East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-12-16
Aged Woman Held for Death
of 0Cea Sneed, the Bath
Tub Victim.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE
POINTS STRONGLY TO HER
Notes Found i'm Mothers Room Are
Identical With Ones Found Pin
ned on Clothing of Dead Woman
Telling of Her Suiclde-Belicved
Mother Wrote Notes to Hide Crime
Accused is Pitiably Weak and is
Treated Kindly.

New York, Dec. l6.-Mrs. Caroline
w Martin. mother of ocey Snead, the
East Orange, n. j., bath tub victim,
was arrested In New York this morn
Ing formally charged with murder.
The warrant was issued yesterday
by Recorder Mott at East Orange and
was placed in the hands of detectives
last night
The warrant sets forth that the
prisoner did wilfully. feloniously; OF
her own malice and forethought, MUIR
der ocey w. NJ. Snead," her daughter.
The arrest was made at the Hotel
Bayard where Mrs. Martin arrived
Tuesday and from which it was first
thought that she had escaped. But
after day OF mystery, announcement
came from police headquarters early
today of her arrest.
Woman Kindly Treated.
The prisoner gave her age as 64
years old. said that she was a widow
and had no home. Her condition was
pitably weak and she was shown every
courtesy possible. She was taken to
headquarters In a taxicab and was
soon in conference with her lawyer.
Franklin Fort. jr.. son of the governor
OF New Jersey, who is also counsel
for Mss Virginia Wardlaw. the VIC
TINS aunt. being held in New Jersey
in connection with the case.
when Mrs Martin was confronted
by detectives she almost collapsed.
The warrant for her arrest was is
sued by the New Jersey authorities
who had learned yesterday that the
mysterious woman at the Hotel Bay
ard was Mrs. Martin She was dress
ed in deep mourning, and wearing a
heavy vel. She said her occupation
was "housework" Detectives tried TO
question her concerning the case but
she quickly replied. ~ will not talk
about this until have had the ad-
vice of my lawyer"
In the bathroom of Mrs. Martins
room at the hotel were found three
undated notes written in girlish
hand identical with the handwriting
OF the note found in the East Orange
bath room pinned to little heap of
clothes near the body OF Ocey Encad.
The notes vary slightly in phraseol-
ogy but are Substantially as follows:
Last year my little daughter died,
Others near and dear kindred, too,
have gone to heaven ] long to go
there. too. l have been very weak
and III for a long time. Death will be
n blessed relief to my suffer ngs.
When you read this l will have COM
mittcd suicide. My sorrow and pain
in this world are greater than ] can
endure
(Signed.) "OCEY NJ. w. SNEAD."
The wording is substantially the
same as that of the East Orange note
on which hangs the whole case Of
New Jersey against Virginia Ward
law. Mrs. Martins sister, and the last
person To- have seen Ocey Snead alive.
Experts have doubted the genuine
ness of this note. II proved for
gerry the theory of suicide held by the
defense would fail.
The evidence discovered today that
some one had made repeated trial
drafts OF the note will be used by the
prosecution to combat the question of
its authorship.
In Mrs. Martins room newspaper
men found bundle of clippings and
memoranda bearing on the Snead
case. disputed wills and life insurance.