Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-01-04
She Was Helen Whitmore, Who
Conducted a Furnished Room
House in Brooklyn.
POLICE HOLD HER HUSBAND,
ON First Visit TO Morguc He Did Not
Fully Recognize the Body But
Did on the Second.

Newark. n. j.. Jan. 3.-Followlng
searching examination, during whlch
many incidents Of his life were iaiu
bare. Theodore s. Whitmore, the nus
band. was held by the New Jersey po-
lice tonight as a suspect In the death
of LENA" Whitmore, who was beaten
inscnsble, stripped of her clothing ana
drowned in pond on the HackensacK
meadows In Harrison on the morning
of Dec 90. Whitmore. who had been
detained in New York, was taken 10
Harrison tonight, and, having definitely
identified his wifes body was rigor-
ously questioned by the authorities. the
nature of his testimony determined the
police to keep him within the jurisdic-
ton OF the local courts.
The murdered woman was Helen
whltmore, who with her husband
rheodore S. Whitmore, conducted
furnished room house at 2S5 Adams
street, Brooklyn. The Identification
was made by the woman's sister, Mrs
Susan Schmitter of the Bronx.
Mrs Schmitter furnished to the po-
lice what is believed TO be the most
important Information. she told OF
series of letters and kilograms received
by herself and her sister in Schemes
tady, purporting to come from Mrs
Whitmore, but some of which must
have been written after her death.
trunk belonging to Mrs. Whitmore nad
also been sent mgsteriously TO her
home. Mrs, Schmtter said.
Mrs. Whitmore left her home on
Christmas day, with the intention, &C
cording to her husband. of making
lot. do I,ar ei Raggip Hughes.
whose home is in Schenectady. At
o'clock the next morning she was seen
in the company of a man on the Hack
ensack meadows. That afternoon her
nude body was found, partly sub
merged In pool Of water near where
she had been seen. The next day Mrs.
Whitmore's trunk was delivered at her
sisters home in the Bronx
Whitmore is a Brooklyn elevated
motorman. who ordinarily works
nights. He did not go to work Christ
mas night. He explained today that
he was taken i'll with the grip after
his wife left their home, and that he
had not been able to work since. He
had frequently quaTreled with his wife.
he SAID. and was not surprised when
she failed to return home, They had
quarreled he said because she had
accepted attentions from two other
men. Today Whitmore placed an
advertisement in a Brooklyn paper
offering his furnished room business
for sale.
Last night Whitmore visited this
morgue at Harrison. and, though he
admitted a familiar appearance, he
would not say that the body was that
of his wife. Today Whitmore was eX-
amlned at police headquarters in
Brooklyn and finally expressed the
opinion that the Harrison Identification
10 cert in hOxVa
that he had received two messages
from His wife after she left him. He
was detained on suspicion, and to-
night was again taken to Harrison.
where he made his Identification posi-
tive.
whitmore told the police OF his strug-
gle to live down an unpleasant past
and how faithless wife had held over
his head a threat of exposure-to make
known TO new acQuaintances here what
he now admits. that he was serving n
sentence In Dannamora prison when
pardoned by Gov. Black. Bitter quar-
rels and as many reconciliations mark
| ed their married life of is years His
| Wife, he said. had become infatuated
! with n sailor known to him only as
| Harry" but when she returned home
al Christmas. following five days alb
| sence he greeted her with n merry
| Christmas" She failed to respond, and
| they uuarreled OH the street. He
| thought that she had bottle of acid
and he attempted to take 1t from her.
In the struggle they both fell. Later
| they effected u truce and had dinner
| together. Then lie went out on an err
| rand and when he returned to the
| house she had left never TO return.
Whitmore said that on the day his
| wife disappeared he had given her s15.
| He knew absolutely nothing, he said.
of how she came to be in New Jersey.
| or of the manner of her death.
Mrs. Margaret O'Neill, "A neighbor of
| the Whltmores, went to Harrison to-
night and identified the body Mrs.
| O'Neil said that the Whitmores were
| at her home Christmas day and left
| together at 4:S0 after having had n
| quarre, in her presence.
Mrs. Schmitter tainted after recog-
| nizing her sisters body today. When
| she had regained her senses she said:
Ever since poor Lena married her
| life has been miserable. on Monday o.
last week Lena left her home I'm Brook,
| Ign and came to my house. Her face
| was bruised and cut. That night her
husband appeared and begged her to
return home with him. She finally con-
scented, but first she left with me her
| watch, her ring and $40 i'm money