The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-01-05
Bernard Lewis, Under Suspi-
cion Of Staying Maize Col
bert, Killed Himself
Before Arrest.
IN ROOM OF HOTEL
When Detectives Knocked on Door,
He Pulled the Trigger Of q
Newly Purchased
Rifle.

limited Press Leased Wire Servfce.1
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Jan. 81
Bernard Wesley Lewis, Yale gradu.
ate, seton of wealthy Pittsburgh
family. reached the end of the prim-
rose path today. His body, disfigur-
ured by bullet hole through the
center Of his forehead-self inflicted
was in an Atlantic City morgue to-
day.
She who trod tho Same primrose
path with Lewis, Mazie Colbert, 25. Of
humble birth ard beautiful until
some frspztsd u1uF deyer crushed her
delicate features and body into gross
flesh and blood-was IN simple
grave IN Philadelphia.
Mazie Gilbert was murdered and
Bernard Lewis all but confessed
murder OF his beautiful paramour
when he committed suicide last night
Il az Atlantic CITY hotel just ss de-
tectives were about to seize him. The
primrose path led the rich man to
death as 1t led the poor girl there.
In Pittsburgh today, wife. father
and mother were waiting for final
word from APhiladelphia's police to
render final verdict whether or not
Lewis was actually the man who
1lcuUASuly hliSu Iuo pAcSty hoooA"
Their verdict admittedly must be
based on ciTc1ss::s:t::H::.:i evidence
alone.
But it was Lewis who took a taxi
cab to the Wilton apartment, where
Maize Colbert lived, who was the last
man known to have seen the girl
alive and who ran away seeking to
lose himself when police fastened
upon his trail.
Last night, in Atlantic City's
morgue, the taxi driver who carried
man to the Wilton on the night
Maize Colbert was cruelty beaten to
death. identified as his fare, the man
whose body was then in the morgue,
bullet through the head.
Lewis must have felt the net tight
ening about him His room at the
Atlantic City hotel had been prepar-
ed as death chamber. Lewis had
stuffed towel over the transom of
his room and cut off the bath room
In somewhat similar fashion. Cracks
around the window had been stuffed
with paper. Key holes had been
stopped up-as If Lewis cringed be-
fore the eye of the law that he knew
was constantly seeking him.
His belongings we're In disorder.
luo SuldlL ll1lC Will WAASu AO
later sought death, was newly pur-
chased. Newspapers shrieking the
ghastly details of the beautiful mod
els murder and the relentless police
pursuit OF the then unknown murder
er, Uttered the floor. But Lewis did
not add the final touch to the tragedy
Of the primrose path until he heard
the long feared knock of detectives at
his door. Then he put the muzzle of
the rifle to his forehead and fired.
Detectives, who burst the door
open, found his limp body in the
bath tub; found suspicious scratches
on his fingers, as if they had been
the ones which in fury, beat and tore
the beautiful flesh of Maize Colbert;
found a handkerchief stained with
what looked like blood in his bureau
drawer
Practically without money and driv-
en- to frenzy by the suspicion centered
on him, Lewis apparently was In q
hopeless condition. His clothes were
unkempt and he wore a shirt of cheap
MATERIAL direct contrast to the
neat society man OF several years ago.
While detectives say they believe
Lewis killed the cafe butterfly, friends
are emphatic in their belief that he is
the victim of mistake and his own
conscience.
Miss Mabel Kyle, one OF the women
who aided the police in identifying the
man in the taxi, said:
'I believe Mr.. Lewis is the victim
of a ghastly blunder. know he was
an honorable man and I still believe
him innocent. He read that he had
been drawn in the mystery and had no
hope Of extricating himself
Lewis called Miss May Kyle. an
other sister, on the telephone just be-
kContinued on paeo ~.