The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-06-26

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN'S
SLAYER A SUICIDE
Lame Bob" Eastman, Supposed
Murderer of Mrs. WO0dill,
Sends Bullet to Heart
Pursued Through Marshes and
Fired Upon by Posse, lie
Kills Himself

ST. MoCHAELs, Md, June 25.-No
pursuit Of an accused assassin was ever
attended by more thrillingly pictur-
esque surroundings than that which
ended In the death early today OF
Lame Bob Eastman, supposed slayer
of Mrs. Edith May Woodill of Los An
geles Eastman was known during his
short residence here as Emmett Il. Rob
erts, having transposed his name from
Robert Emmett Eastman. He committed
suicide rather than surrender.
The man disappeared late Wednesday,
evening, following the discovery and
Identification of Mrs. Woedill's body.
Suspicion had pointed to him from the
first, for he was the person with whom
the girl had last been seen. Eastman
tried to leave last Wednesday, but was
warned that he would better remain to
refuts the charges against him. Say
ing he could be found at his bungalow
when wanted, Eastman disappeared.
missing skiff from the home of neigh
Dor told the story of his fight.
TRAILED TO HIS DOOM
All day Thursday sheriff's posses
vainly searched for him. Late last
night, however, John w. McQuay. who
lives four miles from MCDANIEL, on
Harris creek, one of the estuaries or
Chesapeake bay, heard in the stiffness
of the night the soft splash of oars far
out on the black waters Receiving
no answer to his halls McQuay fran
tically summoned help by telephone. A
posse arrived, and then began the
stealthy trailing of Eastman through
the water to his doom. For hour after
hour, Eastman, suffering for want of
food and water during the night and
day of his hiding in the marshes of the
many shallow tidal streams which put
in from the bay, tried to shake off his
pursuers.
SENDS BULLET INTO HEART
AS he became exhausted his prog
ress was SO slow that the pursuers
passed him in the darkness Not sure
that the men in the other boat were
really on his trail, Eastman continued
upstream until he had reached a point
just off the home of Colonel Thompson,
foster father of the girl for whose
death he was sought.
As he passed the posse. hidden in the
tall grasses of the shore, they twice
called upon Eastman to surrender.
Then came the report of revolver.
1t had been aimed by Eastman at his
own heart, but the officers, thinking
the shot had been directed at them, re-
turned the fire and claimed at first that
1t was their fusillade which had caused
the mans death.
THROWS BLAME ON WOMAN
A letter found upon Eastman's body.
addressed to Miss Winnie Bradcom, care
of Klaw & Erlanger, theatrical man
ayers in New York, gave Eastman's ILL
sustained explanation of the crime. 1t
was a rambling account of how he had
been out in a launch with party of
men and women, all of whom had been
drinking to excess with the exception
of himself and Mrs. Woodill; of how
one of the women had attacked Mrs.
Woodill with a wine bottle and killed
her; how the remainder of the party
had taken flight, leaving him to dispose
of the body and how as a means of
escape from all his troubles, the writer
had decided to end his life Eastman
asked Miss Bradcom to hurry to Mary
land to take charge of his body and his
property.
The authorities. after a thorough in
yestigation, disbelieve this theory of
the death of the girl. The first word
received from Miss Bradeom today con-
veyed the information that she knew
nothing of Roberts or Eastman.
CAREER OF MRS. Wo0DILL
Some of the acts in the meteoric ca
Feer of Mrs Woedill, in whose brief
life love and romance played such
great part, were related today by an
intimate friend of the slain woman,
who said they were told by Mrs
Woodill herself
Mrs. Woodill said she was born in
Minneapolis about 90 years ago. Her
mother, who called herself Mrs. Ames
died when she was about three years
of age, leaving her in utter ignorance
OF her father or forbears.
Mrs. Charles II. Thompson of Nc
Daniel. Md, then took her and brought
her up, telling her that she (Mrs.
Thompson) was her mothers intimate
friend, but never disclosed to her the
name of her father. When she was
IL years of age they went to Washing
ton, where they lived for some time
with Lyman j. Gage, who took great
interest in her. When she was Is he
sent her, with Mrs. Thompson, to Paris,
where she studied music. On her re-
turn from Paris she went to Boston to
complete her studies, and while in
Boston she was married to DR.. Cas-
we'll When she was IL she came to
Baltimore to continue her studies in
the Peabody conservatory, leaving her
husband.
She was known here as Miss Edith
1nOmpSOn, cOncedInS ueE IHdIItdSe
from all but q few, intimate friends. In
a short time thereafter she entered suit
for divorce against DR.. Caswell.
She left Baltimore a year ago, being
engaged at the time to Harry Adams
of Mount Vernon, n. \. After brief
stay in New York she went to Califor
MIA, where, in less than 80 days after
her divorce from DR.. Caswell, she mar
ried Gilbert Woodill of Los Angeles.
z AT I'm
early youth Charles Thompson, the son
of her foster mother and father, being
a rejected sutton, committed suicide on
her account
Daughter of Witt
MINNEAPOLIS, June 25.-Anna Pearl
WITT (Mrs. Woodill) was born Novem-
Der 80, 1886, in Asotin county Wash
ington. She was the daughter of Mat
thew and Zeetella Knight WITT. She
was adopted by Charles III. and Laura
+. Thompson October 3, 1890.