Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-28
SAID TO HAVE CONFESSED
Officials Show Statement Signed by
Former Hotel Employe.
CHLoRoFoRM BOTTLE CLUE
Lad Roomed in House of Woman
Who Had Purchased Drug
in Newark.

seventeen-year- belboy, was brough,
before the coroner's jury today. charged
with the killing Of William Henry Jack
son, the aged broker, whose dead body
was found in his apartments at the Hotel
Iroquois yesterday with a rag saturated
with chIoroform stuffed in his mouth and
his face wet with blood. Geidel was held
on a charge of homicide to await the ac-
tion of the grand jury.
Within fifteen hours of the crime Geidel
was caught and had confessed his act, ii
is said
Il don't care what happens to me-" said
Geidel, but what of my poor mother and
sisters in Pennington, Conn.,
Patrick McCrane, charged with pawnins
the watch which Geidel stole. also was
held by the corOner's jury, which recon-
mended that he be indicted as an ac-
cessOry after the fact. McGrane lived
at Hartford, Conn.
District Attorney Whitman said today
that he would bring the case to the
grand jury next Monday. and there would
be a speedy indictment and trial.
Geidel left Pennington, Conn, three
months ago.
Robbery the Motive.
An hour after the arrest Police Com
missioner Dougherty and District Attor
ney Whitman brought out from the room
where they had been closeted with Geide
long typewriter confession, which they
said the lad had dictated and signed
giving full account OF the crime. Rob
berry was the motive, according to the
statement, but the murder netter Geidel
only Sc in cash and q gold watch. which
he pawned for S1R more
Geidel was a bellboy at Mr. Jackson &
hotel until last Friday. when he was dis.
charged. He was without money. On
going to his rooming place he noticed q
bottle of chloroform which his landlady
had purchased q few days before in or
der to Kill painlessly an aged pet dog. II
occurred forthwith to Geidei, the confes.
sion says. that he might obtain money by
chloroforming and robbing the aged
broker. who was reputed to carry large
sums about with him.
Confession Gives Details.
The confession, as given out by the
police continues substantially as follows:
Late Wednesday night / entered the
basement OF the hotel and walked unob-
served by the rear stairway to the tenth
floor. 1 climbed into the bathroom of Mr.
Jackson's apartment through a transom
on the corridor.
He woke as was preparing to drop
the chloroform-soaked rag over his face,
and instead OF becoming unconscious at
once with the drug he began a desperate
fight. I hit him hard in the face, and he
sank down helpless. Then the chloroform
did the rest
Il went through the room and his
clothes, took the little money he had and
his watch, and hurried out as I mad come.
ofa nd
1t to tailor to be cleaned. Ny soiled
shirt l threw into a garbage barrel on a
side street. Then 1 went home. / am
glad now that it's all over. The suspense
has been terrible
The finding Of the empty chloroform
bottle in Mr.. Jackson's apartment afford
ed the clue that led to Geiders arrest
The label on the bottle, half obliterated,
showed that 1t had been purchased in
Newark. n. j. A squad OF detectives
hours found that the label was similar tc
the labels used by Druggist F. II. Paladi
Bottle Is Missing.
The pharmacists record showed tina,
the chloroform had been purchased there
a week ago by Mrs. Kane of West 5Oth
street, New York. The detectives went
to her house. Mrs. Kane admitted that
the bottle was in her bathroom. But when
she looked there it was missing. "Why
Paul Geidel, one of my roomers, must
have taken it," she said He was ask
ing me about 1t the other day"
Geidel. who was in his room. was i'm
mediately arrested and after a little grill
ing by the detectives admitted, the police
say. that he had committed the crime.
Geidel was indicted this afternoon by
the grand jury for murder in the first
degree. McGrane's case will be taken up
by the grand jury next week.