The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-11-07
CONWAY WOMAN SAID
TO HAVE CONFESSED
Suspect, Under Terrible Grill
ing, Changes Story First
Told to the Police.

er, the Baltimore heiress. who =
eloped to Chicago with VIM. r..
Worthen, and was killed
day before she was to have been
married. was reported by the police
to have been obtained today from
Mrs. Lillian Beatrice Conway, who, -
with her husband, Charles N. Con-
way, circus clown and high diver,
was brought here from Lima. Ohio. d
earlier In the day. EE-~ -
"She has owned up to the muir
der" said a police official. but she IS
had little to do with 1t.
"She says that Conway Knocked
the Singer girl down with q billy
made Of q doorknob In a handker-
chief, with a shoe a as a handle.
with the intention Of robbing the
l. heiresg. ~ t~& -
1--WE thought she had more 8
| than she did, she said. Charlie did Il.
All I did was throw the blanket over
her when we left. I didn't know she
Will Tell Whole story.
The woman then told the officials.
they announced. that he would tell the
| whole story, s 49,.
William r. worthen, fancee OF the
| Singer girl, who has been held by the
| police pending clearing up Of the mys-
terry. though they accepted his story
Of innocence, became historical with
Joy when the news was taken to him.
Thank God they have con-
fessed." he shouted. Now I am cleared
and my father and mother will be-
comforted with the knowledge that I
had no hand in the brutal murder. I
can go back to Baltimore now with q
clean hand. j knew they did 1t, I told
her so when I saw her this morning.
She could not face me. Now Conway
might as well confess" 3.
It was announced Conway will be
4 -N.v~. - AAI NAH.I1
of the case after copies of the woman's
story could be prepared by a stenog-
rapher so that Conway first could be
confronted with 1t.
Hears Wife's Screams.
Conway, the woman's husband. paced
back and forth In q cell without knowl-
edge o" the ~accusation being made
against him. A door opened and he.
could hear the screams OF his wife,
hysterical over the fact that the police
had wrung from her an admission that
placed their lives In jeopardy. Wiz
Mrs. Conway, said the police, admit
ted that she had quarreled with Miss
Singer about going out to some enter
tainment and said Conway took DIP ths
quarrel. When the victim was struck
down, she said, she was in the kitchen
adjoining the room In which the quar-
rel was going on, She was not pressed
to tell OF the actual killing, because Of
/ neT WedkenGu COUulIlOn. W.
Another dramatic scene anne when
worthen was brought before her again
and told she had confessed. Tears
streamed from the eyes of both and
for a,time neither could speak. Then
the woman began to cry for mercy
arms she sobbed: "Oh. please forgive
me, forgive him, viii; kiss me and
tell me you forgive u.s.. He did not
mean to kill her. Will, honest he did
not. .&a+.
Worthen extended his hand and she
covered 1t with kisses.
After his arrival in Chicago Conway
refused to talk.
Mrs. Conway or Beatrice Ryall."
apparently nervous and i'll at ease,
talked in q high falsetto tone and
from her the police said they expected
captors on h way to the police sta
ton. but their refusal to reply and
their constant stares at her wore on
her nerves n she was on the verge
Of hysteria when Sergeant Crotty, at
the police station where Worthen In
locked up began to question her.
Blood Stained Objects.
Captain Halpin, whose kilograms
caused their arrest. sat by and watched
the woman steadily. One by one the
blood stained objects found in the
room where Miss Singer was murdered
| "SE0 DIOuBII OuI LII BIG was dbh6u
what she knew about each of them.
Later the police plan to confront her
with Worthen and to question Conway
regarding the same articles. The stor-
les had begun to divergs the police
said.
Changing their plans, the police
brought William Worthen, the Singer
girls fiance. into the inquisitorial
chamber, after they had talked to the
actress only a few minutes. Worthen
was told to say nothing. but to listen
to the story she was telling.
Accuse Each Other.
Almost Immediately Worthen broke
out In a bitter denunciation Of the Con-
way woman and his voice could he
heard throughout the police station az
he shrieked: .
You know you did II. You both did
it. You know you killed my Sophia"
The woman cried aloud and became
hysterical. shouting wildly:
Its not so! It's not so! You know
you killed her yourself"
This continued several minutes, the
police Interfering to advise the two
to leave off p~retense and to tell the
truth. Then all was quiet n a de-
tective came out for coffee and water
for Mrs. Conway. She had become
faint under the strain and the police
officials directed that the inquisitors
be not too severe with her.
toiboWlnB Is the story MIS-. conway
first told:
Mrs. Conway recited in detail their
actions on the night of the murder and
their movements thereafter. She de-
clared that Miss Singer had told her
she was tired of her f1ance, William
WoTthen. and vas to meet q man
whom Mrs. Conway believed to be
Claud Stillman.
She said Miss Singer exhibited to Mr.
Conway an iron door knob, wrapped I'M
a handkerchief and said she would get
the man whom h to. meet in q
lonely place and wanted Conway to
hit him with It so that she could set
his roll" Mrs. Conway said her hus-
band declined to do 1t and they loft
Chicago that night and did not hear OF
the murder until later.
Mrs. Conway's statement to the de-
tecttves in part follows:
The last Mr.. Conway and / saw OF
Sophia Singer was about 1880 o'clock
Monday night. We were preparing TO
leave Chicago. She had given us $3S
and W suits of clothes for my hus-
band.
SOPHIA SINGER WENT TO
-. CITY TO STAGE "PARTYs
Chicago, Nov. SEARCH OF the per-
sonal belongings of Conway, found ae
Muncte. Ind, threw light on the com.