New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-07-31

new CLEW FOUND IN
TAFT MURDER CASE
Police DESTROYS Of Extraditing
BILLY" Price From New York

Charles A. Taft has turned up in
Hartford. "Billy" Price, who is fight
ing extradition to this state from New
York, is the new suspect. He is be-
ing held in the metropolis for the
East Hartford police on the charge
of theft Although held on this SIM
pie charge it is said that he may have
certain knowledge that would aid IN
the solution of the myterious Taft
murder on March /, which took
place on the Kensington road IN this
city. It is evident that the East
Hartford police are very anxious to
have him brought back as they have
had a federal warrant issued for him
based on an alleged violation of the
interstate commerce law.
But just how closely he is connect
ed with the Taft murder seems to be
matter for, vague conjecture. Price
is said to have known Taft and may
have hired him to transport some of
the stolen merchandise to New York.
The principal item in the list of stolen
merchandise was copper ingots. Seven
or eight railroad brakemen were ar
rested in connection with the copper
thefts and were either sent to jail or
put on probation by the Hartford and
East Hartford courts. 1t is known
that the Hartford and East Hartford
police have not worked altogether IN
harmony on these cases as East Hart
ford has tried to hog" all the glory
and failed to let the Hartford police
in on some of their information al
though the Hartford police were do
ing their best to assist them.
Mrs. Minnie Curtis conducted a
boarding house in East Hartford III
which several of the men involved
lived. She was taken i'll one day and
had to go to Hartford hospital. In
her absence the police visited her
home and found a large quantity of
stolen goods, including copper and
groceries. Her name has been drag
ged into the murder case also.
Loot Transferred in Taxi.
At the trials it was brought out
that the copper was stolen from
freight cars in East Hartford and
had been taken to New York city in
a taxi cab in loads of about 500
pounds at time. The chauffeur was
paid $65 for one trip and $75 for an
other. And this is where Taft's name
comes into the case as East Hartford
officials are of the opinion that he
may have taken some of the copper
to squeal when they shot him to
save their own skin. But that hard
ly explains the woman in the case
and there is strong evidence at hand
to prove that there is a woman in
the case.
On the other hand, Price is basing
his fight against extradition on an
alibi. He maintains that he was not
in the state of Connecticut at the
time of the thefts, but was in New
Yrk city. However, this does not
prove that he was not interested in
the receiving end of the game. The
police officials in Hartford and East
Hartford have been trying hard to
identify the man to the satisfaction
of the court for eight persons have
already been taken to identify him
and are convinced that he is the man
most wanted in the copper thefts. Ie
is said to have been the leader of
the gang. Price is said to have es-
capped from Policeman J. J. Desmond |
in Hartford last March, but was later
arrested in New York and has been
fighting extradition ever since. The
arrests in the copper theft case came
about three weeks after Taft had
been murdered. Officials admit that
Price, said to be the ringleader of
the thieves will have to face more
serious charge than theft on his re-
turn to Connecticut, if he can be ex-
trad1ted. There are two Price brothers
in the case both said to be bad &C
tors" They are known as freddy
and BILLY"
The East Hartford authorities have
maintained the theory almost from
the beginning that Taft was in some
way involved in the copper thefts and
hold it to be the first we'll defined mo-
tive for the murder. According to
Hartford sources Taft was also ac-
uuainted with TEDDY" Price and they
both knew the Curtis woman.