only made un-
der stress of great bodily anguish and
fear. The Mcbride referred 10 is
County Detective Frank Mcbride.
With this voluntary statement.
made without suggestion or request,
the suspect. who is charged with the
murder of Dona Gilman. gave an
other statement. accounting for his
whole time In detail on the day and
night oil the tragedy.
According to his story he passed
patent medicine calendars for a firm
of advertising agents here all OF
Tuesday afternoon at the Soldiers
home. He finished late and immed-
lately came down town to meet the
train that brings the Cincinnati pa.
pers to this city. He got his papers
and distributed them in various ho-i
tells and news stands and did not com,
plete his work until about O'Clock.
or long after the crime was supposed
to have been committed He denied
all knowledge of the tragedy except
such as he had learned from the
newspapers or by personal investiga-
tion at the premises. This later he
conducted on his own responsibility.
being governed by his well-knowrl
hobby of playing detective. He claim
ed his arrest was brought about byi
one Myers, whose first name he did
not know, saying that this man had
given the information against him.
Considerable difficulty was expert
enced in making out papers calling
for Curtis detention on the charge
of murder. The matter was finally
arranged by the brother of the girl.
Collins Gilman. swearing out the war
rant. None of the others interested
in the case. from Coroner Kline
down, apparently cared to take this
step, the coroner absolutely stating
he would not take this proceeding.
though he believed that Curtis was
guilty.