Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-05-25
wHITMoRE-TRIAL
For Wife's Murder Near Newark, N. j.,
Will Begin There Today.

Newark. n. j., May 24.-Five months
ago Christmas night, near the desolate
Lamp Black swamp in HARRISON
suburb, Mrs. Helena Whlthlore "as
murdered and her body stripped OF
clothing, was thrown into the ioui
pond, where it was found the loiio"-
ing day. Theodore S. Whitmofe, nus
band of the murdered woman, tolilor-
row will be placed on trlal mere,
charged with the crime. chaln ol
circuinstantial evidence has peeh
forged against Whitmore, 1t Is oe-
cIared. by Prosecutor Pierre GarVen'
but Whitmore's attorneys say ne eA-
pects to be able to prove an ailol ioi
the accused man and is conhdent llat
he will acquitted.
For eight days after it's discovery,
tie body lay at the morgue at Haf-
rison before it was identified. Several
supposed identifications were MADE
during this period. Pictures of the wo-
man were Rfblished far and woe anu
it was through the instrumentalitv Oh
a published likeness OF the woman
and from portions of her ciotIlns
found, that the body was finally lden-
tilted by Mrs. Beatrice Schnl'ter,
sister Of the murdered woman, as that
of Mrs. Whitmore, wife of motor
man on the New York Tnird Avenue
Elevated Railroad. Whitmore was ar
rested and subsequently lndlcted III
Essex county on the charse OF 1nur-
der. Mrs. Whitmore, it was learned
WAS at home with her husband III
RrookIvn on Christmas afternoon and
evening. Then she went out ana was
not seen again, so far as known to the
no,ice until her nude body was found
tie next day in the swamp at Har1l-
son.
A boy who went to the pond TO sec
if the ice was thick enough 1or sRat-
ing found the corpse lying race down
ward with the feet protrudlng from
tine water. Nearby was part OF the
coat which the dead woman had Worr
ard on the bank of the Passalc rlVcl
was found another portion. A num- a
shirt waist, some underclothlnS ano
later the skirt were found in the river
The autopsy showed that the Wo'
man was struck with some blunt IN
str,1ment on the back of the head
rendering her unconscious, but tina
she was alive when thrown into the
nond and that death resulted IRON
drowning. The lungs were filled Wltf
water and she had drawn clnders IN
to her mouth and throat from the DOT
tom of the pond in her gasps lol
breath.
The clothing was the only tanglplf
clue and it was eventually found tha'
suit of clothing, identical with thai
worn by the swamp victim had beer
sold to Mrs. Whitmore by a Brooklyn
firm The fact that she was missing
WAS subsequently revealed and mel
husband was brought to Harrison. A
| frst he declared that the body was
not that of his wife but when con-
fronted by proof he admitted the Wo'
| mans identity.
1t developed later that Mrs. Schmlt.
| ter. the murdered woman's sister, hac
| received letters, which, it is alleged
we're written after the woman's death
signed with Mrs. Whitmore's name
and purporting to have come IRON
| her. One of these informed MRS
Schmltter that the writer had gone tt
visit another sister at Schenectady, y
| Y. who it was learned had received .
| similar letter mailed at the same time
| telling her that Mrs. Whitmore WoulC
not come to see her as arranged. These
| letters will probably be offered as
| part of the evidence of the prosecu
ton