The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-11-05
Memphis Reporter and De-
tective Overawe Cape Po-
lice With Murder Clue.
DOUBLE-KILLING TIP
FIZZLES, SAYS SLEUTH
Men Held as Forgers Decline
To Confess They Slaught-
cred Couple.

! Inc police OF the Cape are wonder
ing today if they have been victimized
by pair Of ''Hawkshaw" newspaper
detectives from Memphis who stepped
into the town, sealed the police lips
with a meaningful nod and q furtive
display of bright and shining star
"sweated" Prisoners Waddel Fields
and Larkin J. Flanagan for a Mem
phis murder, and who cleft the town
in disgust" When the prisoners failed
to kick in" with confession"
Eleven o'clock last night was the
hour set for the confession" Eleven
came and went and the prisoners who
are held in the Cape County Jail in
connection with a forgery of a $3.50
check at the Sturdivant Bank, remain
ed as densely ignorant of what the
detectives" were talking about as be-
fore.
The detectives went away saying
they intended to break down an
"alibi." offered by the prisoners in
question. They sang their swan song
and decamped, maybe to work on an
other "story."
The story of the chain of circum-
stantial evidence against Fields and
Flanagan is a moving picture "dram-
NAH" 1t all was worked out by Earl
Levy, the police reporter on one of the
Memphis newspapers.
Levy's city editor assigned him to
the murder of Marguerite Favar, ac-
tress, and J. c. Crowelly Greenwood,
Miss, oil man, in the formers apart
ment in Memphis. Both man and
woman had their heads battered in
and the mans throat was cut.
Levy's Investigations led him to the
home of Crowell. He dug up complete
histories of all the actors in the play.
The heavy part of the evidence against
Fields depends upon the testimony of
a negro, Sam Harris, who received a
bloody suit to clean two days after the
killing.
Harris identified Fields as the man
who brought him the bloody coat
There is a two-day jump from the
murder scene in the apartment house
to the appearance of the bloody coat.
Fields wife lived in the same apart
ment with the actress. Levy promptly
comes to the Cape to. cross-examine.
Last night was the end. Levy and
two "real detectives went to Jackson
to try the two prisoners again. The
confession" was not forthcoming.
Although Fields and Flanagan both
are securely under arrest and getting
free "eats" in the Cape County Jail
awaiting their trial in the Circuit
Court on a charge of forgery, the
Memphis police officers yesterday an
nounced that they expected to "arrest"
them all over again on the new charge.
AS a matter of fact, it is asserted
that warrants" were flouted in the
face of Fields and Flanagan to act
as an inducement for them to "cOn-
fess." When the reporters left early
this morning, they decided to leave the
prisoners under arrest in the hands of
Sheriff Summers, a great inconveni-
ence accruing to them, nothwithstand-
ing.
Last night when the professional
third degree" men arrived from
Memphis, right away one of them,
Gal" Hirsch, remarked something
about "going off half cooked"
And then the reporter-detective call
ed him by first name --. "Now, Al,
looky here -, ct cetera."
Meantime, the reporter who had
been keeping this stuff dark, who had
"bottled-up" the police here with
words about Official business" mot
ripe yet" and secrecy" had been
sending daily stories to his paper in
Memphis He was a good reporter, all
right.
The Tribune broke the bubble in the
Cape with a story about what all this
sweating" has been about. The Trib-
une just blurted out the facts.
The other night the Sweating" be-
gan when the reporter held a whisper
ed conversation with Jeff Hutson and
the prisoners that could have been
headr in the next block. The firemen
looked groggy the next day and it de-
veloped that the "sweat" lasted all
night-hence the lack of sleep for all
hands.
The Tribune called up and asked
what was the matter.
"Tell 'em they're fumigating at
Jackson" the reporter called to Jeff,
"and you got the prisoners all here"
They're fumigating at Jackson"