The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-12

| here for complicity in robbing and | shooting A. H. Brown of Randolph | enlarged yesterday upon the confes- sion he made to Sheriff Nichols Thurs l day, concerning the murder of Chas. Phelps and Phelps housekeeper, Miss Margaret Wolcott, near West Shelby | Orleans county, March 21, 1915. King, who is very dark, although he swears he is not a negro, said the
 actual shooting was done by Clarence O'Connell, who is serving a term in
 Auburn prison with Roy Hall for the l assault upon Brown. He said he and O'Connell went to the Phelps home
 with the intention of robbing the old
 man. He says he was unarmed and did not intend to kill anybody.
 They Drive to Home of Phelps. "I was in Medina, N. Y, March 21, 1915" said King. "I met Clarence OConnell there. had known hin, we'll and had been in deals with him. He asked me if I wanted some easy money. He said he had a place fram- ed. I told him I would go with him. We drove out of town at night and stopped by barn. knew the place as old man Phelps as soon as we drove up there.
 'I found a hardwood broom handle. and when Phelps came to the door I knocked him down with it. Then O'Connell and I went inside. The
 broom handle was the only weapon
 had. O'Connell had a gun. A bed room door opened and woman in
 her night clothes came out. She saw
 Phelps on the floor and O'Connell and me and she yelled and ran out through
 the door. O'Connell shot through the glass in the door and hit her as she ran.
 ''O'Connell ransacked the bureau drawers and pulled out a roll of bills. He said he would give me half. He peeled off $100 and gave it to me. That was all I got The old man be- gan to squirm around on the floor and
 O'Connell shot him three ,timee. I was sore at O'Connell and would not go away with him. He got into the buggy and drove off. I walked back through the woods and field, and early next morning got a ride with man driving to Akron, where I caught a train and made a getaway. I did not know Phelps or the woman was dead until I read 1t in the newspapers next day."
 Confession Fits Facts.
 This statement was made in the presence of Justice of the Peace Guy c. Caswell of Randolph, Sheriff Nich- ols. Detective Thomas O'Grady of Buffalo and H. K Congden, an at torney who represented Hall in the Brown case OGrady, who worked on the Phelps case. says the details given by Kng fit the facts found at the time of the murder.
 Later in the day King pleaded not guilty in the Brown case. He was re- manded to await the action of the grand jury. Sheriff Nichols said he would turn King over to Orleans coun- ty whenever a request is made. Dis- trfct Attorney Knickerbocker of Or leans county, who prosecuted Stielow for the murders, is said to be on his way here to investigate Kings state- ments.
 Mrs. Grace Humiston of New York and Detective O'Grady brought to Sheriff Nicholas attention recently facts tending to show O'Connell had Knowledge of the Phelps murder and King had been implicated by him. An affidavit was obtained from OConnell "hrSu "di dulcu hlHS $ dTTcSl III SOii- nection with shooting Brown. Nichols and O'Grady left here last Friday night to find King. They trailed him to Pavilion. N. r., and brought him here last night. The prisoner was told he was wanted for the Brown shoot ing. He had little to say until he was araigned before Justice Caswell and the deposition of O'Connell was read. Then he turned to Caswell and said:
 The dirty little skunk. He says I shot Brown, does he? We'll. will tell you about OConnell."
 Woman Identifies King.
 Mrs. Charles Voorhees, of Friendship came to Little Valley yesterday at the request of Mrs. Grace Humiston and identified Irving King as the peddler who had stopped at her home a year ago and asked for food. It was on a ! long distance call from Mrs. Voorhees, | that Mrs. Humiston resumed the search for the mysterious peddler who was seen near the Phelps home about i, the time of the murder.
 Mrs. Voorhees, said that sine recog- | nized King, who, she said, told her | he had been working for man near 1 Buffalo but had difficulty in getting | his pay. He said that when he ask ed for money, the man would say to | his housekeeper: 'Margaret, give l this fellow some money" and she in | turn would say: why. Charley, | haven't more than a few cents.''
 Then he went on to say that he kept getting more and more behind in