The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-12
DOUBLE TRAGEDY
NOW SUSPECTED
Charlton Believes
His Son w as Muir
dered.
WOMAN'S DEATH
STILL A MY STERY. Y
All Machinery of State Depart-
ment Set in Motion to Bring
to Justice Slayers Of Ameri-
can Woman Whose Body
Was Found in Lake
Como.
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.1 j


Washington. D.. c., June 1.-THE
State Department. to-day set all ita
machinery in motion to assist in the
location in Italy of Porter Charlton.
son of Judge Paul Charlton. Of ths
War Department. who Is involved in
the trunk murder mystery at Lake
Como.
Judge Charlton and Mrs. Charlton
are utterly prostrated by the news
relating to their son. AS Judge Charl-
ton is an official OF the War Depart
ment, arrangements were made to-day
to have a representative OF the de-
partment at the Charlton residence to
prevent any annoyance OF the family
in view of the fact that Judge Charl-
ton stated to the press last night free-
" all the information he had on the
story from Italy
Judge Charlton is an intimate friend
of President Taft He graduated in thu
same class with President Taft at
of his fellow-graduates at Yale Is
Henry NJ. Hoyt. counsel to the state
Department.
Judge Charlton called at the State
Department to-day and had a talk with
the officials there. The department
then sent cablegrams of Instructions
to the American ambassador at Rome
and to Mr.. Caughy. United States
consul at Milan, near the scene OF the
tragedy.
Unusual Authority.
The ambassador at Rome will have
unusual authority for the employ
ment of assistants to get up the factst
Mr.. Caughy will also have similar as
sistance. and he has been urged as
nearest the scene to pursue the In
vestigation promptly and fully.
- -
message from Consul Caughy this
morning. but it contained nothing that
had not already appeared In thas
| press.
Friends of ge Charlton and Judge
Charlton himself remain OF the opinion
| that there was a double tragedy. and
| that his son is one of the victims.
| The letters Judge Charlton recently
received from his son are not of tha
character that would indicate the sus-
picion even of such an impending
tragedy as the murder OF Mrs. Porter
Charlton. The letters were friendly in
spirit and indicative of contentment
with his surroundings
The case promises to be one of In
creasing interest and Importance. The
Italian government has the best OF
reasons for exerting all Its police pow
ers for the clearing up OF this mystery.
Practically 1t has become case OF one.
government being called upon by an
other government. and this has this
extraordinary feature of an tnvestiga-
ton of a murder &C ommitted in for
eign country
Suspects Old Admirer.
That one of her former admirers
may have been at the bottom of the
mystery is suspected by Judge Charl-
ton.
Speaking of the tragedy. Judge
Charlton said: From the few details
available I believe that Porter. my
son. is dead also. From the cheerful
tone of his last letter / am inclined
to believe that some one. possibly one
of her former admirers who followed
them to Italy. is at the' bottom of the,
ira gedy My son is about twenty years
old. and for some time has been suf-
ferins from tuberculosis. He left
Wa shington in December, 1908. and
went to New York. where he obtained
emp loyment In the foreign department.
of the National City Bank Early IN
1910 he met Mrs. Mary Scott Castle.
| the divorced wife of Neville Castle, an
attorney of San Francisco She was
about forty years old. I knew nothing
| of her antecedents and did not even
| know that Porter intended to marry
| her until after he had done So They
were married in Wilmington. Del.
| March l2 last, and several days later
sailed from New York for Genoa. Only
last Monday received a letter front
him. telling me of his plans His let
ter was full of endearlng references to
his wife,