Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-05
POLICE CONVINCED
MEEKINS BOY WAS
MURDER VICTIM
Close Watch Will Be Kept on
Man Who Was Under Sus-
picion at Time of Alfred
Kraft Mystery
PRIVATE FUNERAL TODAY

A man who was under police SUR.
/ veillance at the time of the Albert Kraft
murder is under suspicion Of having a
! guilty knowledge of the death of Rich
ard Meekins Lieutenant Marpie OF the
! e5th street and woodland avenue police
| station, today declared that he Is con-
vinced the little fellow, whose body was
found ON Wednesday after fve months
absence from home, died at the hands of
n brutal slayer n the autopsy made
yesterday by Coroner's Physician Wads-
worth dsclcses evidence Of foul play upon
the little body, Lieutenant Marpie de-
clares he and his men will 'go the. limit"
to locate and arrest ths man they hold
under suspicion.
sight OF the casket containing the body
Of her lonF-Rbsent boy proved too much
for the overwrouRht nerves of Mrs. Annie
Meekins. AS the undertaker's men were
bearing their little burden into the house
this morning Mrs, Meekins was descending
the stairs to the first floor. Relatives.
fearful OF the shock TO the mother II she
encountered the small white covered box.
endeavored to lead her into back room,
but were too late Mrs. Meekins saw the
undertakor's men and tainted. When she
was revived her condition was so serious
that Il was feared sho would be unable to
attend the services later in the day.
Luke Meeklns, the boys father, aloo
saw the black wagon drawn up at mis-
door. He was returning honie fsom an
errand In the neighborhood and arrived
at the step Just as his wife swooned. He,
too, was much affected and was vehement
In his denunciation oe tho unknown man
whom he holds guilty o; hls sons murder.
IT would give UP anything in the world,
even life itself, II I could get the man
who did this" he exclaimed as he pointed
to the little casket. ''It wouldn't be neces-
sary for the law to act In the matter IL
laid hands on the man who killed my boy
Among the six pallbearers for little
Richard are three boys who were his play
mates on November 20, the day he dis
appeared. They are Pierce Terry. Walter
Ray and John Roberts. James and Rob-
ert Pitts and Edmund Gallagher COM
plete the list of palbearers. All but CAL
lagher attend the Morton School. The fac
ulty of the school sent to the Meekins
home large basket of flowers as its
tribute.
John Roberts this afternoon added a bit
of information tending TO show the course
taken by little Richard when he left home
for the last time.
1--WE were playing on the sandpile at cad
street and Elmwood avenue said John,
when a wagon came along. Two colored
men were on the seat Richard hung on
behind, but got off when 1t crossed Sad
street l called to him to come back, but
he walked after the wagon. 1t turned south
he was tramping behind it,"
The direction taken by the wagon leads
to the open country and swamps similar
to that in which the child's body was
found last Wednesday.
1t has been decided that the funeral of
Richard be conducted with all possible
simplicity and that the morbidly curious
be barred from the Meekins home, 2249
South 61st street during the services late
today. An exception will be made in the
case of Richards former schoolmates at
the Thomas G. Morton Public School, cad
street and Elmwood avenue.
Following the afternoon session today
Richards former classmates will proceed
to the house. They will not, be able to
view the features of their dead playmate.
as the casket will not be opened. The
service will be conducted by the Rev. w.
H. Heintz, pastor of the Pritchard Me-
mortal Lutheran Church, 63d street and
avenue, whose Sunday school
the Meekins children attended After the
service at the house the Immediate rela-
tives only will attend the interment in
Mount Moriah Cemetery.
POLICE ON THE ALERT
Watch will be kept by the police about
the vicinity during the boys funeral.
Morbid fascination may cause the mur-
derer to linger about the body OF his vic
tlm they reason, and all suspicious per-
sons who may be seen in the neighbor-
hood Of the Meekins home will be sub |
jected to close scrutiny.
Down at City Hall the detectives work |
Ing on the case are uneasy under the crit |
csm of their efforts to bellttle the latest |
developments in the mystery.
Discovery that the handkerchief, found |
knotted around the child's neck, bore the
Initial M has compelled them to admit |
the value of the letter-writer's hint that
his mark would be about the body when
located. Until today. the detectives and
district police had been at variance in their
view of Richards death and it's cause.
The City Hall men held strongly TO the
theory of accidental drowning, while the
bluecOats familiar with the topography Of
the Self farm, were equally firm for muir.
der and subsequent burial OF the body
Today, the plain-clothes men are willing TO
cencede many elements OF crime are sug-
gested by the investigation.
REPORT MADE ON AUTOPSY.
DIR. William S. wadsworth, Coroner's
physician, today submitted 70 Coroner
Knight the result of his autopsy on the
boys body Neither official would dis
cuss the report in advance of the inquest,