Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-07
WOMAN CONFESSES SLAYING RIVAL.
THEN DIES, A SUICIDE FROM POISON
Hazel Herdman, Twenty-One, Expires in Mountain.
Side Hospital MontcIair. After Admitting She
Shot Mrs. Harriet Manning Because Latter Had
Refused to Give Up Husband to Her.

mercury tablets. The ambuIance took
the woman to the Mountainside Hos
pital- There she told a nurse that she
was implicated in the murder OF Mrs.
Manning.
Word was Immediately telephones
to this city. A few minutes LATER
Police Chief Long was on his way TO
the hospital. There the mystery Of
the crime was cleared up by the can
fession of Miss Herdman. She osn-
not live more than a few hours, the
doctors said this afternoon
Arthur J. Herdman. the father Of
the girl. keeps hotel on the Pomp-
ton turnpike. short distance from
Charles I. Manning's garage He said
this afternoon that his daughter had
not lived at home for the past four
years He said he did not know
where his daughter lived. but under
stood she made her home in Verona.
Mr.. Herdman was very 5zHa5ss7-
municative about his daughters az
fairs. He said he had been told last
night that she had left on trip TO
Germany. his understanding being
that she had left New York yestsr-
day.
Herdman said he knew Manning
He refused to say whether his daugh-
ter was acquainted with the garage
man or not. He became angry when
pressed with the latter question ano
said: Il won't tell you anything
about him or her"
Herdman made some strong asser-
tions bearing on Manning to an Eve
ming Star reporter. He alleged that
the husband of the murdered u nap
tried five years ago to get someone
to kill his wife, and that this person
refused
The father when informed that his
daughter was suspected Of having
murdered Mrs. Manning, said that II
would be proven that the revolver
which was used to enact the tragedy
belonged to Manning.
County Physician Mckenzie per-
formed an autopsy on Mrs Man
ning's body today. He found three
bullet wounds. One wound was inst
above the Iefs ear. zncther was IN
the head three inches above the first
and third wound was IN the LEFT u
the back, several inches below the
shoulder and just to the left of ne
spine.
It is believed that the first clue 10
the slayer of Mrs. Manning came
from Morris welch. conductor on
the Orange line He told the police to-
day that woman. heavily veiled and
wearing raincoat and small black
hat, got on his car at the Market
street station of the Pennsylvania
Railroad at ABS p. m. yesterday.
She seemed greatly excited. Welch
said. as she asked him the nearest
way to 21s Warren street Welch said
he put the woman of the car at
wilsey street and forgot all about
her until today. when he read In the
newspapers that woman answering
the description of his passenger had
killed Mrs. Manning.
When he remembered the address
the woman sought to reach yesterday
was that of Mrs. Manning's home he
came to police headquarters and told
his story
check for e.4oo last Monday as her
share in the estate of her father, Reu-
ben W. Cobb. who lived near Pine
Brook The check was received IN
settlement of the. estate from Frank
H. sommer. of this city. who acted as
special master in the matter.
Cobb died about three years ago,
leaving seventy or eighty acres Of
land IN Roseland. A partition sale
was brought in behalf of Mrs. Man
ming. ana at a forced sale the prop
erty brought $4,000. OF this amount
Mrs. Nancy Cobb, the widow, re-
ceived 81, 500 and each of the four sis
ters, Mrs Manning, Mrs. Riley, Mrs
Cunningham and Mrs. Austin Phil
hover, of Roseland. received s2.4ee
each.
Was In Custody.
One of the strange phases of the
case is the fact that the Herdman
woman was brought to police head
quarters here last night and after
ward permitted to be given her re-
lease
Detectives Fohs, Kuhn and Conlin.
who were investigating Manning's
personal affairs with women. learned
that he was intimate with Miss Herd
man. They took her to police head
quarters. where she was confronted
by Mrs. Mary Riley, a sister of the
dead woman.
Miss Herdman was not wearing the
little black hat the murderer was
described as having on. Mrs. Riley
looked at her in a puzzled way.
81 don't know" she said to Chisf
Long and Captain Tuite. "She looks
like the woman who killed my sister.
but I can't say for sure. Her hat
isn't the same"
The police say Mrs. Riley told them
at least half dozen times that she
nr,ha hi1y could Identify Miss Herd