Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-28
MYSTERY IN
WILKINS CASE
IS DEEPENING
SUSPECT AND FORMER CON-
VICT NOT SAME
SEARCH FOR OTHER VICTIMS
CONTINUED
Prisoner Maintains That He Is lnno-
cent and Neither Police Nor
Sherff's Forces Are Able
to Move Him

By Associated Press.
OAKLAND, Nov. 2I--A. M. Wilkins,
the man now held in the Alameda county
Jail for the murder of Verna Wallace,
supposed to be Verna Linderman Carmen
of Sheffield, Mo-, is not the same man
who served a term in San Quentin prison
under the name of James c. Bennett.
Bennett was committed to San Quentin
February ., 1928, after conviction for a
murderous assault upon his wife. Detec-
tive Ed Gibson, who worked on that case,
came over from San Francisco tonight,
and in company with Sheriff Barnet visit
led Wilkins In his cell. AS soon as he saw
Wilkins the detective said he was not
Bennett. The description and measure
ments of the two men are almost identi-
cal. but there is no facial resemblance.
The search for more bodies on the Will
kins property i'll Elmhurst was continued
today, but availed nothing. No trace has
been obtained of Earl K.mmons, the
missing street car man, whom the police
think must have been cognizant of the
facts surrounding the death and burial
of the Wallace woman. No one has yet
been found who can give any information
uf his whereabouts since July 2S last, the
date of the death of the woman.
Wilkins himself puts on an impassive
front and neither detectives nor sheriff
have succeeded in getting him to make
any other statement than that she COM
mtted suicide and that he buried her
to avoid discovery of their illicit rela-
tions.
Proof Against Him
Aside from the finding of the body one
of the most vital pieces of evidence
against the accused man is that it can
be proved he returned to Oakland on the
night his wife disappeared, and when he
had given out that he was that afternoon
leaving for tho east for visit of several
days.
Mysterious Woman in Case
A mysterious woman is also interjected
into the case. Her identity remains as
yet one. of the mysteries of the case also
as to whether or not she was either di-
rectly or indirectly connected with the
crime.
This woman was with wilkins and
came with him to Oakland on the even
ing of July %, the night Mrs. Wilkins
disappeared and on the day wilkins was
supposed to have gone east.
These facts are proved by the evidence
of Maynard Meyer, a machinist in the
employment of the Pacific Motor Cor
company of San Francisco, and neigh
Dor of Wilkins. Meyer can not only fix
the date positively by means of certain
Sunday work done on a special car. but
even the time. He stated he saw Wilkins
accompanied by handsome woman and
a child leave the ferry on the Oakland
side and board a train for Oakland about
o'clock July p.
Seen Alive on Sunday
Another point unearthed is that Mrs,
r'olsome, wife of the superintendent OF
the Native Sons hall in San Francisco.
was probably the last person to see the
murdered woman before her death. On
Sunday evening shortly before dark Mrs.
Folsome and Mrs. Wilkins sat on the
front porch of the Wilkins home.
Mrs. Folsome owns summer home two
houses from the Wilkins home. The two
families were extremely intimate, accord
ing to the neighbors, and it was the Gus
tom to visit back and forth On this
fateful Lunday evening the two women
sat ON the front porch and talked.
Additional evidence that the woman
who passed as the wife of M. A. Wilkins
and of whose murder he is accused was
Mrs. Vernie Lindeman Carmon, formerly
of Kansas City. was obtained today.
A dispatch from Kansas City gave the
information that, according to her father.
Henry p. Linderman. Mrs. Carmon had
a gold crown on an upper right mana
tooth. An examination of the body OF
the woman which was found buried in
the rear of wilkins home shows that II
had two gold crowned teeth, one on each
side of the head, but as other teeth nave
dropped out the exact position of these
two can not definitely be given.