Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-28
MRS. WOODlLL
WAS DRUGGED
SAY OFFICERS
WOMAN LURED TO BUNGALOW,
THEM MURDERED
DETECTIVES FIND BOTTLE THAT
AFFORDS NEW cLEW
Wife Refuses to Attend Funeral of
Slayer-one Neighbor Volunteers
Prayer for Self-sIain
Assassin
CBy Associated Press)

ont. MICHAELS, Md, June 27.-The
"a theory that Edith May Woodill
~ was lured to Lame Bob Eastman s
lonely bungalow without knowledge of
where she was going, and that she was
drugged and detained there against her
will, was advanced today when FUR
ther search of the shack revealed a
small bottle that contained mixture
of narcotic drugs.
Th;s tends to hear ont the theory
which the people of the community
who knew the girl long have wanted
to believe. They never have listened
to the suggestion that she was IN
volved in a drunken orgy at the bunga-
low, and have contended that she lost
her life IN repulsing the advance OF the
man who acknowledged his guilt by
killing himself when capture was near.
Today's Investigations led the author
tiles further away from the idea that
any other than Eastman could have IN
vited friends from New York or from
any other place to visit his bungalow
in the condition it was in. The place,
only half completed, offered no accom-
modations for visitors whatsoever.
A single bed, poorly fitted up; table
and a washstand completed its equip
ment of furniture.
Eastman himself slept in the place
infrequently.
Funeral of Slayer
In a grave not fifty feet from the
scene of the crime Eastmans body
was laid away today.
The undertakers and their assistants,
little band of newspaper men and a
few morbid persons were the only ones
at the grave.
Mrs. Eastman, stopping twelve miles
away, at Easton, expressed no desire to
attend the funeral.
No church or churchyard of the vi
cinity would open its doors or gates
to the dead man. Superstitious negroes
who could not be induced to dig the
grave stood, awe-stricken, on the out
skirts of the funeral party.
When the hearse had drawn up along
side the grave, four men lifted the
casket from the vehicle and placed 1t
temporarily on two planks stretched
across the grave. into which pine
box had already been lowered.
There was an awkward pause. One
of the undertakers- said:
Gentlemen, it seenns to me that
some one should say a little word of
prayer. Won't one Of your"
His glance fell on James Sutton, a
merchant of Bozman.
You are a church member, Mr.. Sut-
tom said the undertaken. Wont you
say it?"
Prays for Dead
Sutton hesitated for moment, then
asking all to join with him, began to
repeat the Lords prayer.
When the last words of the prayer
were uttered, Sutton stepped forward,
and, filling his hands with newly turned
soil from beside the grave, thrice cast
the sandy loan on the grave and said:
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust
to dust"
The search Of Eastman's cabin re-
vealed further evidence of the fact the
murder was committed there. At the
place where the head of the bed had
rested a part of the flooring had been
ripped up and new planks laid loosely
down.
Beneath these planks the floor beam
had been newly scraped with chisel
or some other sharp instrument. But
the efforts to remove all bloodstains
had failed.
The ground below had also absorbed
a quantity of the girls blood.
Bottle Not Found
Particular search was made for any
possible fragments of a champagne
bottle that might tend to bear out
Eastman's claim that Mrs Woodill was
murdered by another woman.
Two whisky and three wine glasses
were discovered, but there were no evil
dences of champagne bottles ever hav-
ing been about the house.
1t is becoming apparent that East
man was a prolific letter writer.
1t is said that whenever he left st.
Michaels to go to Baltimore or Wash
ington he always mailed letters back
here addressed to himself, as Roberts.
He also wrote to Postmaster Taylor
the letter signed "E. B. wellington"
telling the postmaster what fine fell
low Roberts was, and how much he
CWellington), IAN uncle living in Den
ver." was interested in him.
The writer asked that Roberts be
treated considerably
Theory of Some
There still exists strong belief
among several members OF the coro-
ner's jury that others than Eastman
and Mrs. Woodill were in the bungalow
at the time of the murder.
1t was even hinted tonight that one
or two more arrests may be made.
It was further intimated that the ar
rest would not be at st. Michaels or at
Baltimore.
Mrs. Eastman, widow of the alleged
murderer, has not changed her opinion
since coming to Easton that her hus-
band did not kill Mrs. Woodill.
She declares Eastman had told her he
was a fugitive from justice, and that
he would rather commit suicide than
serve twenty years in the penitentiary
on the charge of grand larceny.
Mrs. Eastman says she will return
to the stage to earn living for herself
and her little baby boy.