Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-01-08
ROTAN DIGS DEEP
IN COLBERT CASE
Mayors Demands for In
quiry Into Murder Fol
lowed by Great Activity
MANY LOOK FOR KAIER
Mahanoy City Brewer Among
First Witnesses to Respond
to Summons

! Scores Of witnesses were examined by
| District Attorney Rotan today IN deter
| mined effort TO solve the mystery OF the
lnuIuet OF Ma"le '"'psI'
Closely following Mayor Smiths order
! for an investigation ito the limit CITY
Hall buzzcd with activity and investlgat-
| Ing officials undoubtedly had thelI busiest
day since tho girls body was dIseo'ctea ten
days ago.
District Attorney Rotan took fuIl chafgo
Of the investigation today one nt ms hrst
acts was to summon into consultation at
| o'clock all those who in any way have
been connected with or mentioned In the
a.si rasg ne w. w'TGsS m,ic, "S'g A,tor"cvs occ on
,bo sixth noor of CI,y nan by MIR Rotan
and big nrgt assistant toscph T.. Tnulane.
EOItlupORS JAMMHp
The witnesses crowded the antcroUms and
the corridors literally were jammcd.
Among those questioned were Charles
EaIcr known as Champagne Charlie, Il
brewer Of Niahnnoy city: Magistrate Harry
4. Imbar, e. Emory Titman, well-known
philadelphia clubman: John and Bessie Col.
hort brothor and sister OF the slain girl
Marie Collins. Detectives Tottcn and Far
low who were about to arrest Bernard w.
I nn,g In Atlantic City when he committed
suirfdc. Richard Bcnianin. negro iauitor
1f tho wilton Apartments, and his wife
,",,,,l, % T.a,n rnlicc Iirutcnnnt Andrew
,I.l,tt, i ,iI ,bc detectives of the
',T,,rIcr' soi,nd l."
-, .,..,,. .,,,.,,, ,,,,t. ,s m ,vb,t
No information was gwen oHl 80 ,t,,,sns tg g,s,s'
revelations were Hl'ue Wy Inv, t,,,,,nrtant
IL was 'u''iu'l'" ..'M,',', ,.,,,i l,a,
iEnt lau p'g'' .,., t,i,or nr aII tho
testimony.
Bessie Colbert. sister Of the slain model,
vas the first to arrive She was dressed
I'm deem mourning. and had no statement to
make she was accompanied by her brother.
Spectators crowded about waiting to catch
lie arrived shortly after II o'clock.
,,- ,,,,,r,, ,,,,,,,,,>-t1rn
llAltlNh IhNN i''1' ''''''"''''
Harry X. Thaw, Of Pittsburgh. passed
near the District Attorneys office, after
lppearIng as a witness in n civil case be-
fore Judge GiIpin lie was soon recognized
and was followed by crowd He told
neyyspaucr men that he did not know Lewis,
hut that the Lewis family was well known in
Pittsburgh
When asked If he knew anything about
the case. Thaw said, 81 only know what |
have read in the newspapers"
Attorney General Francis skunk Brown
entered the District Attorneys office during
the questioning Of the witnesses. His ap-
pparanca also created stir Upon leaving
he was asked If he represented one of the
witnesses
mo" he said as he shook his mead -
know nothing of the case. merely went
in to see my brother, Finlay l5roWn' VINO Is
connected with Mf' l'ulah "''IIe' 4.
1t was learned that one detectlVe Went 10
Broad street station to meet ""ih"" '''i-
ing from New York. ,,.,.i,,.
Detectives refused TO reveal InS Iuensey ~
Of the woman. but lhtlhl%'cH l,u, ,.oS a,noS
had located her IN sew no.E 'trJ -. tI,ro,,,
OF several days anu 'i'N' Su' "..E -,
''''T'',,,, ~ became known TO-DAY that mans red
and blue necStie was found in the muir
dered models apartment. The tie was pur-
chased in a Market street department store
and every effort Will be made detectives
said, to learn the identity of its purchaser
>,r,r- pr1,sr,s or CASE
~" .......
Among the latest phases Oh '"o ''SS'etS
are; ,,.....,,.,, j., tho
First Tn" Key ring u'S'"Nt'tu II, W
apartment was found L" nave It nul,.ueIe ,I!sl,t eu
key and ring, evidently 10 s"IG-uep epoS,S 'i,5
vault Several detectives sa'd LheS uIu
not believe Lewis would nave suSh hey'
as he was known 10 be In strauened cir
cumstanccs financially The number was
1891.
Second Bessie Colbert, the girls sister,
has named another man as suspect, she