New Britain herald., 1917-07-07
PlainVille News LEADER 0F NEGROES MAY ASSIST STATE Claims He Can Get Correct Story
 Of Darkey'S Murder
 WANTS TO. SEE PRISONER

Crime Are Afraid They VIII Be Punished If They Admit Seeing Fatal Blow Struck.
 Efforts to secure more detailed in. formation regarding the killing of Frank Tanner. the negro who was stabbed to death Wednesday by Her mann Harris, another darkey, are to
 be made through the leader of the gang brought here from the South to
 work on the highway improvements between Plainville and Bristol. The leader is a more mature negro and seemingly has a great deal of control over the other members of the gang. He has been in conference with l the' local authorities and has ex- pressed desire to assist the state in clearing up the case. He is also l anxious to bring about the release of the six negroes taken to jail to be held as material witnesses to the murder and he declares that if he is permitted to talk to them he will secure a complete story of the inci- dents which led up to the killing. Ignorant of the ways of the north he told the authorities the negroes remain reticent or lie about what they saw fearing that if they admit having witnessed the murder or knowing anything about it they might be pun- ished even though they had no con- nection with It.
 Except for a Portugese negro who tells of having seen Harris stab Tan ner in the kitchen of their quarters on ] Whiting street, all members of the l gang deny any information as to the l murder. It is known to the authori- l ties that others saw the attack de-
 spite their denials and if their leader 1 is allowed to talk to them it is ] thought the facts in the case will be- l come known.
 l Through the head of the gang, Con- 1 stable Marine expects to get the | knife with which the crime was com ] mitted. The leader declares that the 1 knife picked up in the building is not l the property of either Tanner or liar | ris and it is unlikely that it was the 1 weapon used. He has expressed the belief that after the stabbing one of ] the negroes, friendly to either Harris 1 or his victim, secured the knife and
 hit it, subsequently lying to the au-
 thorities through fear that he would I be punished.
 An effort will be made to get States l Attorney Alcorn to permit the negro | to visit the jail to interview the mur- l derer and the men held at witnesses
 in the hope that correct evidence may l be secured.
 | French Signs Confession ? l According to reports in circulation
 here, which the authorities following
 the usual course in such cases will
 neither confirm or deny, a signed con fession in which premediated murder is admitted has been obtained from
 James French, the young garage em.
 ploye, who shot and badly wounded Miss Margaret Farrar several days ago. It is said that in the state
 ment French admits that he thought
 Miss Farrar had made accusations o1
 dishonesty against him to his em-
 ployer resulting in, his discharge an6 l that in a spirit of revenge he planned | to take her life.
 French lured Miss Farrar to the
 lonely road near Scott's Swamp on the
 pretense that the owner of the garage 1 where the young woman was em
 ployed as bookkeeper wanted her tc
 attend to some business for him. He
 shot her three times and subsequent ly made an unsuccessful attempt tC
 commit suicide.
 Miss Farrar is still at St. Franci!
 hospital, where 1t is reported her re-
 covery is expected. French is in jai
 under bonds of $10,00O.