Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-05
CLAIMS CREDIT
IN SOLUTION OF
SALTER DEATH
CORONER SAYS HE STARTED
LAST INVESTIGATION
HARTWELL DlsREGARDS PRE-
VIous ATTITUDE IN CASE
Chief Detective Browne of District
Attorneys Office Declares His
Department unraVeled
the Mystery

Now that Willis Earnsting, allas
Einstein has been arrested by De
tectives Jones and Boyd and accused
of having caused the death Of William
SaIter, 70 years old, a civil war Nete-
ran, who was found in dying con
dition in Center place, near slNth
street the night of August IA, the cor
oner. whose secretary dictated the YER
dict of accidental death which was
signed by the coroner's jury at the
inouest held over the body OF Salter'
wants favorable recognition py Illah-
ing a statement to the erect ne was
the Derson who started the inVestlg l.
tion which resulted in the arrest OF
Earnsting, despite the fact the cor
oner. after the inquest, ridieuled the
idea the aged veteran came 10 ms
death by anything but accidental
causes. .4.,
Coroner HartweT yesterday stated
he had never been satisfied with IN
verdict of the jury, probably 1org ~
ting the fact that his own stenographef
dictated it, and declared he took up
the matter with S. L. Browne, chleI
of the detectives working out OF the
district attorneys office.
The latter makes the statement II
was he who started the investigl ton
and obtained the information Whlcn
enabled Detectives Jones and Boyd OF
the local police department to erect
the capture of Earnsting.
BlackmaiI Plan Alleged
AS an excuse for his not catching
the man himself. Browne declares A
c. Ramsay. a detective formerly en-
ployed by him, failed to keep an ap-
pointment, after having revealed a
story concerning a scheme to black-
mail the Iandlady of the rooming house
at 51515 South Main street out OF
$4,000. which he (Ramsay) learned from
a, prizefghter who said he had
knowledge of an assault that occurred
at the rooming house.
Browne says Ramsay worked on the
case several days and after having 90
tained the information concerning the
assault which resulted in the death of
Salter. failed to keep an appointment
and instead told the particulars TO
Detectives Jones and Boyd.
The detectives who effected the ar
rest refuse to discuss this phase of the
case and only state they caught their
man after much hard work.
It is probable there will be no charge
filed against Earnsting for several
days, as the detectives are busy work.
ing on several details which they
hope to get into such shape as to
make clear and complete case against
Earnsting.
While the accused has confessed to
having had a struggle with Salter in
the hall of the rooming house at 515la
South Main street and to having
fallen on the old veteran and later
taken him into the alley where the
unconscious form was found, there
are certain things he has not yet made
clear and the officers are looking up
those matters to make a complete
chain of evidence against the prisoner.
Searching for Two Men
The detectives are looking for the
man who was with Salter in the room
of the latter at $751; South Sprt~g
street early in the evening of August
IA and shortly before the old man left
the room to go out on the street.
They are also searching for another
persona man who occupied a room
at the house at 5151a South Main street
and who is supposed to have witness ed
the struggle between the two men.
Before the investigation is finished
the detectives expect to produce wit
nesses who were nearby and will
identify Earnsting as the man who
was bending over the PROSTATE form
of the aged victim.
Mrs. Earnsting who was arrested
with her husband, still occupies a cell
in the matron's department of the city
Jail. Just what charge will be placed
against her is not known. She is sup
posed to have been present at the
time of the struggle and to have seen
her husband carry the inert form of
the old veteran down the back stairs
of the place to the alley.
Both are locked up "incommuni-
cado," and no persons but the de-
tectives working on the case are per
mitted to speak to them.