Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-04
Three ,.,cks Held For
Cr -,ow Repudiate
$ Confession.
OMISSIONS FORCED
BY THIRD DEGREE
Police Officials Of Two Towns Die.
agree a. to Whether or Not conSss-
sions Werc Made-Neoross Say pp.
Mohr Was Killed by Jealous Hus.
band Who Followed Party in Aute.
mobiIs-Blaeks Join in Denial.

Providence. r. L.. Sept. "A denial
that they had confessed to the murder
OF DR.. c. Franklin Mohr was made to
the Associated Press today by GeorKo
w. Healis Henry Spellman and C.
Victor Brown. the negroes, who, ac-
cording to tho police authorities, had
previously declared they killed the
physician at the instigation OF Mrs.
Mohr.
The representatives OF the prosecu-
ton and the defense In the case Of
Mrs. Elizabeth Tiffany Blair Mohr. ac-
cuseG by three negroes Of having hired
them to murder her husband, bent
their energies today in seeking to
strengthen their respective sides. The
officials OF the town OF harrington. and
the county Of Bristol, In whose juris-
dcition Dr. Mchr was shot, admitted
today that Sc far their case against
the woman was weak one. They
pointed out that something moro than
the confession OF the negroes was
necessary.
Two Men Sought.
The harrington police are seeking
two men. who are said to have over
heard a conversation between two
motorcyclists on the night Of the shoot
Ing. Two OF the negroes who hayns
admitted their completely In the physi-
clans death rode to the scene OF the
crime on motorcycles.
Exonerates Mrs. Mohr. ~sa
The denial mas made in the county
jail at Bristol, where the negroes are
locked up pending hearing in the dis,
trtct court at Warren. on Sept. 16.
Heals, the chauffeur OF DR.. Mohr's car,
on the night OF the murder. was tho
spokesman for the trio. but Brown and
Spellman signified their assent to ali
that he said.
TELL the people," Heals said. '.that
we are absolutely innocent and that
we believe Mrs. Mohr knew nothing OF
this crime. We have never aligned u.
confession and anything SO said to the
Providence police was said In joking
way or in a spirit Of anger.
'Dr. Mohr had been threatened by
several prominent Rhode Island people.
found a letter in his car from a man
living on Elmwood avenue, in which he
threatened the doctor and said that if
wife he would fill him full OF bullets"
Advances New Theory.
Healis declared that the doctors au-
tomobile was followed on the night Of
the shooting and it was his theory that
Or. Mohr was shot by some man who
jumped from the car. fired at the doc
tor and Miss Burger and then reached
t.. machine at a cross road.
Brown broke in and denied he had
ever written or signed confession.
Heals continued:
when l started the machine in the
barn it acted funny. On the way down
the :..sshts kent going out and the mo-
tor worked badly. l noticed n car was
following me. but when / tried to speed
up the machine the engine went back
on me and finally stalled. The other
car came up behind. slowed down and
then went on. Just beyond where we
stopped is II cross road. A few min
utes after the car passed the shooting
began and l believed that the man
jumped out of the car when II slowed
down, did the shooting and then cut
across lots to the car on the eross
roads"
Woman Feared Publicity.
The remainder OF Heals testimony
had to do with his trip to the hospital
with the doctor and Miss Burger. On
trip back to Providence he said. Miss
Burger kept crying "Oh this must not
get into the newspapers" At the Rhode
Island hospital according to the chauf-
feur, George Rookie, brother n-law of
Miss Burger. accused him OF firing tho
shots.
When Heals had ended his story,
Brown told of his experiences at the
Providence police station.
Gwen "Third Degree"
"Thcy dragged me up and down thA
room by the arms and kept shaking
me- he said while one of the inspec-
tors kept saying. You know you did It.
I replied. Well. IL you say so I sup
pose it is so. You seem to know ev-
erythng.'"
Spellman said: Il was In the room
while Brown was being questioned and
never saw him sign anything"
Heals said: The only thing signed
was a statement to the harrington po-
lice that robbery might have been tho
motive for the killing"
Police Say They Did Confess.
Police Inspector O'Neill. when told
Of the negroes denial, said:
"They did make confession In the
presence of Mrs. Mohr. Brown said he
shot DR.. Mohr; Spellman said he shot
Miss Burger, and Heals signed a state
ment that no stopped the car as d.
rected.'
Confronted with the statements OF
the negroes repudiating their alleged
confessions Chief Of Police Thomas F.
Robins, of harrington. who Is In off
c!al charge of the whole case said this
afternoon :ha. none Of the three men
had signed confession. The only
signed statement from them of which
he had knowledge, "as that IN which
Heaiis advanced the theory that roh-
berry was the motive for the crime.