Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-18

Not she-at Sewickleyr'
NO he said patiently. THAT was
Jennie Brice."
"But-Mr. Howell
Mr.. Howell is n young ass" he said
with irritation. He did not take Jen-
ME Brice out OF the city that morning.
He took Alice Murray in Jennie Brices
clothing. and yelled"
Well. that is FIVE years ago. Five
times since then the Allegheny rive-.
from being mild and inoffensive
stream. carrying a few boats and
great deal of sewage. has become a
raging destroyer and has filed our
hearts with fear and our cellars with
mud.
A few days ago. as l said at the be-
ginning, we found Peters body float
ing in the cellar, and as soon as the
ward was dry 1 buried him. He had
grown fat and lazy, but I shall miss
him.
Yesterday a riverman fell off a barge
along the water front and was drown
ed They dragged the river for his
body. but they did not find him. But
they found something-an onyx clock.
FELLOWSHIP wrapped around it. 1t only
bore out the story as we had known II
for FIVE years.
The Murray girl had lived long
enough to make a statement to the po-
lice. although Mr.. Holcombe only
learned this later. On the statement
being shown to Ladley in the Jail and
his learning of the girls death, he col
lapsed. He confessed before he was
hanged. and his confession, briefly,
was like this:
He had met the Murray girl in con-
nection with the tipping of his play.
and had fallen In love with her. He
had never cared for his wife, and
would have been glad to get rid of her
in any way possible. He had not in
tended TO kill her. however. He had
planned to elope with the Murray girl,
and. awaiting an opportunity. had per-
suaded her to leave home and to take
a room near my house.
Here he had visited her daily, while
his wife was at the theater.
They had planned to go to New York
together on Monday. March >. On
Sunday. the 4th. however, Mr.. Bronson
and Mr. Howell had made their curl
Gus proposition. When he accepted,
Philip Ladley maintained that he
meant only to carry out the plan as
suggested. But the temptation was
too strong for him. That night, while
his wife slept. he had strangled her.
I believe he was frantic with fear,
after he had done it Then IL occurred
TO him that If he made the body IN
recognizable he would be safe enough.
On that quiet Sunday night. when Mr..
Reynolds reported all peaceful in the
Ladley room he had cut off the poor
wretch's head and had tied it up in
FELLOWSHIP weighted with my onyx
clock.
IL is a curious fact about the case.
that the scar which his wife incurred
to enable her to marry him was the
means of his undoinG. He insisted.
and believe he was telling the truth,
that he did not know of the scar
that is. his wife had never told him of
il and had been able 10 conceal it. He
thought she had probably used paraffin
in some way.
In his final statement. written with
great care and no little literary finish,
he told the story in detail; of arrang-
ing the clews as Mr.. Howell and Mr..
Bronson had suggested: of going out in
the boat with the body. covered with
a fur coat, in the bottom Of the skiff:
of throwing ii into the current above
the Ninth street bridge. and of seeing
the fur coat fall from the boat and car
ried beyond his reach; of dispoSing of
the head near the Seventh street
bridge; of going to n drug store. as per
the Howell instructions and of coming
home at o'clock to find me at the
head of the stairs.
Several points of confusion remain
ed. One had been caused by Temple
Hopes refusal to admit that the dress
and hat that figured in the case were
to be used by her the next week at the
theater. Mr.. Ladley Insisted that this
was the case and that on that Sun
day afternoon his wife had requested
him TO take them to Miss Hope: that
they had quarreled as TO whether they
should be packed in a box or in the
brown valise, and that he had visited
Alice Murray instead. 1t was on the
way there that the idea of finally get
ting rid OF Jennie Brice came to him.
And way-using the black and white
striped dress OF the dispute
Another point of confusion had been
the dismantling OF his room that Mon
day night. some time between the visit
OF Temple Hope and the return of Mr..
Holcombe. This was to obtain the
scrap OF paper containing the list of
clews as suggested by Mr.. Howell, q
clew that might have brought about a
premature discovery Of the so called
hoax.
To the girl he had told nothing of |
his plan. But he had told her she was
to leave town on an early train the |
next morning, going as his wife; that |
be wished her TO wear the black and |
white dress and hat for reasons that he |
would explain later and to be yelled |
heavy; that to the young man who !
would put her on the train and who |
had seen Jennie Brice only once she |
was to be Jennie Brice: to say as little |
as possible and not to raise her veil. |
Her further instructions were simple
to go to the place at Horner where |