New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-04
Philadelphia Sleuths
Surround Suspect
Arrest in "a Hours
pFRFUME CLEW
PINS MURDERER
Alleged Slayer Inherited a
Million, Authorities
Assert

philadelphia. Jan. 3.-Ihe ponce oS-
- that they have trapped the man
=, murdered Grace Roberts, 'ne
-. They know who he is' they
.,.srt They know when he came 10
=. voman's apartment. They nave
elements from. two young women VINO
-. With his to the corner OF FIJI
zenith and Poplar Streets, where she
lived. -
v;,,io twenty-four hours, they say
:. v.;1 be arrested. While they have
...,,d 70 give all the details upon
rt;.b thew base their conviction OF his
Ill, tbev are certain that the tran
sl;,h leads from the room Of the mur-
s.red girl to him leads further to the
electric chair.
To.nieht the suspected man IS sur
FOUNDED by detectives. He IS well
l,,un throughout the East, million
-. through an inheritance from ms
t.,hs, and has scores of friends, some
of whom are already on the way to
philadelphia TO help him. The man Is
middle aged and has been known to
spend large amounts Of money upon
the Roberts woman. 1t is also said
bv those who knew him and her that
he vss inssnely jealous.
Perfume in Shirt Is CleW
Most damning Of the evidence against
hin, the police say. is the fact that the
shirt which the woman's killer left IN
bsr apartment smelled OF certain per
fume which the suspect uses IN hDeraI
quantities.
detectives visited his hotel to-day
and took impressions Of his finger
prints 10 compare with those found IN
Inc murdered womRn's room.
Other clews and trails have grown
stale under the continuous lnvestiga-
tion Of detectives. Only one other holds
possibilities.
A nervous young man came 70 Henry
Fox, an attorney OF NorristOwn,
Penn, Sunday night, told him that he
was a murderer and engaged the law
yer as his counsel. He promised Mr..
Fox that he would meet him at the
Manufacturers Club the next after
noon. then leaped into a hired motor
car and headed for Reading. There he
spent the night, and the next day or
dcred the chauffeur to drive MIN 10
Hsverford College. He disappeared in
the direction OF the dormitories and
rever came back. leaving the chauffeur
with his SO bill unpaid
Young Women Questioned
The two Young women who are said
10 have accompanied the suspected
murderer 70 the door of the apartment
house. where the crime occurred. were
Questioned al their homes in German
town.
The interview was held late yester-
day but this fact was kept secret. To-
night it leaked out One version was
that the young women's story already
had resulted in an arrest. Another
rumor said Captain James Tate, chief
Of detectives, has a confession in his
desk. The last two statements the
captain denies. He would not discuss
The talk bis detectives had with the
young women.
The belsted discovery that the blood
stained shirt which the murderer LETT
in the room in which he killed Miss
Roberts was generously sprinkled with
perfume has yielded another clew. The
perfume is a vital factor in establish
ing the identity Of the wearer Of the
shirt, as 10 was a new garment and
bore no laundry mark. The perfume
fancier had threatened to strangle the
model, according to the detectives.
Grace Roberts had often told certain
inend, 10 is said, that she was terri
bly afraid Of the man.
HE is nov in Chicago. but is COM
ing home this week" Grace Roberts
sad day or two before her death.
he is swfully jealous Of me, and | am
afraid he will strangle me. as ne.
threatened"
A young civil engineer. graduate
o. the University Of Pennsylvania and
member of the football team there, who
vas infatuated with Miss Roberts and
who would have married her had not
the suggestion brought forth a storm
Of family objections, after final ques-
uoning at Police Headquarters was per-
nltted 70 leave town.
The woman for whose murderer the
police are still seeking will be buried
tomorrow Funeral services will be
read over her body in the shop OF
Chestnut Street undertaken. A silver
trimmed coffin will hold her body. This
has been contributed by anonymous
friends" II cost $500.