Evening times-Republican., 1913-12-17
c. A. YORK CLAIMED
MYSTERIOUS LETTER
GROCER CALLS FOR RETURNED
MlsslvE SIGNED BY 1.-THE
PRINCE"
SENT FROM DEAD LETTER
OFFICE TO coLFAx WRITER
Contained $40 Which Never Reached
Man For Whom II Was Intended -
Coroner to Question colfax Grocer
Thursday-Witness Says WheeIoek
Died Before Body Entered Water.

!
| Des Moines, Dec. 17.-Coroner Lee
continued the probe Of ;he Wheelock
| case until 10 o'clock Thursday morning
| following the closing of the evidence
yesterday afternoon. The inquest sc
| far has failed to reveal any new clew
! to the solution Of the mystery sur
rounding NJ. B. Wheelock's suicide,
George H. York will be called to the
stand Thursday morning, according to
! Coroner Lee.
| w. c. Ccisman, director in the Citi-
zens' State Bank, disclosed at the in
quest some new facts regarding IorA :
connection with the bank and also
Wheelock's connection with York
He said that two years ago when
overdrafts became noticeable in the
bank the di, i,eclors asked Wheelock to
cut off few of them. He agreed 10
do so. Crsman further de clared that
Finley Anderson, teller OF the bank,
told him thirty days ago (Which is two
weeks before Wheelocll disappeared)
that York had d large overGraft and
several notes in the bank. C.isman
says he was waiting for Wheeiock to
bring him his bank statement for sig
nature. Auditor Bleakly called for the
statement, which Crlsman would have
to sign. But Wheelock never made Out
the statement. Crisman consequently
said nothing to Wheelock
Mysterious Letter.
George H. York, the Colfax grocer,
claimed a letter at the Colfax post
office signed The Prince, addresS d
to u. B. Edwards" Des Moines, ana
which contained $40, after the letter
returned from the dead letter office
This was the statement Of George
Stoufrer. substitute clerk at the Colfax
postofice. on the witness stand. What
connection the letter has with the
Wheelock case Coroner Lee has not yet
established in the inquest. He has so
for failed to identify u. B. Edwards"
The letter stated, according to Stout
ter, that The Prince" was sending
$40 to be some help to IT. & Edwards" !"
Coroner Lee declares he is going to the
bottom OF the circumstances surround
ing the letter in an attempt to discover
whether or not ii can throw any light
on the Wheelock case.
Stouffer, who has been employed a,
the postoffice for four. years, said "he
d1d not remember to whom the letter
was addressed and what it contained.
when first asked by Coroner Lee. Lee
suddenly turned and declared:
We have a way here, you know, of
a To toll y
knows"
Witness Changes Mind.
Stouffer Immediately answered.:
I withdraw my statements that 1
did not know to whom the letter was
addressed and what it said" Stouffer
declared Il do know. The letter was
addressed TO j. B. Edwards, Des
Moines, Iowa. 1t was stated that the
party was up against it and that the
so might be Of some help. The letter
was mailed at Colfax and 1 suppose
that it was mailed by G. H. York
The letter was signed The Prince
The letter was never delivered. 1t
came back to US, open, from the dead
letter office. We posted a notice about
a letter signed by The Prince. York
came in and got the letter and the $40
! bill.''
| Coroner Lee says the letter was
| much talked Of in Colfax. He admits
/ that he does not know what light this
letter Will throw on the Wheelock case
| If any, but he intends to go to the bot
! tom Of it. He will endeavor to locate
| or to identify the u. B. Edwards to
whom the letter was addressed. York
| ne says, will be asked, when he is
called to the stand to explain the let
| ter.
| York was not called to resume his
| testimony before the jury yesterday
morning. ~
| Walter Baber, deputy game warden
who found the body Of Mortimer
Wheelock in the Des 'Moines river on
! Monday, Dec. g, was called After de-
! scribing in minute detail the finding OF
| the body Baber was asked by Coroner
F., Lee and the jurors whether the rope
that tied the sack to Wheelocks neck
was tight. The jurors are not convinced
| that Wheelock died from drowning
Baber declared the rope vas loose.
IF there was any water in the lungs
of Mr.. Wheelock could you have de-
tected It from the appearance Of the
body?" the coroner asked.
NO, sir, could not. But If the mar
was alive when ne went into the waite,
his lungs would certainly have beer
filed with water" Baber replied.
No Water in Lungs.
Coroner Lee announced after an ex-
animation of Wheelock's body at the
undertaking parlors that there was nc
water in the mans lungs. He further
said that he considered this evidence
that Wheelock died from strangua-
, ton. Babers statement about the
tightness of the rope and Coroner Lee.
| finding that Wheelock's lungs con.
tanned no water has caused the jurors
to want a further investigation.
Fred Sayre, assistant postmas aster o.
Colfax, testified that he knew of a let.
ter signed "The Prince" but had neve,
seen it and did not know what It con.
tained. He gave the jury no new evi.
dence in the case.
Stouffer was questioned at som,
length by Coroner Lee and County At
torney Guthrie as to Miss Reta BOYD
clerk in the Colfax postoffice, and Mr.
York. Stouffer declared he had heare
that York ran after Miss Boyd" H.
further declared that Miss Boyd re.
ceived letter about every two week.
which "he supposed was from York.
| When asked why he Thought n x,a.