The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-07-01
FIND MOTIVE FOR
WOOD|LL MURDER
Halt Destroyed Letter Gives the
CleW.
WANTED WOMAN TO ELopE.
Eaetman's Secret Probably Known 70
the Victim Who Was Dragged
and Lured to His
tN&t Bungalow. . -

letter FOUND near the bungalow oil
Lame Bob" Eastman, the absconding
New York broker, establishes beyond
question the motive for the murder
of Edith May Woodill, protege of Ly.
man ]. Gage. The letter, torn,
charred and blurred, was mailed, I'M
dated. from Baltimore and SO far as
could be made out read as follows:
You were seen in Baltimore Tues
day: think the police know"
The paper had evidently been placed
In the fire, but the flames had failed
to totally destroy it. Eastman built
a bonfire Immediately back of his
cabin the day following the murder
and burned the victims clothing along
with certain private papers. Later it
rained. It was not far from this spot
that the letter was found.
Motive for Deed Plain.
The motive for the deed, it was gen.
orally admitted to have been COM
mitted by the desperate broker which
hes long baffied the authorities, is at
last plain. Eastman knew he must
soon fee from his woodland hiding
place for he was wanted in New York
on the charge of embezzlement and for
jumping his bail. He was insanely
in love with Mrs. Woodill who had
come into his troubled life at a time
when he most needed a woman's SYM
patty. A letter to his wife, which was
found In his pockets after he had
committed suicide gave proof OF his
love. IL proof is needed. In his final
message to the woman he had desert
ed and left to drift through life with
his baby boy, he told of his acquain-
lance with Mrs. Woodill and said he
had found one with whom he was
well mated" There was not one
word of affection for the widow; only
the regret that things had turned OLA
as badly as they had. n,
Coming on top of this is a state
raent made to the authorities by Mrs
Eastman In which she declares her
husband once told he9 ne would rath.
er die by his. own hand than fall in
the clutches of the law. 1t was while
she police were on his track before his
arrest for embezzlement that he had
unburdened himself. He would rath-
er go down the river than up" is the
way she declares he expressed 1t.
That time his nerve failed him, but
he found his nerve when he realized
the charge Of murder was soon to
be laid at his door
Wanted Her to EIope.
Eastman wanted Mrs. Woodill to
Zee with him. He enticed her to his
bungalow, deep in the woods on tho
shores of Broad creek and there made
known his plan. That the woman wal
slain following her refusal to leave
her husband there is now little doubS
There are indications that she
fought desperately before she sue.
cumbed to a blow on the head. II has
been proven through George Powell
and William Sutton, neighbors. that
a fierce alteration occurred between
the man and woman at six o'clock
last Sunday evening. A few hours
before her death Sutton heard the
quarrel and told Powell Then both
men, accompanied by the only other |
ueighSor, went TO McDaniels to |
church. 1t was while they were alb
sent that the tragedy occurred.
. The theory that Mrs Woodill was |
lured 10 Easman's lonely bungalow |
without knowledge Of where she was
going and that she was drugged and |
detained there against her will. was
advanced when the search revealed a !
small bottle which a hasty examina- |
ton shows contained a mixture of mar |
cotic drugs. There were strong traces |
Of morphine in the nearly empty phial |
Believe She Was Dragged.
This discovery tends to bear out |
tbs theory which the people Of the |
community who knew and loved the |
girl have wanted to believe. They |
never have listened to the idea that
she was involved in a drunken orgie
al the bungalow and have contended |
that she lost her life in repulsing the |
advances of the man who acknowL |
edged HIS guilt by snuflng out his life
when II seemed that the hands of the |
law were about to be laid upon him.
In a new-made grave, not so feet |
from the scene of the crime which |
led him to his death, Eastman's body |
was laid away yesterday. No man Of |
the church was there to offer a last |
word for the dead: no friend or rela.
tive came near. The undertakers and
their assistants. little band of news
paper men and few idle persons,
attracted to follow the
strange funeral procession, were the |
only persons at the grave. Mrs. East.
man, stopping ~ miles away at Eas-
ton. expressed no desire to attend the |
funeral