Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-29
SAYS 1T WAS ACCIDENT
Strange Sequel to Remarkable Muir
der Case at Warren, Pa.
CONSCIENCE MADE HER TELL
Mrs. Hodge Kept Quiet Until j. M.
Andrews Was Found Guilty of
Killing Emile Amann.

January - idSt, MrS. SIelld rouge, lHiI :
ty-fve years old. of that place. Is being
held at police headquarters here. pending
action by the Warren authorities.
The sensational feature of the arrest
lies in the fact that Joan NJ. Andrews.
formerly superintendent of the Warren
Water Works Company. was only few
days ago convicted of numbering Amann
despite his vigorous protestations of In
nocence Of the crime
The trial of Andrews attracted much at
tention, his attorney being James Scarlet.
who achieved fame because of his legal
work in the capitol graft trials at Har-
risburg and for the United States gov
ernment in the powder trust case.
Mr.. Scarlet's efforts in behalf of An
drews were unavailing, however.
Traced by Detectives.
H. G. Silcox, a Philadelphia detective,
testified at the womans hearing today
that he had been employed by Mr.. Scar
let along with private detective agency,
to look up the woman. Mr.. Scarlet s
suspicious were aroused, he said, because
Mrs. Hodge was subpoenaed by the prose
cution in the Andrews murder trial, but
was not called upon to testify
All efforts to interview her at Warren
failed, and then the detectives deter
mined to get her out of the city. She
was finally induced, through a friend. to
go to Atlantic City, where she was ar
rested yesterday. There Mrs. Hodge told
the detectives that she had been put
| through the third degree" by the dis
trict attorney at Warren, and she be-
came so badly frightened that she could
not testify. One of her reasons for not
confessing was the fear that her reputa-
| ton would be ruined. as she was a mar
| ried woman, and had no right to be out
carriage riding with Amann.
Claims Shooting Was Accident.
silcox said the woman told him that
the night Of the killing she made an ap-
pointment with Amann to go riding. II
| was raining, and he was compelled to &C
to the reservoir where he was employed
to look things over. They drove into a
| pasture near the reservoir, and Amanr
left her and started to walk up the reser-
voir HILL Then the woman called him
| back, as she was afraid to be alone In
| the dark. and asked him IL he had q re-
volver. s-Amann handed her an automatic
pistol and went away to attend to his
| duties. When he returned to the car
riage the horse became frightened. and
| Amann grabbed for the bride. and al
the same time the woman grabbed the
| reins. At this moment the automatic pis-
tol she was holding began to discharge.
Amann fell, and she climbed out Of the
| carriage and ran to his side. Finding
| him apparently dead. she placed the pis.
| tol beside his body. Next she unhitched
| ran to her home.
The next morning, finding that every
one believed 1t was case Of suicide. she
decided to remain quiet.
Conscience Troubled Her.
When Andrews was convicted last week
her conscience began to trouble her,
and it was then an easy matter for the
| detectives to worm her dreadful secret
| from her.
! Mrs. Hodge was not sworn, but when
the magistrate. after Silcox's testimony,
asked her If she had any statement to
| make, she acknowledged that everything
| the detective had testified to was true.
Il shot Mr.. Amann by accident" she
| walled. II am not used to handling a
Off" ~
Amann was employed by the city ON
cials Of Warren and he was engaged In
| making appraisals on a new water plant
when he was killed. The body was
| from Warren. There were three bullet
wounds in his head and neck and an
automatic revolver with three empty
shells in it was near the body.
| The weapon was Identified as one
| similar to that owned by Andrews. The
| night that Amann was killed he went to
| the reservoir to make some measure
| ments and to inspect valve.
Had Telephoned Andrews.
| Before he left the city hall at Warren
he had a telephone communication with
Andrews and he also ordered q horse and
| carriage to be charged to Andrews and
Amann. The horse was picked up in
the streets at IL o'clock on the night of
January o. but 1t had been detached
| from the carriage.
| Andrews testified at the coroner's in
| quest that Amann had asked him to go
| to the reservoir. but that he had declined
/ to do SO. Andrews was under police
surveillance for six weeks before he was
| arrested.