Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1917-12-20
MURDER MYSTERY
MAY Be SOLVED
Albert EichOrn of Ithaca, Inez
Johnson of Alma and Joe
Brennan of Flint in Tolls.
A WOMAN HAS CONFESSED
Says That Crime Was Committed in
Her Home and Lays Actual
Murder Up 10 Eichorn

After three and a half months of
constant work, the mystery surround
ing the death of Miss Beatrice Epler,
the l7-year-old Alma girl killed the
night of Sept. 4, seems to have cleared
up with the arrest of Albert Eichorn,
farmer living near Ithaca; Mrs. Inez
Johnson of this city, and Joe +. Bren-
nen of Flint, as being implicated in
the terrible crime which shocked the
entire county more than any other
case that has come up in years.
Eichorn, against whom suspicion
has constantly pointed, Bat against
whom evidence seemed lacking, was
arrested IN Saginaw late Saturday
night Detective Powers of the Re-
public Motor Company, Inc; Prosecut-
ing Attorney Ora l.. Smith and K. l..
Smith of the legal department of the
Republic, went TO Saginaw, where he
was arrested. He was confined in
the Saginaw county Jail, facing a
charge of murder.
Arthur Murphy went to Flint, where
Bremen was arrested the same night.
He has been brought to Ithaca and is
now lodged in the Gratiot county jail.
Early Sunday morning Detective
Powers and +. l.. Smith closed in on
Mrs. IneZ Johnson at her home here,
and she was arrested on a charge Of
murder She was taken to St Johns,
where she is confined in the Clinton
county Jail.
There is little question but what
the greater part of the credit in the
case in its final successful conclusion
in the arrest of the alleged murderers,
should go to David Beaudry, The Re
public Motor Truck Company, Inc. !;
Detective Powers of that company, At
torney James G. Kress, Mrs. John
Blank and Mrs. Baker
The story of the hunt that led up
to confession secured Saturday by
David Beaudry, which made the ar
rests possible. is a story of the stick
to-it-tiveness of the former French
Canadian lumberman. A neighbor Of
the Johnson woman for months pre-
vious to the crime, he had noticed that
things did not appear right at her
home, and suspected that she was
conducting a house of i'll fame. He
made a complaint against her just
previous to the murder, according to
his story given out Tuesday afternoon
to the Record reporter, and was de-
termined that such place would not
exist where he was living. On the
Sunday night previous to the murder
ho claims to have taken fifteen-year-
old girl from the Johnson home at the
point of a gun. On the night of the
crime he had always maintained that
the Johnson woman had been talking
with the Epler girl in front of her
home and that later that night an au-
tomobile drove up to the house and
that parties got into the automobile
and left.
Finally after the officers had failed
to run down the case, and the Halloran
agency failed to produce results, Mr..
and Mrs. Samuel Epler asked David
Beaudry to aid them in the hunt for
the murderer or murderers. Beaudry
consented to act, if starting point
could be given to him. This was
about two months ago.
He was taken to the home of a Mrs.
Baker, living in the southern part of
the city, the following day, and she
tenfirmed report which had been
given to Mrs. Epler. This was added
to and strengthened by Mrs. John
Blank, and gradually the case began
to assume proportions, which made
Beaudry was pling up.
cessful
A young lad rad overheard the con-
versation between the Epler girl and
Mrs. Johnson. the night of the muir
der, when they talked together in
front of the Johnson home and Beau
ory took thousand mile trip to get
= statement from this twelve-year old
lad.
Through Mrs. Blank and Mrs.
Sleeper came word Of something that
Mrs. ellison had said, when sick for a
few hours. This was looked up and
added to the string of evidence which
Beaudy was piling up.
Attorney James G.. Kress during
this time was acting with Beaudry
taking care Of such statements as
Beaudry wanted and aiding him in in
vestigations. Then Charles Powers.
detective for the Motor Truck Com
psny, who had been working on the
case independently, came in, and the
three worked together, with such aid
as Mr.. and Mrs. s. II. Epler could give
them. Powers was being paid by the
Republic Motor Trusck Company, Inc,
which had offered portion of the re-
ward, and seemed very desirous Of
cleaning up the battling case. Various
matters were taken up before Prose
cutting Attorney Ora l.. Smith at
times, for advice, etc.
The climax to the case came through
the efforts Of Beaudry the latter part
of last week. The French Canadian,
more familiar with the scenes of the
logging camps, than with detective
work put it over
Continued on Page Four.)