Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-10
LOOKING FOR CARMICHAEL
Detectives Seeking Missing Clergy
man in Chicago.
REWARD FOR ARREST OFFERED
Believed That the Crime Was Com
mitted by Some One Familiar
With Church.

clue that would tend to clear up the
Rattle Run Methodist Church murder
mystery, interest tonight in the myste-
rious case is centered in the search which
Is being made for Rev. John II. Carmi-
chael in Chicago. Three detectives who
have been working on the case here are
in Chicago assisting officers there in the
search for the missing minister, for whose
arrest on the charge Of numbering Gideon
Browning and burning his body in the
church stove a reward of $500 is offered.
Excepting the fact that a man answer
ing to the minister's description took an
early morning train from the tunnel sta
ton here Wednesday morning for Chi
cago, there were few real developments in
the mystery today. Theories Of all sorts
and possible motives for the murder were
more plentiful than actual developments.
Mrs. Carmichael was brought here again
today for further examination by Prose-
cutor Brown. One fact of Importance was
developed. Mrs. Carmichael told the pros
ecutor that her husband had for some
time suffered from an affection in his
head which caused pus to form and dis
charge from his ears. This trouble in his
head is taken by some investigators to
support the belief that Rev. Carmichael
must have been insane if he was guilty
Of the slaughter of Browning.
Mysterious Passenger for Chicago.
The search for Carmichael in Chicago is
based on the statement of Ticket Agent
Land at the Grand Trunk tunnel depot
that Wednesday morning about ) o'clock,
about eight or ten hours after the prob
able hour the crime was committed. a
bearded man. wearing a fur coat and re-
semblng Rev. Mr. Carmichael came into
the depot, bought ticket for Chicago
and boarded the early train for the west.
Land. however could not positively iden-
tify a picture of Carmichael as his early
morning visitor. While waiting for the
train Land says the man ate at lunch
counter. Land thought he appeared to be
nervous.
1t was learned tonight that the man sup
posed to be Rev. Mr.. Carmichael, and who
took an early train Wednesday for Chi
cago, checked a suit case to Chicago, but
reclaimed it before the train started. If
the traveller really was Carmichael, it is
believed that the suit case was the one
that the minister took with him when he
left his home in Adair Tuesday morning.
Diligent search has been made for the
ministers suit case. People who think it
would have been impossible for the muir
derer to have cremated his victims body
as completely as the remaining bones indi-
Gated. incline to the opinion that the
murderer took parts of the body away
with him in the minister's missing suit
case.
In support Of the belief that it was Car
michael who took the train Wednesday
morning is the fact that the ministers
horse was found few miles from the
tunnel depot, headed back toward the
scene OF the murder. It is figured that il
Lands Identification is correct the min
lister drove from the church to the neigh
borhood OF the depot and then started his
horse back toward home.
In confederation of the belief that the
murder was committed by some one thor
oughly familiar with the church it is
pointed out that one of the two stoves in
was in the other store. which was capable
of developing a roaring fire, that the body
was cremated. Browning was evidently
attacked and killed in the rear of the
church and then dragged down the aisle
to the stove with the better draft, and
there dismembered' and crammed into the
fire.
The authorities are tonight no nearer
solution of the battling question of motive
for the brutal killing than when the crime
was first discovered.
Miss Cola Carmichael daughter of the
missing minister. said this evening that
the private conversations her father held
with murdered Gideon Browning might be
explained by the fact that her father
had offered to obtain for Browning the
agency for book entitled 1.-The Devil
and His Works
Miss Carmichael said 1t was proba bly,
in reference to this book agency that
Browning made the frequently quoted re-
mark that the minister was going to get
him job that would allow him to wear
good clothes all the time and smoke good
cigars.
Third Man Looked For.
LIMA Ohio January "a sensation
was sprung, locally, in the Carmichael
murder case today when two detectives
working in Delphos. a village near here.
and claiming to be from Detroit. divulged
the information that they were looking
for third party in the murder.
They claimed their belief was that a
third party committed the murder and
the body of Rev. Carmichael may yet be
found.
DETROIT, Mich. January 9-The bar
rel shipped by the Carmchaels from
transit in the railroad yards here to-
day.
1t was found to contain nothing but
carpet rags. the statement of Mrs. Car
michael regarding the shipment being
thus confirmed. The barrel was delayed
in transit owing to the insufficiency of
the address marked upon it.
Mrs. Browning Located.
Special Dispatch to The Star.
AUBURN, n. Y, January 9.-Mrs.
Aaron Gideon Browning wife of Gid"
Browning, the Adair, Mich. man who was
butchered in the Battle Run Methodist
Church, was located on small farm near
this city this afternoon. When interview
ed she received her first knowledge of the
murder
"Oh. it's Gid. He's been killed. she ex-
claimed. when told Of the crime.
She told of her husbands checkered
no and nf nc fl,rno tS 70, II T.
fore she left him year ago. Her charac-
terization of his treatment of her was
summed up in the sentence.
'Well, he'll have no chance to misuse
anybody now"
She told freely of her relations with
her husband.
When told that he had been overheard
to remark that Rev. Mr. Carmichael was
in love with her she said
Lord, sakes! l never met that minis
ter in my life. He must have meant
some other woman
II left my husband because he abused
me and refused to support me- On
March 10 last he sold all of our things
and kept the money. Most of the things
were mine.
II could have got them if I put up a
fight. but I would not fight. He would
not give me a cent, not even my own
clothing.
He was Of an awful jealous DISPOSE
ton, and when lie used to fight with me
l thought he was crazy. Still. he liked
me even if he did take my boy away
Why. he came all the way here to Auburn
last February. He made out his life in