Evening star., 1917-11-09
DR.. HARRY |. CHAPLIN
VICTIM OF ASSASSIN
Noted Physician, Author and
Traveller Murdered in CIeve-
land Hotel Room.
SKULL CRUSHED BY BLOW
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CLEVELAND, Ohio. November a.
Or. Harry Lorenzo Chaplin. physician.
author and world wide traveller. was
murdered late yesterday afternoon by
an unidentified assailant in a room at
a downtown hotel His skull was frac-
tured the blow crushing the back Of his
head. Dr. Chaplin died where he was
felled within a half hour of tho at
tack.
Coroner Byrne declared that DR.. Cha
pin was murdered.
THE fact that the skin was not cut
suggests that he was struck from be-
hind with a heavy weapon. probably
piece of pipe or a paper weight wrap
ped in a handkerchief. and that great
force must have been used" the coro-
ner asserted.
General orders were issued from po-
lice headquarters early this morning
for the arrest of man who was
known to have been in Cleveland yes
terday afternoon.
The suspect is former Cleveland man
with whom the murdered physician had
business dealings for more than two
years. the history of which has been given
the police by the widow. The arrest OF
the suspect. who is believed to have ar
rived here from Chicago yesterday, Is ex-
pected hourly.
Goes to Meet Man en- Business.
Mrs. Chaplin. who was the widow of
Valentine Fries. wealthy Sandusky
boat owner and lumberman. before she
married "the blind DOCTOR" as the mur
der victim was known. last night told
police that her husband went to the
hotel yesterday afternoon to meet
man who recently came from Chicago.
ShreGs of paper found on the floor
of the room gave the police clues be-
lieved to suggest a possible motive for
the crime. Some of the scraps, pieced
together. were found to relate to an
express package shipped to Cleveland
by man in Chicago. and which, the
police believe. was to be delivered to
DR. Chaplin on payment of 800. Police
investigation developed that DR.. Cha
pin within the week had withdrawn
s10o from bank. On the pieced-to-
gether scraps of paper police discov- |
cred the name of a man. for whom
search Immediately was instituted.
Dr.. Chaplin. known to a wide circuit
of friends as the blind doctor" was
forty-seyen. and had spent the greater
part of his manhood in travelling in |
many countries. He had been blinded
when shortly after leaving college he !
travelled to the ruins of Babylon. in
Mesopotamia. and neglected to wear a |
turban or dark glasses. Later an oper- |
alton partially restored the sight and |
he was able to find his way about with |
out assistance. lie nd0 written several
books and was the author of number |
of photoplay scenarios.
Poem on Twilight and Death"
Strangely Twilight and Death" is !
the theme Of one of the poems featured |
in his published work. This poem. en-
titled The Soul of the SUM- contains |
such seemingly prophetic stanzas as
these:
r. ~,
That the evening Of life Is at hand.
Death takes me away as he hnds me,
Time loaned-I am to pay on demand.
Oh. deaths Ike tn. sun In its sinking:
We live, but to dust We have gone.
or the cup of life we're through drinking, |
Then the sun-setting soul must pass on.
Attendants at the hotel where he was
murdered heard two men excitedly dis |
cussing business affairs in a room on the |
Late in the afternoon an inspector at
the hotel made her rounds of the rooms
on the third floor. In the room in which
man lying midway between two win
dows with blood streaming from his
head.
Was Unable to Make Statement.
Efforts to obtain an ante-mortem
statement from the dying man were
futile.
The room in which the crime was
committed was in perfect order. ex-
cept that few cigar and cigarette
butts were scattered on the floor, and
the bed appeared to have been recently
slept in.
On the bureau was paper bag con-
tanning apples and a few bananas Near
the bureau was new black grip, |
which was found to be empty. There
was no sign of a struggle. No weapon
was found in the room and there
were no marks on the furniture to sug-
gest fall.
The room clerk at the hotel told the
police that he registered stranger at
yesterday morning and assigned him
TO the room in which DIR. Chaplin was
killed The visitor carried a small
black grip and signed his name and
city in an almost illegible scrawl Po-
hal hr.Al