Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-15

scar on the body found at Sewickley
81 want to tell all OF you the whole
story" he began. Tomorrow / shall
go to the district attorney and con.
fess. butt want you all to have IL
first. l can't sleep again until I get
it off my chest. Mrs. Pitman has suf
fered through me, and Mr.. Holcombe
here has spent money and time
Ida did not speak, but she drew her
chair closer and put her other hand
over his.
II want to get it straight, IL can.
Let me see. 1t was on Sunday, the
4th. that the river came up. wasn't it ?
Yes. Well, on the Thursday before
that 1 met you, Mr.. Holcombe, in a
restaurant In Pittsburgh. Do you re-
member"
Mr.. Holcombe nodded.
I'VE were talking of crime, and
said no man should be hanged on pure
~ circumstantial evidence. You af-
firmed that well linked chain of cir
cumstantial evidence could properly
hang a man. We had long argument,
in which was worsted. There was a
third man at the table-Bronson, the
business manager of the Liberty the
ater.''
who sided with you put in Mr..
Holcombe, land whose views 1 refused
to entertain because as publicity man
for a theater he dealt in fiction rather
than in fact
Precisely. You may recall. Mr.. Hol-
combe. that you offered to hang any
man we would name given a proper
chain of circumstantial evidence
against him?''
Yes"
After you left Bronson spoke to me.
He said business at the theater was
bad and complained of the way the
papers used, or would not use, his stuff.
He said the Liberty theater had not
had a proper deal and that he was
tempted to go over and bang one of
the company on the head, and so get
little free advertising.
II said he ought to be able TO fake
a good story. but he maintained that
newspaper could smell a faxed story a
mile away. and that, anyhow. all the
good stunts had been pulled off. 1
agreed with him. l remember saying
that nothing but a railroad wreck or
murder hit the public very hard these
days and that didn't feel like wreck
ing the Pennsylvania limited.
He leaned over the table and looked
at me. We'll, how about murder.
them he said. You get the story for
your paper and 1 get some advertising
for the theater. We need it, that's
sure
n. N IDI
again. / met him in his office at the
theater, and he told me that Jennie
Brice. who was out of the cast that
week. had asked for weeks vacation.
She had heard of n farm at a town
called Horner, and she wanted to so
there to rest.
"'Now the idea is this be said.
She's living with her husband, and
he has threatened her life more than
once. 1t would be easy enough to
frame up something to look as if he'd
made away with her. We'd get
week of excitement, more advertising
than we'd ordinarily get in a year.
You get a corking news story and find
Jennie Brice at the end. getting the
credit for that Jennie gets 500 and
q rest. and Ladley, her husband, gets,
say. $500
Mr.. Bronson offered to put up the
money, and / agreed. The flood came
just then and was considerable help.
1t made a good setting. l went to my
city editor and got an assignment to
interview Ladley about this play of
his. Then Bronson and I went togeth-
er to see the Ladleys on Sunday morn
ing. and as they needed money they
agreed. But Ladley insisted on $50 a
week extra if he had to go to jail. We
promised 1t. but we did not intend to
let things go so far as that.
In the Ladleys' room that Sunday
morning we worked 1t all out The
hardest thing was to get Jennie Brice's
but she agreed finally. We
arranged a list of clews to be left
around, and Ladley was TO so out in
the night and to be heard coming back
l told him to quarrel with his wife
that afternoon. although l don't be-
lieve they needed TO be asked to do it
and 1 suggested also the shoe or slip
per to be found floating around"
Just moment" said Mr.. Holcombe,
busy with his notebook. Did you sug
gest the onyx clock?'
NO. no clock was mentioned. The
the clock has puzzled me-"
1.-The towel:'
"YeS. / said no murder was com
plete without blood. but he kicked on
Lhat-said he didn't mind the rest, but
he'd be hanged If he was going to
slash himself. But, as it happened. he
.ut his wrist while cutting the boat
Dose. and SO we had the towel"
PILLOW slip" asked Mr. Holcombe
We'll. no. There was nothing said
about a FELLOWSHIP. Didn't he say he
burned it accidentally"
$50 he claimed" Mr. Holcombe
made another entry in his book.
Then l said every murder had a
weapon. He was to have a pistol at
1rst but none OF us owned one. Mrs.
Ladley undertook to get knife from
Mrs Pitman's kitchen and to leave it
not in full view, but where it
.ould be found"
"A broken knife?"
mo; Just a knife"