Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-09

today
Il have 70 laugh when / hear that
Cord was wealthy" said Peterson. 'Be
didn't have any money. His wife pro
vlded his financial backing Somehow he
induced Mrs. sprague 20 get mortgago
on her properties, She was buncoed.
Cord was one Of these men who. al
ways wear fine clothing. He liked TO
have a diamond In his shirt front, no
matter how much he owed. He also
wore a big diamond In ring.
when he had occasion to show money
I noticed he always had bills OF large
denomination on the outside. inside were
ones and twos. II was his idea OF making
an impression"
Peterson was partially Identified to-
day as the man seen by eight automo-
bilists standing over a body on the River
road, near Camden, opposite the spot
where Cords body was found. according
20 Prosecutor William J. KRAFT, OF Cam
den County.
The Prosecutor has abandoned his
policy OF secrecy with the newspapers
and divulged the whole story Of the hunt
for Cords murderer. He said the eight
witnesses, examined In detail as to their
Identification. were sure except on two
points, hair ond accent.
PARTNER STILL HELD.
Peterson was taken tIoIn NAuIueIeTb
Row In the Camden County JAN and
put into a more comfortable witness cell
a few days ago No charges have been
preferred against him. The Prosecutor
has not vet decided what action he will
take on the partial Identification"
The members Of tho automobile party.
according to Prosecutor Kraft, cay that
Peterson's clothing tallies with the de-
scription OF that worn by the man they
saw standing over the body beside tho
murder car" that his eye glasses and
black four-in-hand tie seem similar.
They also assert that Peterson has
"mannerisms" exactly like those Of the
man they saw on River road, but tney
are not sure about accent and hair.
Peterson has gray hair. He is swede
and talks with the accent peculiar to
that nationality. The autoists say that
the man they saw in River road appar-
entity had black hair. They qualify this
by pointing out that IL was too dark
to see distinctly. None Of the party Will
say Petersons accent is like that of
the man they talked to beside the "mur-
der car"
The scene on tho river road was twice
re-enacted, according to Prosecutor Kraft.
Tho first third degree was held last
Thursday night and the second Tuesday
night Of this week, each at $50 o'clock
NN~N
sent the body the autoists saw lying be-
side another car that had halted on River
road In the second George Ward,
chauffeur, lay fiat in the dust of the road
TO represent this body.
The second re-enacting OF the scene was
more realistic than the first. II went
beyond the point described by the wit
nesses into the realm of theory. From
the start the Prosecutor and his assist
ants have believed that the man who
took the body of Cord TO the River road
In an automobile then carried 1t to a
fence and rolled II down a slight de-
clivity to the point where It was found.
IMPERsoNATEs SLAYER.
Peterson at the second scene last Tues
day night was required 10 go through all
OF this except the carrying of Ward, the
chauffeur The latter walked to the
fence, crawled through and rolled him
self down the bank Peterson was
marched forth and back by command of
the prosecutor. going through the sup
posed movements Of the murderer.
The members of the automobile party
are all Philadelphians. They are Alfred
Flegel, proprietor of the HARRISON apart
ment house at 1881 Jackson street, Mr..
and Mrs. Charles Feitner. Miss Marion
Jeffries, Edward Stewart. Miss Maude
Keller. Miss Pearl Rorasehach and Miss
Grace Rorasehach. They were returning
TO this city when they saw the automobile
on River road opposite the spot where
Cords body was found.
ARE YOU ALL RIGHT"
rs there any trouble" some one in the
party said to a man who suddenly ap-
peared alongside the machine and be-
tween the eight autoists and the body.
NO" he answered.
Are YOU all right?" was asked. "Is
everything fixed up?"
Yes" said the man, "everything's
fixed up"
"Is this the road to Camden?"
Yes; this is the road"
The autoists then resumed their trip.
They were not suspicious until they
learned, the next day. that body mad
been found near the spot where they
held the foregoing conversation. because,
they say, they figured that the other
autoist had struck a pedestrian and was
able 10 get him to hospital When they
read Of Cords death, they notified the
prosecutor of their experience.
Peterson's story of what he did the
Monday afternoon that Cord disappeared
is being investigated today. The ma
terial witness" says he spent the after
noon at home washing some clothing,
save for a few minutes he spent going
out for soap and starch.
The statement that he bought starch
at the Palmyra branch of the Acme Tea
Company was obtained from the manager
OF that branch by an EVENING LEDGER
several days before Peterson
said anything about II TO the newspapers.
So far the Prosecutor has absolutely
nothing but the partial Identification
to controvert Peterson's story that he
stayed home and played solitaire in the
Kitchen the night OF the murder. Neigh.
bors have said that no light was showing
In the front. There is no testimony as TO
whether or not there was a light in the
kitchen of the Peterson home.
MRS. PETERSON TALKS
Mrs. Rae Peterson, wife of the "mate-
rial Witness" said today that she knew
nothing about the report from Paterson,
y. j.. that a man named Olaf Peterson
was arrested In that city in 1895 on sus-
Iicion Of having something to do with the
murder OF a girl f~
When Mrs. Peterson was told by de-
tectives that they have been checking IN
her husbands record, and will soon know
every important move In his life, sha
said
Il wish l had known more about NV
husband when I married him. knew
really nothing OF his previous life. as
we were married after a very short ac-
quaintance,"
ToDAY'S MARRIAGE LICENSES
Jemes B. Eldon. 1T4i N. 18th 81. ana Ed,,h
-, E Janton. 1923 Master 81.