Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-27
MRS. WOODILL
MURDERED FOR
DIAMOND RINGS
NEW THEORY ADVANCED TO
EXPLAIN CRIME
SLAYER is BELIEVED TO HAVE
PAWNED GEMS
Letter from "Lame Bob" Eastman to
Wife Alleges Woman Was Slain
by Drunken Companion
CONTINUED from Page Onsl

That the dead man was really Lam
Bob" Eastman, the fugitive New YoT
broker, is now established beyond a
doubt. Louis B. Pedler, an artist on
Washington newspaper, identified til
body today.
Identifies Him Readily
Pedler is a cousin of Winnie Brat
combe, the New York actress who I
the wife of Eastman, and to whom /
addressed the letter in which b
charged that a woman had killed Mr.
Woodill. Pedler had known Eastma
we'll in New York and there was
hesitancy in his Identification.
The story of the drunken row tol
by Eastman in his letter to his vii
has caused speculation here, and effort
are being made today to locate men
bers of a party of four or five peop
who are said to have left here in
launch the day after the supposed tim
of Mrs. Woodilps murder.
The full text Of the letter found o
Eastman and addressed to Vinn1
Bradcombe, his wife, giving his eli
cumstsntial version of the killing
Mrs. Woodill by another woman, wa
made public today. Eastman CLAIM
the murder was committed IN Ut
bungalow instead of In launch
first supposed. The letter follows
Eastman's Letter
''Vinnie-Take this money and go
at once to Mcdaniel, Talbot coun-
ty. Maryland, and claim my body
and all my property. The prop
erty consists of twenty-five acres
of land and bungalow. There is
also a motor boat. Have a sale
and convert the whole thing into
cash. don't owe cent except
ing for the paint and pump, etc,
which Shanahan and Wrighton OF
Easton will be glad to get back, as
it is not broken, just as it was
shipped.
Little girl, had no hand in the
tragedy. l was there and removed
the evidence after the other two
couples fled. / did this for self
protection and am haunted. The
victim was my particular friend
and we were well mated. Have
only known her three weeks.
1--WE all that is. two men and
two other women from Annapolis
went to the bungalow for a time.
Every one got ful excepting Edith
and myself.
Edith tried to win one of the
girls fellows and was hit three
tie of champagne an the fellow hit
once. She fell over on the floor
and died. The man did not come
to for an hour.
II was left with tie corpse and
CD not take a chan for a trial.
Life, to me is Ver' bitter and
will p.-s down th9 shades and say
good-by. 1ou can claim my prop
erty. and say as little as possible,
but get 1t.
"I am awfully sorry for you and
our boy, and l have been hustling
madly to make your path clear,
but fate is against me.
"(Signed) BOB.
Easton, Md, and then change to
b. C. and A. Don't neglect this.
The property is valuable"
Scouts the Theory
Detective Captain Humphrey of tn
Baltimore police, who has been a
work on the Woodill tragedy, scoute
the idea today that a woman commit
ted the murder.
"From what I have discovered" h
said, 'I have no doubt that %astma
and Mrs. Woodill were old friends
don't think 1t was mere coincidenc
stones throw of her foster-father'
home. l believe Eastman was in Cali
fornia recently and that he had com
to the eastern shore of Maryland
knowing Mrs. Woodill soon was com
ing east.
MRS. Woodill had intended returnin
west few days after her husband left
but. in my opinion, when she foun
Eastman domiciled near her father
home she could not resist playing wit
fire.
1--WE know Mrs. Woodill saw a grea
deal of Eastman ! believe at las
Mrs. Woodill informed Eastman tina
she intended to rejoin her husband an
that he became insanely jealous an
forbade it,"
Captain Humphrey said it would, b
useless for him to keep men in 81
Michaels.
Believes Slayer Dead
"The man who committed the mur
der is dead" he declared. $50 what
the use of sending men out simply [
rake up scandal?"
al, S. Rosenthal, a New York lawyer
who says he represented Eastman a
the time he was charged with gran
larceny, passed through Baltimore to
day en- route to st. Michaels.
Mr.. Rosenthal says he cannot imag
inc where Eastman got the money t
buy the property on the eastern shore
Additional circumstances surround
ing the early days of Edith Ma
Thompson Woodill were made know
at Minneapolis today. When Mrs
WITT, her mother, married her secon
husband, Albert Knight, the Knight
were unable properly to care for tn
ha rf,-I haf e,I,
was 3 years old was sent to the hom
of DR.. William r. Roup of Kansa
City, Kan.
DIR. Roup's wife becoming ill, he sen
the child back to Minneapolis to a Mrs
Green, niece of DR.. Roup
Mrs. Charles Fl. Thompson, attracts
by the child's beauty adopted her, wit
the mothers consent, in 1890.
Foreman of Jury Believes Letter
The letter of the suicide, in which h
gave to his wife his version of tn
killing of Mrs. Woodill by a jealou
woman, made public today, is accepte
by Foreman Radcliffe of the coroner
Jury as true. He declared himself con
vinced of the truth of the strange mis-
sive and urged the authorities to in
vestigate further.
r With all his disclaimer of responsi
bility however, Eastman admitted Il
the letter that he did not dare TAX
the chance of trial and had decide
to draw the curtains forever"
The states attorney and the mem
bers of the coroner's jury continued t
withhold the contents of two letter
found upon Eastman after his spec
tacular suicide.
The witness, William Sutton, who,
was said last night, had heard a part
OF mon and women merrymaking 4