The San Francisco call., 1910-06-24
FUGITIVE IN
HOBOKEN
PRISON
Husband of Mary Scott Castle
Arrested on Arrival in
New York
BROTHER OF THE DEAD
WOMAN MAKES CAPTURE
Youth Breaks Down and Tells
Full Details of the
Tragedy
HAS NO DEFENSE AND
WANTS NONE ATTEMPTED

n YEW YORK, June 23.-The Lake
IN Como murder mystery is solved.
Porter Charlton, an American
youth of good family. sought by the
police of two continents, was arrested
in Hoboken, N. j.. shortly before noon
today as he stepped from the North
German Lloyd liner Princess Irene. In
less than an hour he had confessed
that in fit of temper he beat his wife
into insensibility with a mallet, jammed
her body in a trunk and sank IL In
the waters of the Italian lake.
She was Mary Scott Castle of San
Francisco, woman 16 years his senior.
divorced wife of Neville II. Castle. a
San Francisco lawyer, and beauty.
Married Last Spring
Charlton Is 21 and a son OF Judge
Paul Charlton, law officer of the bureau
of insular affairs at Washington. The
boy married Mrs. Castle in Whining
ton. Del. last spring over his parents
protests.
Ill mated. and both OF erratic tenn
permanent, they sailed for Italy for
their honeymoon. Her body was found
in the lake by fishermen June 10.
Fleeing from Italy under an assumed
name, almost penniless and shabby oe
dress, Charlton on landing ran straight
into the arms of Captain Henry Har-
rison Scott, U. S. A, the murdered
wife's brother.
Makes Full Confession
He was taken to police headquarters
at Hoboken, where, after a pitiable
collapse, so spasmodic that it produced
extreme nausea, he regained his COM
posure and unfinchingly signed the
confession. Tonight he is behind the
bars in the Hoboken city Jail, pending
settlement of the complicated problem
of extradition brought about by his
arrest
Captain Scott's foresight. directed so
accurately that it falls little short oe
a premonition, resulted in young Charl-
tons arrest. Stationed at Fort Wright
on Fishers island OF London, Conn,
Captain Scott obtained hurried leave OF
absence at L o'clock this morning and
went to Hoboken to scan the passen-
gers of incoming liners. Three Ho-
boken detectives aided him.
He accompanied the prisoner TO po-
lice court, but did not hear the con-
fession that poured from the young
mans lips Charlton. whose collapse
after arrest seemed due to fear of Cap
tain Scott. refused to make statement
in the army officers presence. and tho
latter left the room
No One Aided Him
In his signed confession Charlton said
that no one else than he had a hand
in the death of his WIFE
1t was the old story Of Incompatible
ity and high tempers- After Charlton
had told his story in a rambling way,
Chief of Police Hayes condensed it into
typewritten statement which he
asked the prisoner to sign II was
written on regular court blanks used
for dispositions.
In filling out the form Charlton gave
his age as 21, his birthplace as Omaha.
his occupation bank clerk" and bis
place of residence 204 West Twenty
fifth street, New York. The statement
is as follows.
My wife and 1 lived happily to-
gether. She was the best woman IN
the world TO me. but she had an un-
governable temper. So had I. We
frequently quarreled over the most
trivial matters. and her language
to me was frequently 50 foul that
I knew she did not know the mean
ing of it.
The night I struck her she had
been quarreling with me-. She was
in the worst temper had ever seen
her in. 1 told her il she did not
cease l would leave her and put
stop TO it. She stopped for a little
while and started again.
took mallet which / had used
! to do household reSairs and struck