Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-11-02
Mrs. Chas. Conway Breaks
Down Before Chicago Po-
lice and Acknowledges
Killing Of Sophia Singer.
,FIANCE OF DEAD
GIRL OVERJOYED
VIM. Worthen Says He Can
Go Back to Baltimore
With Clear Name; Palr
Caught in Lima, Ohio.

Chicago Nov. 1.-COnteSSlon Oh tno
murder of Miss Sophia G. Singer lhe
baltimore heiress who eioped 10 Cni.
cago with William R. Worthen ana
VAS killed on the day before she was
to have been married, was reported Oy
tha nolice to have been obtained TO-
day from Mrs. Lillian Beatrice Con-
way who with her husband, Cnaries
n Conway, circus clown ana nisn
diver was brought here from Lima
Ohio, earlier in the day. !,
..She has owned up to the muroe,'
said police official, but says sne
had little to do with 1t.
.sshe saws that Conway knocked the
singer girl down with a billy made OF
a door knob in handkerchief, WIN
q shoe lace as q handle, with the IN
tention Of robbing the heiress
1--WE. thought she had hore money
th,n ahe did, she said, Charlie did u.
All did was to throw the blanket
over her when we left. ! did not tnink
she was dead !" !.
"a The woman then told the officers.
.,,av announced. that she would tell
the whole story. ~ :
william r. Worthen, fiancee OF the
Singer girl, who has been held oy tne
nolice pending clearing up OF the mys.
fery though they accepted his story OF
innncence became hysterical with JOY
when the news was taken to him. !,
..Thank God they have confessed,
ne shouted, ''now am cleared ana my
father and mother will be comforteo
With tho knowledge that / had no mana
tho brutal murder can go back TO
baltimore now with clean hano. =
knew they did it. l told her SO when
saw her this morning. She coulon,!
face me. Now Conway might as well
n was announced Conway will be
given an opportunity to tell his sloe OF
the case after copies OF the woman
story could be prepared by a steno-
pranher so that Conway first could be
confronted with it.
Conway the woman's husband paced
hack and forth in cell without KNOW
ledge of the accusation being made
against him. A door opened and ne
could hear the screams OF his wlie'
hysterical over the fact that the ponce
had wrung from her an admission tnat
placed their lives in jeopardy.
Mrs. Conway, said the police, ad-
ritted that she had quarreled with
Miss Singer about going out to some
entertainment and said Conway TOOK
mn the quarrel. When the victim was
struck down. she said, she was IN the
kitchen adjoining the room where the
nuarr.l was going on. She was not
nressed to tell of the actual killing, be-
cause Of her weakened condition. An
other dramatic scene came when
Worthen was brought before her again
and told she had confessed. Then the
woman began to cry for mercy and
forgiveness, With outstretched arms
she sobbed:.
"Oh. please forgive me-forgive him.
will. kiss me and tell me you forgive
ne. He didn't mean to kill her. Will.
honest he didn't
Worthen extended his hand and sne
covered it with kisses.
Shown Bloody objects.
Half an hour after reaching Captain
HaInin's office the Conways were
taken several miles distant to the
stanton avenue police station. The
latter Mace is not far from the room
ing honse in which the murder was
committed.
After his arrival in Chicago, Con-
wav rafuaed to talk. Mrs Conway or
.Reatrice Ryall' apparently nervous
and iii at ease, talked in high. fal-
setto tone and from her the police
said they expected the first break"
she tested with her captors on the
way to the police station, but their
refusal to reply and their constant
stare on her wore on her nerves and
Abe was on the verge Of hysteria when
Sergeant Crottin at the police station
where Worthen is locked up began to
question her.
Captain Halpin, whose kilograms
caused their arrests, sat by and
watched the woman steadily. one
by one the blood stained OBJECTS founo
IN the room where Miss Singer was
murdered were brought out and she
was asked what she knew about each
Conttaued on Page