The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-11-12
POLICE SAY WOMAN WROTE SNYDER CONFESSION
Dead Man Believed by Police to Be Victim Of Blachm.ins
Attempts by Notorious Character, as He Had Formerly
Given Her Money-Out of Work He Asked Mother for
Funds Which She Refused Woman Threatened Him With
Blame for Mysterious Death of Henry DAYTON.

One of the most grewsome murder
mysteries in the criminal history Of
the state, the Staying of Henry Day.
ton, whose bones were found in a lime
bed in the cellar of his home, North
l street, December 10, 1912, year
following the crime, was recalled last
night and today by the suicides of
Mrs. Clara Dayton-Maupin, the widow,
and Bert Johnson. 800 South Ninth
street, a former boarder at the Day
ton home. The deaths Of Mrs. Dayton
Maupin and Johnson possibly the re-
suit of a suicide pact, sheds no light
murder-rather it draws the curtains
of mystery more closely about 1t.
Leaves No Statement.
No statement was left by the wo-
man explaining the cause OF her ac-
tion or incidents connected with the
murder of her second husband. Jo-
seph Snyder, who had boarded at the
Dayton home and who has been q fu-
gitive since the discovery of the crime
has always been accused of the MUIR
der, principally because Mrs. Dayton
presented a confession to the police.
alleged to have been written and
signed by Snyder. but there always
has been a doubt as to the authorship
of this confession, former Chief l. A..
Gormon consistently maintaining that
it was in a handwriting similar to that
OF Mrs. Dayton.
Mrs. Dayton-Maupin, aged 40. killed
herself at the house she and her son.
Archie Bowles, 20. moved into Just
few days ago, at the corner Of North
Fifth street and Ft. Wayne avenue.
She drank carbolic acid at about 8
o'clock last night while alone in the
house. The body was found by her
daughter, who had just arrived from
her home in Dayton to visit her.
johnson Drinks Acid.
Johnson killed himself with carbolic
acid at the home of his mother. Mrs.
Caroline Neal, where he boarded.
South Ninth street, about 8 o'clock
this morning after he had returned
from short trip up town. On his re-
turn, neighbors were informed by Mrs.
Neal, Johnson said that Mrs. Dayton
Maupin had threatened to blame him
with the death of her first husband
and he said he believed she would
commit suicide.
johnson never enjoyed healthy
mentality and information obtained by
the authorities indicates that he had
been the victim Of blackmailing plot
on the part of Mrs. Dayton-Maupin.
The threat to kill himself made to his
mother this morning was not the first
made by him and for that reason was
not taken seriously.
There is every reason for the belief
that Johnson had no secret knowledge
of the murder of Dayton, and evidence
obtained today indicates that Mrs.
Dayton Maupin had convinced him
that she could, if she SO desired, place
the responsibility of the crime upon
him, and it might have been that
Johnson, fearing the woman had left
post mortem statement duplicating
him, hurriedly took his own life.
Find Woman's Body.
The second fatality to follow in the
wake of the mystifying murder of
Henry Dayton. the suicide of Bert
Johnson, was even more melodramatic
than the finding of Mrs. Dayton-Mau-
pins body crumpled upon a bed in a
dark house when the daughter ar
rived last night for few days visit.
After telling his mother of Mrs.
Dayton Maupin's alleged threat to re-
port him to the police as the alleged
slayer of her husband unless he Sc
cured money for her, which he could
not do, being out of work, Johnson