The Washington herald., 1908-01-06
HUSBAND UNDER FIRE
He Tells Contradictory Tales
About Swamp Victim.
BROTHERS CHARGE MURDER
WhitmOre, in Harrison Jail, Weeps
When slain Wife'S Relatives Ae-
cuse Him of Crime-Adnits He
Forged Telegram to Sister of Dead
WOman-COntradicts First story.

New York, Jan. 5.-TheOdoTe 5. Whit
more. the Third avenue l. motorman who
is locked up in the Harrison IN. j. Jail
| on suspicion of having murdered his wife
Lena on Christmas Day. was led to ad-
nit this afternoon that he had faxed
telegram TO Mrs. Bessie Schmitter. Mrs.
WhltmOre's sister. and that the name
Lena, which was signed to this tele-
gram sent December ., four days after
his wifes body was found in Lamp Black
Swamp. was forged.
Prosecutor Vickers. of Hudson County.
and Judge Branegan, OF Harrison, ques-
toned Whitmore for hours, during which
the ex-conyict cried, begged for a drink
of whisky, and excitedly denounced his
not TO be executed, but who ought to be
torn to pieces.
The admission as 20 the telegram the
authorities didn't get until they mad
plugged away at WhitmoFe for hours
trying to straighten out the tangle Of con
Trajectory stories he had told about his
own and his wife's movements before
ana during Christmas Day. The telegram
which Mrs. Schmitter received December
. reads
"Bessie-Take care of trunks. Send
Monday or Tuesday LENA"
Contradicts His story.
First Whitmore denied absolutely that
he had sent the telegram or that he knew
anything about it. Then he said he re-
membered that he had asked friend
named Fred Elliott to send it for him.
Elliott had written the telegram at his
dictauon and had signed 1ena's name.
Elliott was a Baltimore and Ohio tiTe-
man he had met in Albany year ago.
he said. and whom he hadn't seen again
until December %. Elliott came here
from Springfield. Mass. which is his
home. out of work and broke. and Whit
more gave him money and took him 70
the rooming house at 235 Adams Street
Elliott framed up the telegram as an
act of friendship he said.
They asked Whtmore why he had
denied sending his wifes trunk to Mrs.
Schmitter's house al 4S6 East 10th street,
and had said that somebody mist have
stolen the trunk out of the Adams street
house. and why he admitted shipping the
trunk by express when they produced
evidence that he had helped an express
man load it on "a wagon. Whitmore said
that he was confused ana agitateG, and
couldn't think clearly after the shock Of
finding that it was the body Of his wife
which lay in the Harrison morgue.
Didn't Recognize Note.
Then they put up 20 him suddenly a
note which the expressman had delivered
with the trunk fun OF rubbish a note
whose handwriting corresponds very
closely TO thc letter which Whitmore him
self wrote TO Mrs. Schmitter on January
!. This note read:
Dear Sister Bessie; Please take care
of these things for me, and | will send
up more things Monday. / expect to get
all my things next week. He is trying
to be awful good now, but | will not
trust him any more. I viii send my
things by express, He mas not been
working for two days. He is afraid if
go to work / will take the things out.
which I will do the first chance I get. I
hope everything will be all right next
week. Yours truly. LIMA"
p. S-The bearer is n friend of mine
whom ! can trust, and he has helped me
n my trouble.
Whitmore stuck to it that he had not
written ;hat note, and they could not
get an admission out of him after hours
of questioning. Since ne was put under
fire he has made a dozen remarkably con
Trajectory statements.
RFotbers Mako CbarrP
Both Charles Salter and William B.
Salter, brothers of the murdered woman,
accused Whitmore through the bars of
his cell to-day Of having killed his wife.
Whitmare cried when William Salter re-
fused to shake hands with him.
Harry Heudrickson. who was arrested
at Roslyn late Saturday night, was ar
raigned before Magistrate Tighe to-day
in the Adams Street Court. Brooklyn
The magistrate held him on charge Of
vagranCy in $1,000 bail until Tuesday
Judge Branegan, of Harrison. said to-day
the application for requisition papers in !
Hendrickson's case viii be made tO-mor- |
row.
Detectives to-day arrested Caleb Evans, /
a train dispatcher for the B. r. Z. The /
police learned that he had visited num-
Der of saloons in Brooklyn, Dragging that /
ne knew the real story of the murder, |
and knew the man who had killed Mrs. |
WhitmOre. When arrested he denied that |
ne had made Slgcb ctafemputS