The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-02-09
MURDERED WIFI {
THAT SHE MIGHT
MARRY HUSBAND
Widower Held For Investigation
BY Police
SLAYER COMMITS SUICIDE
Herdman Girl Makes Complete Con-
fession of Shooting After TAX
ing Deadly Drug

Newark. n. J., Feb 9.-The police
held Charles l. Manning in a cell last
night "A hours after taking him mo
custody as a sequence to the murder
Of his wife by 20-year-old Hazel Herd
man. Miss Herdman before her
death Saturday afternoon as a sui
eide by poison, confessed that she
killed Mrs. Manning because the lat
ter had refused to divorce her hus-
band. The He-dman girl admitted
she was infatuated with Manning
and had desired to marry him as he
was the father Of her yearold baby,
she said.
There is no written charge against
Manning at police headquarters and
the police do not say he is under ar
rest, but declare he is being detain-
ed pending Investigation. lie refer
ated yesterday that le knew nothing
CT the He.dman girls intention to
kill his wife and destroy herself.
Mrs. Manning's mother and sister
talked with Manning in his cell in
the presence of the authorities a
stenographer was called in. The
police maintained secrecy regarding
this conference and what might re-
suit from ii. Funerals for the two
dead women will be held this after
noon Manning yesterday arranged
FOR the burial of his wife. The body
of Miss Herdman was claimed by her
father, Arthur ]. Herdman. an inn
keeper
Miss Herdman said on her death
bed at the hospital in Montclair that
she had killed the woman in orde,
that Manning might marry her Man
ming has been separated from his
wife fer two years. His intimacy
with Miss Herdman caused the es-
arrangement
Il killed her because ! loved her
husband said the dying girl TO the
doctors and nurses who tried in
vain to save he. Il asked her many
times to get divorce from him so
could marry him. She refused to do
It. She stood between him and me.
That's why ! shot her" Before she
took the poison she wrote a note to
Manning, which he turned over 10
the police. II read This is my
last letter am going to commit
suicide because of my love for you.
1t was who shot your wife. Good
by. Take good care of baby"
Tho young woman took the poison
in a candy store in Bloomfield. ~ j.,
where she had gone with Manning af
ter they had been released Saturday
from the custody OF the police. Al
though the authorities had suspect
ed Miss Herdman OF the crime be-
cause of her intimacy with Manning
which was well known to the people
of Verona, small suburb where she
lived. the witnesses to the shooting
the murdered womans mother.
sister and niece were Friday night
unable to identify her as tho yelled
woman who fred the fatal shot.
The police have learned from 9th
er sources that Mannings wife re-
Gently received q legacy OF $1,000 TO
which he falls heir. The revolver
with which the girl committed the
murder belonged they learned. to one
of Manning's ohauffeurs. Manning.
they say admitted that he was the
father of the He-dman girls child.
lie eloped with her more than two
years ago and they we're absent n
month. After their return. her faith
er az first disowned her.
The shooting which occurred Fri
day night at tho home OF Mrs Man
ning's mother in the city whe-e she
had lived since her separation from
her husband. was cool and deliberate.
Admitted to the house. the girl fred
three shots az Mrs. NAMING as she
was lighting the gas TO receive her.
In her antemortcm statement. Miss
Herdman told OF a visit she had
made 10 Mrs Manning in order to
plead with he 10 &c; a divorce. Il
wanted him TO get a divorce and
many times asked him 10 do so. she
said But he said he could not. lie
told me he had hired detectives to
watch his wife. but they cauld find
nothing against her. 7 asked her e
she would not get a divorce from her
/ husband. but she refused 20 do 80
and turned me away. Then I decid-
! ed 10 kill her.