The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-06-28
EASTMAN SHACK
SEARCHED FOR
MURDER CLEW
Believed to Have Been Alone
Responsible For Crime
NARCOTIC DRUGS FOUND
Other Evidences of Tragedy Discov-
cred When Bungalow Floor
Was Removed

st. Michaels, Md, June 28.-Tne
theory that Edith May Woodill was
lured to Robert e. Eastman's lonely
bungalow without knowledge of where
she was going and that she was drug
ged and detained there against her
will and finally murdered by Eastman
is now advanced after further search
of the shack has revealed small bot
tie which contained mixture of mar
cotic drugs.
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
have accepted the idea that she was
involved in a drunken orgy at the bun
galow, described in letter written
by Eastman, and nave contended that
she lost her life in repulsing the adj
vances of the man who killed himself
when run down by posse.
Eastman was buried yesterday
morning not fifty feet from the scene
of the crime. The undertakers and
their assistants, little band of news
paper men and few idle persons
morbidly attracted to follow the
strange funeral procession, were the
only persons at the grave. Mrs. East
man, stopping twelve miles away at
Easton, expressed no desire to attend
the funeral
| Following the funeral there was an
other search of the bungalow, and con-
cealed beneath the floor was found the
small drug bottle.
| Further evidence was also found of
the fact that the murder had been
committed there. At the place where
the head of the bed had rested a part
of the older flooring had been ripped
up and new planks laid Beneath
these planks the floor beam had been
newly scraped with chisel or some
other sharp instrument. But the eff
forts to remove all blood stains had
failed. They were still there and the
ground below had absorbed a guam
tity of the girls life blood.
Particular search was made for any
possible fragments of a champagne
bottle which might tend to bear out
Eastman's assertion that Mrs. Wood
i'll was murdered by another woman In
a jealous frenzy. Two whiskey and
three wine glasses were discovered,
but there was no evidence of cham
payne bottles ever having been in or
around the shack.
Attorney A. s. Rosentaal of New
York who is here as the representa-
i've of persons who lost heavily as
sureties on Eastman's bond when he
took flight from New York declares
that he will endeavor to have the
state of New York discharge the bond
upon proof of Eastman's death and
thus relieve the sureties. Mr.. Rosen-
trail denied that he had thought it pos
sible to make delivery of the body in
New York.
The inquest was resumed today
and States Attorney Turner, after a
conference with the foreman of the
coroner's jury, determined to summon
certain witnesses who have not been
heard before.
Il do not want to give the names OF
these witnesses" said Mr.. Turner "as
some of them may get away If the
fact that they are wanted becomes
known.
What we want to do" he continu
ed, lis to establish the facts, and for
this reason | shall have a rigid and
most searching Investigation. Among
the witnesses summoned we WISH tc
question closely the persons who
most intimately knew Roberts as
they assert that Roberts could not
have killed the girl. So far | have
been unable to get any tangible EVIL
dence whatever to show that any one
other than Roberts committed the
murder. All we have is his letter
saying that the deed was committed
by woman. There is nothing tc
back this up unless we can draw some
thing from witnesses that has not
yet been told"