Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-06
ALE MYSTERY ARREST
Frederick Giles, Printing Fore.
man, Given Third Degree.
DENIES HE IS THE MAN
But Circumstantial Evidence Makes
the Police Coonfident.
WHEN DID MRS. GIES DIE?
Suspect Seems to Take Arrest as
Matter of Course-Silent bv
"Advice of Counsel"
DENIES HE IS THE MAN
WHEN DID MRS. GIES DIEs

PHILADELPHIA. July 6.-Under suspi.
con of knowing something of the case of
DR.. William H. Wilson of this city. who
died June PC after drinking poisoned ale.
Frederick Gies. jr., foreman in a we'll
known publishing house of Philadelphia.
who was taken to police headquarters late
last night. was given a thorough examina-
ton today by the detectives who are in
vestigating the murder. Giles is not d.
rectly accused of having caused Dr. Will
sons death, but the police say he answers
so closely the description Of the man
wanted that they were compelled to de-
tain him. After a preliminary examina-
ton of Giles at midnight last night Super
intendent of Police Taylor said:
while the case against Giles is circum-
stantial. l am quite sure he knows all
about the murder, although he denies all
knowledge of it. AS result of informa-
ton we have received 1 can say that
another arrest, that Of doctor. will be
made as soon as we can find him. we
will also have to confront the suspect
Fred Buchanan. the express agent who re-
ceived the package of poisoned ale to be
sent to DR.. Wilson. and the keystone
Type Foundry employe who sold the let
ter IS to the man who prepared the pois-
oned ale. Then we shall see how strong
the links of our chain really are"
Police Know the Motive.
According to the police, the man who
caused the death Of DR.. Wilson commit
ted the crime because the physician per-
formed an illegal operation on his wife
which resulted in her death.
Gies wife died recently and the police
say she had been under treatment by Will
son. Gfes' wife was formerly Miss Eliz-
abeth W. Alexander, a school teacher.
They were secretly married last January,
and the marriage did not become known
even to the parents Of the couple until
near the time of the young woman's
death. The police claim they have wit
nesses to prove that the young woman
had been treated by Wilson, and they
further say there are many circumstances
in the short married life and in the death
of Mrs. Gies which prompted them to ar
rest the husband.
Gies claims that his wife died June 10
claim that she died about June 6. The
date of the death Of the woman is i'm
pOrtant because the letter 81 which was
used to stamp the bottle of poisoned ale
was purchased July Is. Gies was kept
in close confinement early today, and no
one was permitted to see him. nor was
any information about him given out be-
yond the fact that he was to undergo the
sweating process.
The mother 6f Gies' wife in an inter-
sold oh
son-in-law knew anything OF the murder
of DIR. Wilson. She said he was not that
kind of man.
Who Printed the letter.
The letter sent to DR.. Wilson. in which
he was asked to try the ale, was in
printed form. No printer has yet been
found who printed the letter, and it was
stated at the publishing house where Gies
was employed that he did not have access
to the type, he having been employed in
another department.
Before Giles was taken into the office
of Supt. Taylor for further examination
the superintendent again expressed his
belief that Gies"is the man wanted.
zoe course, We may be wrong" he
added. ''Dut everything seems to point
toward him. He took his arrest as though
he anticipated it and declined to say
anything, intimating that he was acting
under the advice of counsel When ne
did talk he told contradictory stories, es-
pecially as to what he did June %, the
date the poisoned ale was sent to DR..
Wilson. Furthermore his description tall
lies with that given by Buchanan. the
expressman, who received the package
containing the ale from the man who
was sending it. l have also sent for the
Penn sylvania railroad station agent at
Bristol, Pa, who saw a man mail a let
ter at that place. in the hope of having
an identification made"
Gies Is said to be holding his nerve
mol