The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-06-26
Lifeless Body Taken
From Boat.
FOLLOWED m NIGHT
BY SHERIFF's POSSE
Hemmed IN on All Sides, Sealed
Lips With Bullet.
--s-----
mystery Of nr.a - cleared UP, He be-
Ming Isentiaed a. Former new
York Broker--writes
wife Of Deed.

st. Michaels, Nd. June 25.-AThe last
tragic chapter In a story OF crime
unparalleled in this section OF the
country. was written in the haif-light
OF an early summers dawn today. when
the man accused OF the heartless MUIR
der Of pretty little Mrs. May Edith
Thompson Woodill--a spectre-like form
fleeing in a skin from posse Of de-
termined. relentless pursuers stood for
q moment facing the men who had cor
nered him on the waters OF narrow
creek then fred bullet crashing into
his heart and fell q lifeless lump into
the bottom OF the boat. whfcn he had
hoped would carry him TO landing
place, where flight might be possipie.
Taking HIS fate into his own hands
and plotting out untold the story Of
the death OF girl who had moved in
the highest social circles of Baltimore.
washington and Los Angeles---a beau-
tifuI talented girl, who had been .
protege of Lyman y. Gage and OF for
mer Governor Frank Brown Of this
city--the man known here as Emmett
T.. Roberts. but who In reality was
Robert Emmett Eastman, failed
broker of the Consolidated Stock Ex-
change OF New York. passed beyond
: the reach of the law, and with his
going vanished the hope OF clearing up
the motive and banning details OF this
strange tragedy.
A letter found upon Eastman's body.
addressed to Miss Winnie Bradcome,
care Of Klaw & Erlanger, New YORK.
gave Eastmsn'f ili-sustalnea s,,, excuse as
count Of how he had been out Ia q
launch with a party of men and NO
men. ali Of whom had been drinking
10 excess with the exception OF him
self and Mrs. woodiIi; and how ore
Of the women in At Of Jealous frenzy
had attacked Mrs Woodiil With p
wine bottle and killed her; how the
remainder of the party Ind taken nignf,
leaving him to dispose Of the body. and
how as q means or escape from all his
troubles the writer had decided TO end
Ma fffe Bastrunn asked Miss HfAay
nofne 10 come TO Maryland 70 take
charge OF his body and HIS property
The anthoritiesl after a thorough In
vesti9ation. have postponed TURNER
Inquest into the death OF Mrs. Wooaiils
witness has been found who 10 said
10 have overheard the voices Of per-
sons ri1erry-fiaaking In Eastman's bum
ralow Sunday night. Among the voices
the man is said to have recognized tnat
Of Mrs. Woodiii.
Miss Bradcome today conveyed the
somewhat banning information that she
!, knew nothing of Roberts or OF East-
~
Iners tury wired Miss Bradeome 10
come and take possession OF the body.
however. and received reply from ner
saving she could not because OF lack
or funds. He has now wired her 70
draw on him for $50 and Is now await
ing developments.
Neither the known movements OF
Eastman and Mrs. Woodiil. nor any OF
ths circumstances of the case tend 70
Usn- sef aN
letter. which he had no opportunity 70
mail. ACCORDING to the authorities. VINO
seern to believe with Colonel Charles
IT THOMPSON. of Mcdaniel, the foster
father OF the girl. that Eastman. In
whose company she last was seen alive
Z was responsible for the death OF MRS.
! Woodili. N
Many motives Advanced.
Many motives have been advanced
That Eastman. was infatuated with the
girl was we'll known. She in turn, II
would seem. was fascinated by him at
times and possibly frightened by his
attentions In a note addressed to
"Dear wobby" declining to see him at
the particular tinze, but not wishing to
anger him. she said:
''It Is only an intermittent delifium,
anyhow, and you had better go and
wash your dishes.'"
After this. Eastman evidently pre-
vailed upon the girl to visit his farm,
which was near that of her foster faith
err. to see the new bungalow which he
had built. The girl met Eastman Sat-
urday, was seen to leave the Mcdaniel
wharf In a launch with him, and We'd
nesdAy her nude body was found float
ing on the surface Of Rose Greek,
crudely tied TO a rope and weighted
with iron and bricks
Mrs. Woodill, the victim, the wife Of
49,. 80
in Los Angeles. who had been on a
visit TO her relatives, had intended
leaving In a few days to rejoin her
husband, to whom she was ostensibly
happily married. Jealousy induced by
the fact that she was so soon to go
away, is foremost in the list OF theo-
ries. but the real story OF the bunga-
low may never be known.
The meeting Of Eastman and Mrs.
Woodill. wherever and whenever 1t oc-
Cured, brought together two oddly
suited figures. and the tragedy brought
to an end two strange careers.
Mrs. Woodill, though twice married,
was but a slip Of girl. a yivacious
petite little thing, FOND Of pretty
clothes, always Immediately dressed
and Weighing only about 100 pounds
Where the girl sprang from and who
her father was, are clothed with much
Of the same deep mystery which sur.
rounded the details or her death. The
records in Minneapolis show that the
baby, adopted by Colonel Charles H.
THOMPSON and his. wife, was entered in
the records OF adoption as the daughter
OF Matthew and zetella Knight WITT.
Indications seem to point to the fact
that Witt was not her father Mr..
WoodiIl is known TO have advertised
recently in an endeavor to find some-
thing definite Of his wife's parentage.
Picturesque Pursuit.
No pursuit OF an accused assassin
was ever attended by more picturesque
SURF findings than that which end ID In
the death of Lame Bob" Eastman,
who had been known during his short
residence here as Emmett z. Roberts.
Eastman had simply transpoaed his
name from Robert Emmett Eastman to
Emmett r. Roberts.
The man disappeared last Wednes-
day evening. following the discovery
of the body and its Identification. Sus-
picion had pointed to him from the
first. for he was the last person with
whom the girl had been seen. Eastman
made efforts to leave Mcdaniel We'd