New-York tribune., 1908-01-04
VICTIMS HUSBAND HELD
WIFE OF MOTORMAN HERE
BOdy Found at Harrison Identified
by Him and Others.


| swamp at Harrison. n. j.. that of his wife.
! Mrs Lena E. Whitmore. He said he had not
seen her since Christmas Day. He had no ex-
| panation to offer for his failure the night be-
| fore to recognize the dead woman, and then he
| was>placed under arrest and hurried from the
| morguA to the Town Hall, where he put
| through rigid examination.
Whitmore was taken to the morgue by De-
| tectves Murray and Roddey, of the Brooklyn
Detective Bureau Every precaution was taken
| that there should be excuse for him making
second failure If the proved to be his
wife. Flanked by the detectives and in the
| presence of Chief Rodgers. the Harrison police
| men and the morgue keeper Whitmore ap-
preached the slab which the body rested, and
| without making any particular examination of
! the body said he positive that it that
| of his wife. To establish further the identity,
far Whitmore was concerned, the
| detectives asked him several questions with
| reference TO scars or marks that he would be
expected to know about. Whitmore's answers
satisfied the detectives that his identification
of the body perfect. He told of on the
back of the woman's neck which had not been
| noticed before by those who had examined the
body. He also called attention to the fact that
his wife had had great trouble with of her
ankles. An examination revealed the victims
right ankle to be much larger than the other
and there n slight turn to it, which ind
! Gated. so the detectives say, that the woman
| might have sprained it.
When Whitmore and the detectives had fin
! ished looking at the body. Detective Murray
turned to the husband and asked him if he
absolutely positive that the body was that
| of his wife
II positive that it Is Lena Whitmore re-
| piled.
The detectives then led Whitmore to the
| town hall. The prisoner ushered quickly
| through the basement at the rear of the town
| building and upstairs to Chief Rodgers's private
| office, where his examination was begun. In
the same building Mrs. Martin Schmitters,
| sister of Whitmore's wife, who. earlier in the
| day, made the first identification of the dead
woman her sister. Soon after looking at the
body Mrs. Smithers became i'll and her con-
! dition grew serious.
Mrs. Smithers recovered her composure late
| last night and then taken down into the
cellroorn, where Whitmore was locked up. When
she saw him she exclaimed:
You killed her at last, didn't you.
81 did not" responded Whitmore.
Yes, you did-you know you did. You threat
| ened many times to kill her, and Harry, you
| finally did it,"
Once more in Mysteries. and screaming so she
| could be heard all over the building and out on
| the streets Mrs Snlithers was led back up
| stairs
PARTED ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
Prior to Whitmore's appearance at the morgue
/ Mrs Margaret O'Neil, who lives in the same
Brooklyn house identified the body as that of
| Mrs. Whtmore 1t was at the ONeil home,
| so Mrs. O'Neil told the Harrison police. that
Whitmore and his wife had dinner Christmas
| Day. Mrs O'Neil said the couple had quarrelled
about something and left the house together,
about O'clock Christmas afternoon.
William Bartlett, Brooklyn waiter. who
| knew Mrs. Whitmore. identified the body.
| did Frank Englert, of No 61S Warren street,
| Brooklyn. Both detained by the Harri-
| son police for further examination.
With letter in their possession that may
| prove damaging evidence to Whitmore. Mrs
William Hughes and William Salter, sister and
| brother of Mrs. Whitmore. left Schenectady last
| night for this city. The letter is dated Decem-
| Der % and signed Lena" although ii was
written three days after Mrs. Whitmore's body
was found. The letter says Il expected to be
up for Christmas but 1 could not spare the
| money so you see how times down here.
| We did not have a very good Christmas. 1t
| was very lonesome. l have lot to tell. and L
| will not say much in the letter. as 1 expect to
| come up soon" The writing Of the letter and
| address on the envelope bear striking resem-
| blance to that on a postal card written by Whit
| more last summer, the relatives say.
John S. Whitmore. the aged father of TheO-
| dore S Whtmore who lives at No. 500 Yates
street Albany received New Years Day
| letter from his son, a week after the discovery
| of the body in the swamp at Harrison. N j..
| the closing words of which are. Lena sends
| love"
THREE OTHER IDENTIFICATIONS.
Nine days ago the body of woman; sup
CJ,ricT p1aE Eva
| was found in the Harrison swamp. Three pre-
yious alleged identifcations were made by vari-
/ Gus persons declaring the dead woman to have
| been Agnes Young, Miss O'Keefe Minnie
| jeanette CASTOR.
Before going to Harrison yesterday Whitmore
| was examined by Acting Captain Kuhne, of the
| Brooklyn detective bureau, who had taken him
| from his home and detained him at Police
| HEADQUARTERS suspicious person The chlef
| points brought out by Captain kuhne were that
| Whitmore and his wife had quarrelled on Christ
mas Dav after they had had dinner together.
Whitmore said his wifes maiden name was
| Lena f Sater She was born in 1871 and they
| were married fifteen years ago. She had one
| child a boy who died when seven months old
The cause of their troubles he said, the
| visits she received from man named Harry
| Henderson, or Hendricks. he was not certain
which name correct Al Headquarters
| Wbitmore said he and his wife had Joint bank
| account but that she could not draw on 1t with
| ont his signature on the checks Il gave her
| SO on Christmas Day." he said. land she could
| have money any time she wanted it,
wHIrMORE SUED BY WIFE.
II became known yesterday that Mrs. Whit
| more began a suit for divorce from her husband
| last wear and that her attorney William
| Hart of No 26 Court street Brooklyn. A re-