The Detroit times., 1908-01-04
DEIAlN- M0I0RMAA
IN THE SWAMI
MURDER CASE
SCRATCHES oNPRIsoNER's FACE,
MADE BY FINGER NAlLS-sLAiN
WoMAN's SISTER DENoUNcEs
HIM AS WiFE-kILLER.

HIM AS WiFE-kILLER.
NEW YORK, Jan. 4.-The body Of
the swamp victim has been positively
identified as that of Mrs. Helena Salt
er Whltmore. wife OF Theodore Whit
more, motorman on the Third-ave.
elevated railroad, an ex-convict and a
member of the notorious Paul Kelly
gang" according to the police.
Whitmore today was held prisoner in
the Harrison-st. jail at Harrison, N. j.,
on an order signed by Police Justice
Branegan. TO await the coroner's In
quest. There has been no specific
charge made against him, but the po-
lice say that his conflicting statements
and his conduct warrant his detention.
There are two scratches on Whit
mores face. One is on the right side,
just below the ear. The other Is on
the left jaw. Both scratches. the po-
lice say, look as though made by a
womans finger nails The marks were
apparently inflicted a week or more
ago.
oOOH dIltI w IllulOlC was iOthto hP,
Mrs. Schmitters, at her own request,
was taken TO his cell. In front OF his
barred door the hysterical woman de-
nounced him as her sisters murderer.
"You killed her. you know you killed
her, she cried, shaking her clenehed
hand at him. you've always beaten
her and mistreated her and I'm not
afraid of you. The others have always
been afraid of you. but T'm not. You
know you killed her"
Whitmore looked at her with grin
on his face and when she had stopped,
exhausted. said:
what are you trying to do--kid
me?"
Positive Identification.
The positive Identification was made
by Mrs. Beatrice Sehmitters, q sister
of the dead woman. who resides at
486 East One Hundred and Seventieth-
ct, In the Bronx Mrs. Schmitters was
found byl Hearst News Service report
ers and taken to Harrison, with her
husband, Martin Schmitters and two
friends. Edward Mooney and his wife.
Edith Mooney. These and half score
of others have besn found who are
positive that the dead woman was
Mrs. Helena Whitmore.
An amazing feature of this strange
case also was unearthed here and In
Schenectady, N. Y, where brother
and sister of the dead woman, VIM. B.
Salter and Mrs. Lillian Hughes, reside.
Letters purporting to have been writ
ten by Mrs. Whitmore. although IN
strange handwriting and signed with
her name, have been received by both
Mrs Schmitters and Mrs. Hughes
since the nude body OF the swamp vic
tim was found in the pond in Harrison.
These letters were written while Mrs.
Whitmore lay dead on morgue table
in Harrison.
Husband Often Beat Her.
Mrs. Whitmore and her husband
were married In Albany. Is years ago.
Whatever was her conduct, she and
her husband of late had frequent quar-
rels and she had often been beaten.
The neighbors tell OF the vicious quar-
rels OF the pair. Whitmore has been
arrested for assaulting his wife. Mrs.
Whitmore herself had been arrested
for disorderly conduct On one occa-
sion charge was made against her
and her husband bailed her out.
This occurred In Brooklyn a few
months ago. Whitmore went to the
police station and said he was civil
engineer. He denounced the arrest OF
his wife as an outrage and after he
had given bail for her, the two left the
police station together. Whitmore, al
though only motorman, owned an
equity In some real estate In Brooklyn
which ne sold recently for 81 900 and
was prosperous. He had a bank ac-
count and according to his own story,
gave his wife plenty of money.
FearfuIly Abused In Street.
On Monday before Christmas, Whit
more gave his wife a terrible beating
in>the street in front OF their house.
He said in explanation that he thought
she wanted to throw carbolic acid on
him. She fed to the home OF Mrs.
Schmitters and stayed there until
Tuesday night when she went home
again.
On Christmas day. Mrs. Margaret
O'Neill, who lives in the same house
and gave the Whitmores their meals,
took their Christmas dinner down
stairs to them. They were quarreling.
then, but this was of such common
occurrence that Mrs. O'Neil paid no at.
tention to II. When she left them.
they had settled down to their dinner.
An hour later she went downstairs to
collect her dishes and Mrs. Whitmore
had gone.
Described Wife Differently.
Where is your wife?" she asked.
"Oh, ! don't know" replied Whit
more. She's gone away again.
Whitmore was taken to Harrison.
Thursday, but denied that the body
he saw in the morgue there was his
wife. He gase description of his
wife entirely at variance with that
OF the woman whose dead body was
before him, and friends and relatives
OF Mrs. Whitmore now declare that
description to have been fictitious
IL served its purpose. however, to
throw the police of the scent. and II
was not until the Hearst News Ser
vice reporter located Mrs. Schmitters.
the dead woman's sister, that her iden.
tity was established.
After hearing Mrs. Schmitters, Whit
more saio:
Yes, hat Is the body OF my wife.
thought when / saw 1t first that IL
was smaller, but was mistaken. That
was my Wife"
Wise people are the kind that insist
on having Stroh's Beer. They know
by experience there IL no better. Phone
HAle Fpw