Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-22
STEPFATHER HELD
FOR CHILD MURDER
Whole State of Pennsylvania
Exercised Over the Crime.
WILD TALK OF LYNCHING
There Had Been Much Comment About
kidnapping the Baby.
uNLY ONE ARREST IS MADE
district Attorney Suspected Irwin
Lewis From the First, he De-
clares-Threats of Lynching.
There Had Been Much Comment About
kidnapping the Baby.
uNLY ONE ARREST IS MADE
Special Dispatch 10 The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
WEST CHESTER, Pa, June 22.-Irwin
Lewis was today formally accused by Dis
trict Attorney MacElree of numbering lit
tie Mary Robbins Newlin, the daughter of
his wife. Edna Newlin, by liaison with
Lawrence Budnett, former attache of the
Chester County Asylum. The whole state
is exercised about the crime. Until this
morning Lewis, the farmer husband, was
under arrest on suspicion.
This morning MacElree went to Avondale
and instructed Detective Timanus that
Lewis stood committed for the coroner's in
quest, which will be held on Monday after
noon next at 2 o'clock at Avondale.
The childs DEATH" the district attorney
said today was due either to strangula-
ton or suffocaton. l do not care to talk
on that phase of the case until after the
result of the autopsy has been made
known, the details of which will be in evil
dence on Monday"
There has been wild talk of lynching
ard of "railroading' the slayer of the
pretty, fair-haired child to the gallows.
There will be no unseemly haste. The
case will be tried in quarter session court
here at the August term unless CO.. /
secures a stay of proceedings, in which
event the trial will occur in Octo-er either
before Judge Joseph Hemphill or Judge
William Butler, jr.
Only One Arrest.
,++orna,, MacL|1raa drOyo from,
Avondale here before daylight this morn
ing. To a representative of The Star who
accompanied him he granted an interview
talking freely at length and in dali of
the case. He said:
There will be but one arrest in this case
for the present. That one person is Irwin
Lewis, stepfather of the murdered child.
Henry Lewis, father of the accused man,
is under surveillance, but not under arrest.
II may say that I suspected Irwin Lewis
from the first. That telephone message
sent me on Monday urging that the au-
thorties help locate the missing child
regarded as a ruse-a blind.
There are two or three details which
convince me that we have in custody the
perpetrator of this unspeakable crime.
In the first place Lewis and his father
sought to convince me that the little girl
had been kidnapped.
Then I caught the husband and wife in
difference that further persuaded me
that the child had been murdered. Mrs.
Lewis, the mother, told me that she last
saw her baby through the door at the rear
of the farm house. Lewis said that he last
saw her, and at the same time as the
of the lane leading to the public road.
Saw the Tot in Front.
Lewis insisted that he saw the tot from
the front of the house. The stepfather
was very positive, and | suspected him of
striving TO impress me with his love of the
child. He wanted me to believe that i,
his love for the little girl which made
him watch her as she walked down the
lane TO go 10 her grandparents home An
other feature that to my mind fastened the
crime to Irwin Lewis home was the stimuli
taneous assertion made by Lewis and his
father that 1T is of no use to search for
the child longer Both began to plow each
on his own farm. l wondered how they
could so easily give over the search for
the beautiful child | redoubled my efforts
and kept closer to young Lewis and his
home
''On the very first .day Of my investigation
dug up the ground in the Lewis yard
within fifteen feet OF the spot where the
body eventual found I cannot he
expected to outline my case completely
now. hut l will say this: II there was any
planning about this case-and think there
vast a prearranged plan was made &c
throw tn, authorities off the scent, Irwin
Lewis did not furnish the brains. 1t was
Ihe severe sweating by District Attorney
MacElree this morning Lewis wept almost
continuously, and is on the verge of q
breakdown, and a fun confession of the
foul crime is looked Tor, and probably Other
arrests will be made. The magnitude OF
this crime falls like a pail upon Chester
county, the principals under suspicion
represent the higher classes"
Rope Around Neck.
With her little body huddled face down
ward, piece OF rope tied tightly around
her neck and burlap bag fastened over
her head, fve-year-old Mary Robins New
lin, the child Of Mrs. Irwin A Lewis, was
found at IL o'clock yesterday morning
buried in a cornfield behind a barn on
her stepfather's farm, about a mile from
LandenberG.
District Attorney MacElree accused Irwir
Lewis, the childs stepfather, of having
murdered her.
The district attorney had all along dis
credited the kidnapping story, seeming fou
play He grasped Lewis by the arm ant
drew the trembling man squarely in front
OF him.
You killed that child!' he charged
sternly Lewis face became the color O
chalk. He tried TO control his bloodles.
lips.
Mono my Cod he stammered NO
] didn't do il! l didn't do it.''
Again Confronts Suspect.
Then Mr.. MacElree led the way to