The Sentinel=record., 1912-09-13
ATTORNEY PLACED IN JAIL AND THEN TALKS FREELY TO RE-
 PoRTERs OF CASE.
DECLARES DEATH ACCIDENTAL
Realizes that He had not Taken Charge Seriously Enough and Should Have Been Represent
 ed at the Autopsy.

Middletown, N. r., Sept 12--Burton w. Gibson. the New York lawyer who was arrested at his office today on the charge of murdering his client, Mrs Rosa Mensehik Szabo, was locked up tonight in a cell in police head quarters here to await arraignment be- fore County Judge Royce tomorrow morning.
 His self confidence and jauntiness fled with his arrival here.
 Deputy Sheriff DeGraw took his prisoner, not to jail, but to a hotel, when he reached here, and had pre- pared to have him spend the night there when County Judge Royce, who issued the warrant for Gibsons arrest. reached town shortly after 10 o'clock and ordered Gibson to jail
 Besides the Szabo tragedy, there has been chain of curious coincdences linking Gibsons name with cases of sudden death or disappearance of eli ents of the lawyer or of persons con nected in one way or another with cases in which he was interested. The first of four such coincidences occurred when Mrs Alice C. D. Kin nan, daughter of an aged woman whose property Gibson handled was | murdered at her home in the Bronx. The murder mystery was never soly- ed. Gibson was held pending an in yestigation, but was released on ha- | beas corpus and subsequently brought suif for false arrest
 1 linen. continuing the curious chain witness at the Kinnan inquest, | Michael Shippo, was found drowned in shallow creek, and George l. Nal colm, Wall street broker and rel ative of the Kinnan family. who had | fought Gibson for the control of the estate, was drowned in Long Island sound from steamboat
 The last, John Rice O'Neil, a British subject. who had conferred with Gib- son concerning a mortgage transaction after winning a $l0,000 damage suit for the loss of leg. disappeared, fol lowing his conference with Gibson more than a year ago
 Gibson talked all the way up from New York about the case against him and outlined his defense in detail.
 
 The name of the woman I am charged with staying" he said, lis not SZabo It is Ritter Further, she is not the Vienese Mrs. Ritter at all.
 q was in the end of the boat and Mrs. Ritter wanted to change seats. said Gibson later, in discussing the woman's death.
 "She was sitting in the other end The boat was round bottomed. She got up and started towards me. hadn't stood up. but was just half way out of my seat when the boat Psuddenly tipped and we both went into the water
 q don't know wat it was that made the boat tip over. We went into the water simultaneously. The boat was drifting keel up when came up. Mrs. Ritter was between me and the boat 1 and, although she could swim a little 1 saw she was in trouble and went to aid her. Now, I am not a good swim mer: indeed, can hardly swim at all
 She was struggling to reach the boat apparently and when 1 went ot help her l grasped her. We went down together. She had me around the neck with her arms and her legs were around my waist. got free of her, but | am quite sure that I did nothing more than break her hold. \ did not strike her or harm her in | any way-of that I am sure. All this was under water. When l came to the | surface. l thought I saw Mrs Ritter, | but it may have been only her bath | ing cap.
 T clung to the boat when I came up, and laneh picked me up There were four persons in that launch and they know what I say is the truth. q am convinced now that I have made two mistakes in this matter. First, ill failing to take it seriously until today, and second, in not being represented at the autopsy. I believe that the three or four doctors who | performed the autopsy will be fair minded, but I am very much afraid that they will be slightly inclined to | prejudice of these other cases of sud den death which my name has been coupled with
 | Although Gibson gave little heed to | the throngs which heset ihim today, the composure with which he has re.
 garded the previous proceedings had fled tonight He was worried and
 showed it plainly.
 He sent for reporters, with whom he had become friendly during the
 case. and repeatedly told them that he would be free soon and that no crime could be placed at his door.
 But he was anxious and seemed to
 seek for serification of his own hopes from them.