The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-06-28
WAS LURED
TO HER DEATH
Evidence Refutes Mans
Testimony.
BURY MuRDERER's BODY
Mrs. Woodal Was Evidently
Dragged Before Death.
An Indications Point TO Contradic-
tion of the Theory of any
Druskea Orgy at the
Bungalow.

-
theory that Edith May woodill was
lured to Lame Bob" Eastsnan's lone
ybunkalow without knowledge OF
where she was going and that she was
drugged and detained there against her
Will, was advanced today when a fur
ther search of the shack which the
superstitious folk of the neighborhood
forevermore will shun as haunted, re-
vealed a small bottle which q hasty
examination shows contained a mix
ture of narcotic drugs. There were
strong traces of morphine In the nearly
employ phial This discovery tends
to bear out the theory which the people
of the community who knew the girl
long have wanted to believe. They
never listened to the idea that she
was involved in q drunken orgy at the
bungalow and have commended that she
lost her life in repulsing the advances
of the man who acknowledged his guilt
by snuffing out his life when x seemed
that the hands of the law were about
to be laid ON him.
Today's Investigations led the au-
thorities further away from the idea
that anyone other than Eastman had
q hand In the murder. It Is incon-
ceivable that Eastman could have in
vited friends to visit his bungalow in
the condition that 1t was. The place.
only half completed. offered no accom-
modations for visitors whatsoever.
In new made grave, not fifty feet
from the scene of the crime which led
him to his death, Eastman's body was
laid away in the early hours of to-
day. No man of the church was there
to offer last word for the dead; no
friend or relative came near. The un-
dertakers and their assistants. little
band of newspaper men and few idle
persons morbidly attracted to follow
the strange funeral procession were
the only persons at the grave. With
barred heads they repeated the familiar
words of the Lords Prayer Mrs.
Eastman, stopping twelve miles away
at Easton, expressed no desire to at
tend the funeral.
1t was $40 o'clock this morning when
the caslzet containing Eastman's body
was placed In the roughly fashioned
country hearse and the ~unAertzteeps
and others making up the little funer-
al party started from ST.. Michaefs on
the seven mile trip to the bungalow.
Notwithstanding the early hour to-
day there were many people abroad
in the streets of st. Michaefs. and
along the way to witness the passage
OF the strange cortege. No church or
its doors or gates to the dead man.
Superstitious negroes who on yester-
day could not be induced to dig the
grave, stood awe-stricken today on the
outskirts of the funeral party.
No more lonely spot could well be
imagined than where the isolated bum
galow stands. When the hearse had
drawn up alongside the grave, four
men lifted the casket from the We
hicle and placed 1t temporarily on two
plank supports, stretched across the
grave, into which a pine box already
had been lowered. Marsh water had
seeped into the grave overnight.
Inc undertaken drew back the slid
ing lid of the casket In order that all
might see that 1t was Eastman whip
was being consigned to his last rest
ing place and closed it again. As the
casket rested above the grave rea ly to
be lowered. there was an awkward
pause.
Gentlemen" said the undertaken,
"it seems to me that some one should
say little word of prayer. Won't one
of your" -
His glance fell upon James Sutton.
a merchant Of Bozman.
You are a church member, Mr.. SUIT
ton said the undertaken, won't you
say it?'
sutton hesitated for a moment, then
asking all to JOIN with him, began to
repeat the Lords prayer with solemn
earnestness.
Following the funeral. there was an
other thorough search of the bunga,
low and concealed beneath the floor
was found the small drug bottle.
The search revealed further evidence
of the fact that the murder had been
committed there. At the place where
the head of the bed had rested, part
of the older flooring had been ripped
up and new planks laid loosely down
Besides these planks the floor beam
had been newly scraped with a chisel
or some other sharp instrument, But
the efforts to remove all blood stains
had failed.
Particular search was made today for
any possible fragments OF cham
payne bottle, which might tend to bear
out Eastman's claim that Mrs. Woodin
was murdered by another woman in a
jealous frenzy. There were no evil
dences of champagne bottles ever hav-
ing been in or around the shack.
1t is becoming more and more APP
parent that Eastman was a prolific
letter written. 1t Is said that when
ever he left st. Michaels to go to Balti-
more or Washington, he always mailed
letters back here, addressed to himself
as Roberts. 1t Is claimed that he also
wrote to Postmaster Taylor the letter
signed II. b. Wellington" telling the
postmaster what fine fellow Roberts
was. 1t is further claimed by the
authorities that they have discovered
that Eastman was an expert penman.
May Have Forged Letter.
This leads them to the belief that the
now famous "Howarth" letter telling
of a proposed visit of men named Ryan
and Shotwell" on June 16. was a fake
which might help to divert attention
from himself. A New York newspaper
man named Shotwell. appeared as a
witness against Eastman in criminal
proceedings and the authorities here
have an idea that In trying to lay the
blame on others. Eastman hit upon
the plan of possibly drawing his enc
mics into the affair. The "Howarth"
whom he possibly knew in New York,
however, died about a year ago. No
one named Howarth lives at Easton,
from which place the letter was dated
No persons named Ryan or Shotwell
arrived at oxford on a boat as the let
ter said they would, so far as the
records of the steamship companies
show.
A4ton.a,- 9 RnsanfhaI ~ Maui