Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1909-06-28
THE MARYLAND MURDER.

own band and robbed the dead woman
of large amount of money and jewelry,
bat planned cunniDgly to throw the
crime on New York friends who knew
him in his prosperous days and visited
him over Saturday q week age. East
mans intricate scheme TO involve others
and save his own neck, il possible, is
being exposed hoGr by hour. There
was n gay party at Eastmau's bungalow
on the shore OF Broad creek, where he hid
for five months from the New York police
but every scrap of information thst the
police Of three states can gather points
10 the fact that Eastman was alone with
young Mrs. Woodill when she came to
her death.
The day after Mrs. WoOdill WAS
killed Eastman went to Baltimore and
pawned her jewelry. On Tuesday he
Was back again, smiling, among his
acquaintance at S.. Michsels aud Nc
Daniel, paying debts and iesting about
the gay time his guests had. on Sunday
and, it IA said, he timed the tragedy to
cast suspicion on g launch party OF
men and women who are supposed to
have been at his bungalow.
If the guests were at the house the
murder was committed after they left.
Letters written by Eastman indicste
he calmly planned to end his own life.
Eastman was 10 Baltimore last Tues
day and displayed ieWelry supposed to
have been taken from Mrs. Woodill
after the murder. Jewelry supposed to
have been pawned In Baltimore by
Eastman vas recovered by the police as
stated in Saturdays Gazette.
Baltimore detectives discredit the
statement OF Eastman, in g letter to his
wife to the effect that Mrs. Woodill was
murdered by a woman.
The following was the letter:
"Vinnie: Take this money and go at
once to Mcdaniel, Talbot county, Md,
and claim my body and all my property.
The property consists Of % acres aud
bungalow. There Is also a motor boat.
Have q sale and convert the whole
thing into cash. | don't owe q cent,
excepting for the paint aud pump, ETC.,
which Shanshan and Wrighton, Of
Easton, will be glad to get back, ss it Is
not broken, just as 1t was shipped. Little
girl had no hand in the tragedy. Was
there and removed the evidence after the
other two couples fed. | did this for
seli-preservation and am haunted. The
victim was my particular friend, and we
were we'll mated. Have only known her
three weeks. We all, that is, two men
and two other women from Annapolis,
went to the bungalow for q time. Every
one got full excepting Edith and myself.
Edith tried to win one OF the girls
fellows, and while lying on the bed with
him was hit three times on the head With
full bottle OF champagne and the fellow
hit once. She fell over on the floor and
died. The man did not come to for an
hour. was left with the corpse and
cannot take a chance for trial. Life
to me is very bitter and will pull down
The shades and ssy good-by. You can
claim my property and say as little as
possible, but get it. | am awiully sorry
for you and our boy, and have been
hustling madly to make your path clear,
but fate Is against me Bob.
Take Pennsylvania Railroad TO Easton,
Md and then change to B O. & A. Don't
neglect this, the properly is valuable"
Mrs. Eastman left New York on Sat
urday for ST. Michaels.
Eastman feared that he was TO be ar
rested and taken back to New York to
stand his trial for graud larceny. He
begged Mrs. WOOdill TO run away With
him. The girl refused and Eastman,
pressed by anger, fright and his Eecessi-
ties, murdered her while she lay on the
bed in his bungalow.
That is the story Of the tragedy which
has come to be believed by Maryland
authorities. Eastman's own account of
Mrs. WOodilPs death, written into the
letters that we're taken from his body,
has teen rejected utterly as the strata
gem OF a cunning rascal who schemed
to save his own neck by duplicating men
who we're his friends in the days when
he was supposed to be square.
All idea that Eastman Was visited at |
st. Michsels by three men from New
York whose names he dragged in has |
been abandoned by the authorities.
ELAINE Bob was warned several days |
before be persuaded the woman to &C
company him to his bungalow that he |
was in danger Of arrest. The state po-
lice are absolutely convinced that the |
m an was in desperate panic. In heap |
OF rubbish back Of The bungalow there
WAS found yesterday morning part Of
torn letter 1t had been ripped 10 three
or fOur pieces.
A dirty scrap on which the ink had
Jun bore this writing:
"You we're seen in Baltimore Tues
day, think the police know"
The rest of the message WAS gone,
torn away aud scattered by the wiEds.
But for his mad inialuation Eastman
could have escaped.
He would not 90 without the girl; she
refused, they quarreled and he killed
her.
Eastmsn's remains we're buried yester-
day in pine box near the bungalow in
which Mrs. WoOdil was murdered.
Winnie Brsdcombe, the actress, widow
Of Eastman, did not attend the funeral,
but remained at Easton busily engaged
inquiring into what property the man
who deserted her had left.
She says she will return to the stage
as soon as she has settled up her husbands
estate.
The funeral of Eastman was hardly
,ver when the tronble started about the