Norwich bulletin., 1911-10-02
First Bigamist,
Now Murderer
YOUNG CHICAGO DOCTOR SLAYs
HIS ILLEGAL WIFE.
CoNFEssEs TO THE POLICE
Claims He Was Forced Into Second
Marriage to Prevent Disclosures
Victim Threatened to Expose Him.

Chicago, Oct. DIR. Harry Elgin
Webster, Rush Medical college grad
uate student and an inferno at the
Polytechnic hospital, admitted in a re-
matkable mar narrative to the police today
that he murdered one of his town
young wives, Bessie Kent Webster of
Chicago, in the woods, ten miles from
Dixon, Ill, September 16.
To Cover Crime of Bigan1y.
The police say the motive of his
crime was Webster's desire to hide
from his first wife. Zoe Varney Web
ster of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the fact
that ne was a bigamist. He married
the two women within one week last
January.
Body Discovered Friday.
Discovery of Bessic's body Friday.
almost two weeks after she had been
kllled. was followed by Identification
Saturday and the arrest of Webster
Broke News to Legal Wife.
Webster was taken into custody at
the hospital shortly after he had left
Zoe Narney Webster, wife No. 1, at
downtown hotel. He had spent a
troubled night attempting to explain
his marital duplicity to his first wife.
She was greatly shocked by her nus
bands revelations, but he convinced
her that he knew nothing Of the mur-
der near Dixon.
Police Quzz First Wife.
Mrs Webster's confidence in her
husband, however was shert-Iived.
She was waiting at the railroad sta
ton early today for a train to Dixon
when the police found her. With her
arrival under escort of detectives at a
police station, the structure of evas-
ion that Webster had been erecting
for months began to crumble, and at
three o'clock this afternoon the police
had the story of the murder
Forced Int Second Marriage.
Webster said he was married first
to Zoe Varney at Cedar Ra%ids, Iowa,
January 4. He said he was greatly in
love with her and expected to return
to Cedar Rapids to practice medicine.
Then he returned to Chicago to con
tinue his hospital work and was forced
he said, into marriage with Bessie
Kent January II, under threats that
alleged relations with her during his
college days would be exposed and
he would lose his hospital position.
Expected Her to Get Divorce.
Il married Bessie Kent under her
promise that she would divorce i'm
Webster She refused to get a di-
vorce, and that was the beginning of
all the trouble"
Threatened to Expose Him.
Webster told of drive In a buggy
from Dixon with wife No. 2. of how
they had quarreled. The physician al
legged his wife struck him and then
jumped from the carriage, crying that
she would see his parents and expose
his life with her.
Stabbed Her With Pocket Knife.
Webster threw a suit case at her, he
says. jumped from the buggy and gave
chase. She stumbled near a ravine
and fell and he pulled out his pocket
knife and stabbed her in the back of
the neck as she lay on the ground.
Rolled Body Into Ravins.
She died Immediately and he rolled
her body into the ravine and covered
it with leaves. He drove to Dixon
and took train for Chicago. Three
or four days later he reported to the
police that his wife was missing, and
consulted with them and her relatives
regarding search for her.