The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-26
SEARS KILLED ARMSTRONGS
MULATTO TELLS NOW RE DID
THE DOTBLE MURDER.
Clinches Confession with supportins
Evidence Revenge for Fancaed mo
Treatment the Apparent Motive
Mystery Of Pedigree Net PvsSeS.

the motive. all mystery has been removed
from the murder OF tho Rev. Amixi L.
Armstrong and his wife at their homo In
Dutch Neck on Wednesday night. John
Sears. the half blood negro servant In
the household. has confessed that he COM
mitted ths crime.
When Sears's mental resistance had
been broken by the hours OF continual
questioning to- which he was subjected
yesterday hs gradually began TO wavsr
in the details OF the story by which he had
fought gr,my 20 establish an alibi and
finally he gave up the unequal contest,
for which he was lily equipped by nature.
and blured out that he killed the aged
minister in a spirit Of revenge and did
away with Mrs. Armstrong in an uncou-
trollable frenzy which followed Thsa
he told how he reloaded tho gun and
threw it on bed. how hs snatched gold
watch from the person OF d he dead minister
and hid it'in a carriag. shed. and how he
then went 10 New Brunswick In the hope
Of establishing an alibi.
When Sears had been made to repeat
the details OF the crime until his inauisi-
tors WERE satisfied that he was telling the
truth. he was handcuffed and hurried
back 10 the scene Of the murder in an auto
mobile with Prosecutor william j. Cross
lev and his assistant. william r. Piper.
County Detective James Kirkham and
Detective Sergeant John J. Clancy On
the trip few words wsr. spoken Tho
mulafto crouched on the back seat Of tbs
car. shivering in the night air
When the eleven miles from the court
house Ia the Armstrong home had been
covered Sears was led into the house
through the same doorway from which
twenty four hours before he had fired
the shots which ended the lives Of his two
benefacfors. In the dim light from o
small lamp Inc was taken into the room
where the bodies of his victims lay and
was told 10 look at them. BY this time
the halfbreed was like clay in the hands
Of the officers. But tho tho test Of his
story. from tho legal viewpoint. was sfill
Ia come II was upon the finding Of ths
stolen watch rather than sears's confess
sion that the Prosecutor relied to make
tain his ultimate fate in the electric
chair.
Sears was glad to escape from the
house under any Prstaxt and he VOL
corned the trip 20 the carriage shed 20
find the watch. He went straight to q
recess back Of post. and there hung tho
watch. in just the position Sears had
described while at the court houss. Back
Ia the house went the little party and to
Sears Was handed the gun with which
hs had done the shooting and which was
subsequently found loaded on q bed in
one Of the upstairs bedrooms.
Standing on the threshold 81 the little
home Sears showed where Mrs. Arm
strong had been reading in the sitting
room when he entered. while her husband
sat smoking IN an adjacent room. Ths
minister got UP from his chair. Sears
said. AZ he entered the room and he shot
him fun in the chest. Just after tho
clergy man dropped. he said. Mrs. ARM
strong seized something from a table and
hurled IL in his direction. Though hardly
conscious Of what happened then. -hs
halfbreed said he remembered seeing
Mrs. Armstrong coming toward him amt
fired al her She too fell and when hs
realized what he had done he stood stunned
| for few moments.
Sears was quickly brought 10 himself
by hearing his mother coming down
stairs He intercepted her and made
her return 10 the bedroom. telling her to
| keep quiet and 10 stay up stairs until he
| returned no matter how long that mighs
be The shooting. Sears said, took place
NJ s:t5 in the evening. and ten minutes
later he was headed for tho Trenton and
New Brunswick trolley station q mile
and a quarter distant. He went to New
Brunswick. made a few small purchases,
including a basket OF grapes which his
employer had directed him 80 get in the
afternoon and called upon q chum named
Rudolph Norhaus. whom he invited TO GO
cunning with him the following day.
Then he returned to Dutch Neck by fhs
last trolley car and coached his mother
a. TO what TO say when tho commission
Of the crime became known. Believing
that he had firmly established an alibi
Sears started out for tho nearest nstgh-
bors and told them that he had Just come
home and found Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong;
| lying dead and the house ransacksd.
| Sears's story differed but little from
the theory OF the killing already adopted
by the detectives. The principal differ
ences were that Mrs. Armstrong was
killed flTBt lDste0u OF nef nubDaMU ana
that the murders instead Of taking place
between and o'clock were committed
before = O'Clock.
Sears has not satisfied the authorities
a. 70 the motive for his crime. In his
confession he complained that although
he had worked as general utility man
for tho Armstrong family for many years.
his services had never been adequately
rewarded. Although half negro Sears
would never admit the fact. and his
associates were whites. Most OF his
| friends lived In New Br,1nswick. q number
81 them being members Of the National
Guard company 10 which hs belonged.
He told them that his family came from
the West Indies. a statement which with
his swarthy complexion and straight
black hair vas easily 20 be believed.
Associating a. he did with young men
more or le-s supplied with spending
money Sears felt the lack Of It, Often.
he said. b. had importuned the Row. Mr.
Armstrong for money and he generally
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