The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-10-14
FATE OF CARLTON
HANGS IN BALANCE
Will Young American Be
Turned Over to Italy to
Face Murder Charge?
(National News Association)

WASHINGTON. Oct. 1.-THE fate
of young Porter Charlton who murder
ed his wife on Lake Como Italy, in
June, 1910, and who has been held
prisoner in Hoboken, \. j., for two
years will be determined within the
next few days by the Supreme Court
| of the United States whose sessions
begin today.
At any early date as possible after
the opening of the Court the question
as to whether or not Charlton will be
turned over to the Italian authorities
and sent back to Italy, to be tried
there, will be argued before the Court.
! TIL presenting of this matter before
the Court will revive interest in one OF
the most remarkable wife Staying cas-
es on record 1t is the story of
young man of high birth and breed
ing, youthful in years, handsome in
face and figure. of high mental gifts
and quiet demeanor, caught in fasci-
mating graces of an experienced wo-
man Of tn world, whose checkered and
hectic career furnished diversion for
newspaper readers for more than
decade and who finally met hideous
fate at the hands of the young man
i she had so strangely enchanted.
! Porter Charleton is the son of Judge
Paul Charlton, solicitor of the war de-
partment and c1assmate of President
Taft, and it was thorugh the interven-
A. he
full influences he was able to summon
which prevented the extraditiOn of
young Charleton Immediately after his
arrest in this country to which he had
fled after numbering his wife, cram
! ing her body into trunk and throw
ing it into Lake Como.
The fight of the Italian authorities
for the extradition of Charleton result
ed in diplomatic complications that
threatened for time to develop seri-
ously Secretary Knox had already
yielded to the demand of the Italian
authorities but it was her that the
father Of the younf wife slayer inter
vened and prevented the extradition of
his son.
This case brought to light the pc
culiar treaty relations existing be-
tween this country and Italy. While
the latter country flatly refused to re
turn Italian crominals to this country
who had fled to Italy after committing
their crimes here. they demanded that
the United States should send Charl-
ton back to Italy. 1t was this unequal
aspect of the situation that brought
Judge Charlton the support of public
opinion during his fight to keep his
! son here, despite the fact that if young
Charlton is not extradited it seems
that the American courts will have no
other alternative than to set him free,
since he committed no crime in this
country
. Porter Charlton met his fate on the
night of February 10th, 1910. This
was when he met for the first time
Mrs. Mary Scott Castle, the former
San Francisco belle, society leader,
actress and would-be murderess. At
that time Charlton, who was a rising
young bank clerk in New York city,
was twenty-one years of age, while
Mrs. Castle was about forty From
the moment he met the woman in her
luxurious apartment in New York city,
Charlton was a abject victim of her
sophisticated wiles. From then on
they were in each others company
constantly, and finally On March 18th,
1910 they went to Wilmington, Della
ware where they were married. Then
young Charlton's health began to
had touch of tubercular trouble and
recommended him to go to Southern
Europe. Accordingly on April 18TH
Charlton and his bride sailed for Italy
and a month later were apparently
housed in the Villa Legnazzi, on the
banks of Lake Como.
According to all accounts the home
Of the Charlton's was the scene of al
most perpetual revelry in which Con-
stantine Ispolatoff, gay Russian fig
ured prominently.
On June 10th, some fishermen on
Lake Como discovered a trunk at the
bottom of the lake, weighted down by
a heavy stone. They turned it over
to the police of the village of Mol
trasio, who opened it and found the
body Of Mrs Charlton.
Messengers were sent to notify the
young husband. He was gone 1t was
then suspected that he too had been
murdered, color being lent to this sus-
lpicion by the fact that Charlton's coat
was discovered in the lake the follow
ing day. Ambassador Leishman went
in person to Lake Como and had the
lake dredged thoroughly
Actinc upon the belief that a double
murder had been committed the DO
lice arrested Constantine Ispolatoff,
who was held until it became known
that Charlton instead of being destroy
ed, was on his way to America.
On arriving at Hoboken Charlton
was promptly arrested and almost as
promptly made full confession of his
crime. The substance of this con-
fession was that his wife was given TO
such violent fits of temper that it be-
came uncomfortable. And on the night
of the murder he said she berated him
IN such violent language that he him
self became dazed with anger and
struck her with a mallst which he had
been using in the mending of some