The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-09-03
Three Claim Victims Wife
Incited Crime.
WOMAN IS IN CUSTODY
Mrs. Elizabeth r. Mohr Denies Agree
Ing to Pay the Three Colored Men
Five Thousand Dollars to Kill Her
Husband.

Providence, r. l., Sept. 3.-Mrs.
Elizabeth F. Mohr, wife of DIR. c..
Franklin Mohr, who was fatally shot
while on an automobile trip from this
city to Newport, Tuesday night, was
arrested after three negroes had sign
ed a written confession saying that
Mrs. Mohr had hired them to kill the
doctor.
The negroes are charged with muir
der. They are George w. Heals. the
chauffeur, who was driving DR.. Mohr's
car at the time of the shooting; Cecil
". Brown, formerly employed as a
hostler by DIR. Mohr. and Henry Stell-
man, half brother OF Brown.
No specific charge has been brought
against Mrs. Mohr, who vehemently
denied the accusation, which she char
acterized as absurd.
Heals had been detained by the
4 police since the shooting, as his ac-
count of the affair conficted with that
given by Miss Emily G.. Burger, the
doctors assistant, who was in the au-
tomobile. and also was wounded.
Brown was taken into custody after
Heals had told the police that he
and the hostler had plotted to rob
DR.. Mohr on the night of the shoot
ing. The authorities did not believe
the stories OF the negroes and Brown
was subjected to a searching exami
nation during which, the police say
he broke down and admitted that he
was concerned i'm the shooting and
that Mrs. Mohr had offered him $4,000
TO kill her husband.
Heals and Stellman, questioned
separately, c~orroborated Browns
story, and the arrest of Mrs. Mohl
/, followed.
Brown at first denied that he hat
any connection with the affair. HI
said he passed over the Nayatt road
! where the shooting occurred, on a mo
! t~orcycle, explaining that he was OF
his way to visit a friend at Riverside
: Makes Detailed Confession.
Detectives who went to Riyersid
: to investigate his story returned wit
Spellman in custody. Spellman sal
that there was a plot against DIR, Mob
. and when Brown heard Of Spellman'
declaration he made a detailed cor
fession.
According to Browns story. as civ
I en- out by the police. Mrs. Mohr pro
t-~u-l ~..vrl uvnnkc 90 that hp XII
DR.. Mohr, promising to pay him $500
/ nine days after the killing was az
complished.
: He said he asked Spellman to hel
him out and brought his half brothe
. up to talk the matter over with Mrs
Mohr.
Heals was present at this int
view by request of Mrs. Mohr, Brow
, said. Spellman was to receive $1,OO
! and Brown and Heals $4,000 each.
: Arrangements for the shooting wer
9 carried u In detail. according to tn
confession. At a designated spot O
the Nayatt road. Heals stalled tn
engine of the automobile and Brow
and Spellman. who had approached Q
motorcycles. crept through the bushs
and fired at the occupants of the ca
Brown said he shot DIR. Mohr an
spellman wounded Miss Burger. Aft
the shooting Brown and Spellma
0 went back to the motorcycles. TIL
threw their revolvers into a broo
near the Rhode Island Country clu
+ Brown declared that Mrs. Mohr to
him to be sure to kill the doctor al
to kill Miss Burger II he could. ii
instructions, he said, were to sho
|" anybody in the tonneau, whether
u was Miss Burger or Florence Ormsb
a maid employed in DR.. Mohr's offic
After Spellman and Heals had &C
roborated Browns story two poll
detectives went to Mrs. Mohr's hou
and took her to police h~eadquartel
= where later she was formally place
under arrest. She made a vigorous 9
NAL of the negro's charges and sa
that their confession was absurd