The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-06-24
CHARLTON JAILE D
AND ADMITS He
SLEW WIFE
Husband of Woman Whose Mutilated
Body Was Found in Trunk in
Italy Is Arrested as He
Arrives From Europe.
Denies He Killed His Wife When
First Questioned, But Later Breaks
Down Under Third Degree.

HOBoKEN. n. j.. June 23.-Arrest'
ed when the North German Lloyd
steamer Princess Irene from Meditor'
ranean ports locked here today, Por'
ter Charlton, accused as the murder
er OF his wife In Italy, broke down
after being subjected 10 the third de-
gree at police headquarters and ad'
United he committed the crime.
Ten minutes after he was arrested
Charlton was facing a loaded revolver
in the hand OF Captain Scott, U. s.
coast artillery. brother Of the dead
woman. Capt. Scott was disarmed
before he had time 10 shoot
Charlton made a complete confes'
sion. in which he admitted that he
killed his wife In a Il. Of temper and
threw her body into the lake. he
completely exonerated Constantine
Ispolatoff, the Russian, who was ar
rested on the charge OF being impii
Gated in the murder.
The Princess Irene came up TO her
pier In Hoboken at 49, 80 today. Wait
ing on the pier were Capt Scott,
Lieut. Rogers, OF the New York po-
lice force. Detective Sergeant Garrtck
and Detective Sergeant Weinthal, OF
the Hoboken police force. The ON
GERS hurried TO the second cabin and
burst into the room occupied by a
man who registered on the steamer
as Jack Coleman. OF Omaha, Neb. He
was neatly clad in a blue serge suit
and wore a derby hat. Coleman
who is a slightly built youth. said
What do you wants"
Captain Scott Immediately recog'
nized him as Porter Charlton. In
spite OF this, the man denied his iden
uty and still declared that he was
Jack Coleman.
He was rushed to police headQuar
ters and taken TO the office Of the
chief. There he 5till persisted that
be was Jack Coleman. He was forced
TO write his assumed name and II sc
closely resembled his known signature
that when confronted with this he
finally confessed he was the man
sought. He said to the chief of 20
lice: Il might as well tell you all,
and then distated the following state
ment:
MY name Is Porter Charlton.
live at 204 West Fifty-hfth-st In New
York city. Am FL years old. 81.
home is IN Omaha, Neb. l am banl
clerk by profession. l lived YER,
/! happily with my wife, who was tn
! best woman In the world to me, bu
she had a most ungovernable tempe
and so had |. We quarrelled frequent
ly and she used vile language to me
the meaning OF which / am sure sh
did not know. On the day I kille,
her she had cursed mo. and / told he
that II she did II again I would a.
her. Again she swore at me and
was in a daze. | struck her with
/ mallet with which I had been fixin
couch. l thought che was dead.
| stuffed her body in a trunk and threw
the mattel in after her. That night a
| IL o'clock I dragged the trunk TO
pier near Moltrasio and threw 1t int
the lake. The following day I lief
Lake Como for Genoa, where I board
/ ed the Princess Irene four days later.
i Charlton signed the statement an
wrote on the bottom in his own hanc
writing, Il understand that c.
Ispolatoff has been charged with tn
crime. He is absolutely guiltless.
haveTn defense 70 make and wis
i to make none"
Mrs. Mary Scott Castle Charlton
wife OF Porter Charlton. was murdel
ed in her villa at Moltrasio. Italy, nea
Lake Como, on either June or Jun
Il s. She was battered over the hea
with blunt instrument and her bod
stuffed In trunk and throw into LAX
II Como. On the following Friday tn
half submerged trunk was drawn fror
the lake by some fishermen.
! The body was easily recognized an
a search of the villa that she and he
husband had occupied was at ono
made, disclosing evidences OF ferc
struggle. which evidently followed
wine supper.
Charlton remained in Some unit
Thursday, the day before the bod
was found, when he left, presumabl
for Genoa. The Italian authorities a
first thought he had been killed wit
his wife and they arrested a Russia
suspect named Constantine Ispolatof
who was examined by the police unit
last Monday, when he was released.
The police worked on the theor
that Ispolatoff was the murderer pal
TALLY to satisfy United States Consu
Caughy at Milan and United State
Ambassador Leishman, who insiste
that Charlton was innocent and Ia
himself been slain.
This theory was adhered to despit
the evidence of frequent quarrels t'
tween Charlton and his wife, his wei
known jealousy OF her and the fac
that or the day OF the murder Charlie
inquired OF several fishermen as to tn
deepest part OF Lake Como.
The Charltons were married In WI
mington. Del, on March IL. and left
few days later for trip abroad Char
ton announcing that he had a positio
In a bank In Hamburg. Germany.
Charlton is about % years Ole