Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-09-10
SECRET SERVICE
AGENT PUT ONCASE
Sent by Department of Justice
to Aid in Unraveling King
Mystery.
MEANS MAKES STATEMENT
Will Hold to Strict Accountable
ity All Who Circulate
False Reports.
MEANS MAKES STATEMENT

CONCORD. n. c.. September 9.-After
visiting the scene near here of the kill
ing on the night of August % of Mrs.
Maude a. King, wealthy New York and
Chicago widow. Solicitor Hayden Glenn
ent announced to-day that for the pres
cnt no official investigation would be
started. He stated that he was not
able to reconcile statements made by
Castor Means before the coroner's jury
with facts as he found them at Black
welder Springs. where the tragedy was
enacted.
The springs" he said, shut in so
denscly with underground and massive
trees. could hardly be called good
place to do target practice at o'clock
at night. in my opinion. If. as Cas-
ton Means swore before the coroner
IL was SO dark at the springs that he
struck a match to see il there were
any bugs in the water, how could he
see Mrs. King. who was thirty feet
away at the old sycamore tree, with
the small pistol in her hand 1t was
a .25-caliber automatic. and he could
have put 1t in his vest pocket"
Tonight a special agent Of the
United States Department of Justice
arrived here to aid the State authori-
ties in their investigation of the death
Of Mrs. King. 1t is understood that
this agent has been loaned to the State
and brings with him evidence tina, has
been gathered at several points in the
west, notably Chicago. He expects to
secure documentary corroboration Of
this evidence in this section.
1t was also learned tonight that a
rigid inquiry will be made into allega-
tions of forgery in connection with the
case.
Mrs. Mary Melvin, sister Of Mrs
King to-day testified to her entire con-
fidence in CASTOR Means, the con6den-
tial man of the dead woman.
This boy is innocent" she declared
as sure as there is a God in heaven ;,
Mrs. MelVin's statement was in re-
Sponse TO a declaration of Mrs. Annin
robinson. of Asheville. mother of the
dead woman. yesterday that she be-
iieVed her daughter had been mur-
dered
Mrs. Melvin would say little else ex
cept that her mother at times was in.
clined to be "iighty"
Means to-day spoke freely on all
matters except Mrs. Robinson's state.
ment about Mrs. Kings death
am n Southern gentleman" hs
said and as such cannot say anything
about Mrs. Robertson; also l cannot
answer the gcneralities IN her stare
ment."
He was particularly emphatic in his
denunciation of the report that Mrs.
King had undergone an illegal opera
tion at Asheville.
will 1iSfon ,D,,
myself" he said. but will not listen
10 anything against Mrs King i de-
Tended her many times when she was
alive and l certainly will now that
she is dead. The operation OF Mrs
King was minor one and was per
formed by two of the most reputable
physicians in Ashevil!e. In fact. l had
it delayed until l investigated their
reliability. 1 intend to hold to legal
statement that there was anything
illegal about the operation"
DENY TgAT MRS. KING WAS
AFRAID OF FIREARMS
Means and Mrs Melvin both denied
that Mrs. King would not have touched
the revolver at the spring where she
received her fatal wound owing to her
fear OF firearms.
Many times" said Mrs. Melvin,
when we were passing shooting gal
lcrics in Chicag go and elsewhere. | have
known Mrs. King to stop and want to
try her luck"
Means. his wife and his two sisters
corroborated what Mrs. Melvin said.
Means admitted that he had protected
Mrs. King from bands of confidence
men. particularly from a man named
Marsh
This man. who went under a num-
Der OF aliases. first began TO bother
Mrs. King aoout the year 1914. He
had about five men in his gang. He
kept after Mrs. King for part of a
year until we got the goods on him
when he disappeared"
Means told OF man who shadowed
Mrs King for several days in Chicago
last May. He said the man denied
trailing her until confronte,, by n hotel
trailed the v idow five or six times
Means said he did not know the man.
He refused to say anything about
Mrs. Kings financial ventures or his
own. He said all such information
would have to come from Mrs. Kings
executors. He denied knowing whether
or not there was a will IL existence
and took exception to statements that
certain of Mrs. Kings lawyers and
financial advisers had tried to mulct
her out Of her fortune.
There were such persons" he said.
but they were not her lawyers or ad-
visers."