Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-07-23
NEGRO HELD As
MURDERER
OF RAWN
CHAUFFEUR OF DEAD MAN
SUSPECTED OF CRIME
Known to Have Threatened
Life Of Monon President
Wife Sticks to Story of Mid
night Intruder.
Try Morp,ns aoursal speclai L.asss wirsl


Chicago, July Earnest Hoff-
man. a negro chauffeur formerly en-
ployed by the late !. G. Rawn, was ar
Irested here late today as a suspect IN
connection with the railroad presi
dents death. Hoffman was discharged
December last and as late as last May,
is declared TO have threatened to have
MFR. Rawns life.
The arrest of Hoffman, whose real
name, II was learned, Is Earnest Ste
vens. was made on Information sup
piled by H. p. Cullen, a friend of the
former Monon president. Cullen swore
to an affidavit TO the effect that he
heard the negro. referring 10 Mr..
Rawn, say:
I'm get that white man; Ill get
him"
Stevens was employed by Mr. Rawn
from May 1905 to December, 1909.
Assistant Chief of Police Schuettler
said that aside from this, the detec-
| tives had secured no evidence against
Stevens.
Although too i'll to attend her hus-
bands funeral, Mrs Ira c. Rawn,
widow of the Monon road president
today made a detailed statement Of
I, the shooting of Mr. Rawn at his sum
mer home in Winnetka last Wednes-
| day morning
In general way this statement
hears out the stories of the death of
Mr.. Rawn as told by his son-in-law,
| X. G. Cohurn. Mrs. Rawn says she
and her husband were awakened by
| a noise on the first floor of the house,
that Mr.. Rawn picked UP his revolt
yer and started downstairs. Then,
says Mrs. Rawn. she heard u noise of
some sort, apparently on the stairway,
and a shot, or shots.
The police. however. have seized
upon three points N Mrs. Isawn's
statement that they consider of Inn
portance in connection with the In
lvestlgatlon OF the mysterious death
| The first is the declaration by Mrs.
! Rawn that she is certain of having
heard but one Shot the second IL her
assertion that Mr.. Coburn, her son-in-
law, preceded her downstairs and that
he had turned on the lights before
| she reached her husbands body, and
THE third is the statement that Mr..
Rawn was found lying sduarely on
| his back.
The police say these three points
support then theory that Mr. Rawn
killed himself. Friends of the Rawn
family insist that Mrs. Rawn's de-
lscription of what occurred Wednesday
morning is further evidence that Mr..
Rawn was murdered
Mrs. Rawn said that on the night
previous to the shooting she and her
| husband had heard a noise similar
to the one which she says aroused
Them early Wednesday morning.
"The noise on the first night was
something like the shutting of a door,
said Mrs. Rawn. con the second
night, there was sort Of creeping
sound, whether II was the sound oi
walking | cannot tell you.
II told my husband not to go down.
He did not pay any attention TO me
but kept on walking through the
dark. got up and sat on the edge
OF the bed 1t did not seem second
when | heard him creeping down and
he had time 10 get to the first land
| ing when ] heard terrible seuffle.
/ Jumped and screamed and at the
time / screamed I heard shot I
was so dazed that I could not move
Tor second and before ] got down
There my son-in-law. Mr.. Coburn, got
down in the dark and he turned on
the lights
Detectives In the employ Of insur-
ance companies remained in Win
netka over night.