Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-01-05
Police Declare Wealthy
Young Man Who Commit.
ted Suicide Is Murderer.
CHAUFFEUR GIVES
STRONG EVIDENCE
Declares Lewis Is Man Whom he
Drove to Miss Colbert's Apartments
on Night Of Murder-Two Women
Friends Of Suicide Refuse to Accept
Theory-No Written Word Found
Among Effects of Lewis.

Phila delphia, Jan. 5.-Circumstantial
evidence which the police say con-
vinces them that Bernard W. Lewis,
son a wealthy retired Pittsburgh Goa
operator, who ended his life in an At
lantic City hotel last night, was the
slayer OF Maize Colbert the artists
model, was revealed early today by an
examination, of the young mans body.
Lewis was identified by Elwood
Powell, the chauffeur who drove him
and the Misses E.lhel and Mabel kyle
to their home in Germantown last
Tnursday nlgnt, as the man he later
took to Miss CulDertS apartments.
pn.ladelpnia detectives who went TO
Atlantic CITY last night say that Lewis
naIr matches that found cIutched III the
ueau girls hand and that Lewis was
found to be Wearing wumanS un-
derSnirt WHICH corresponds to gar
ments worn by Miss Colbert. y blood
stained handkerchief Was found in his
pvckc BOOK Lewis itt. no written
statement as far as could be learned.
Think Mystery Solved.
In view OF these developments the
authorities feel the mystery virtually
mas been solved Al the same time sew
eral men VINO were trends Of Miss
Colbert will be kept under surveillance
until therAis no doubt regarding their
connection with the case. In their ef-
forts to solve the mystery the police
had questioned many young men prom
inent in social and business life OF
Philadelphia. Some >aid they had
known the girl and some had admitted
they were among her admirers.
The school teachers, thru whom the
police learned of Lewis identity, main
tain that he is innocent of the murder,
and maintain that he committed sui
eide because he believed his reputation
had been ruined.
Mr.. Lewis was the victim of
ghastly blunder,'' one of the teachers
said. Il still believe he was innocent. l
Lkne& that, heswas an honorable man.,
He read that he had been drawn into
the mystery and ended his life because
he lost hope of eXtricating himself and
because he thought his reputation had
been ruined He telephoned us every
day after the murder but it was not
until yesterday that he showed any
signs of being worried about the af-
fair"
Motive Not Determined.
Captain of Detectives Tate said
several letters were found in Lewis
effects in Atlantic City. Torn scraps
Of what appeared to have been a letter
were also found. These will be brought
to this city and an effort made to learn
the real motive fer the murder.
Among the papers was a list of tele-
phone numbers, one Of which was that
of the apartment house where the
slain girl lived.
The police have discarded a theory
that third person was present IN the
Colbert apartment when the murder
occurred. This the ory was that one
man was in the Colbert apartment
when another man came in un-
announced, that one of the men i'm
mediately left and that the one who
remained quarreled with Miss Colbert
and the killing followed.
Crime Not Premedtated.
" ullC IIc PoilIS So" ehNS CIV S'iA
vinced that Lewis was the man re-
sponsible for the death Of the girl.
they are not ready to believe tina: the
crime was premeditated. 1t is their
belief the tragedy was the result Of n
quarrel either over iewelry or money.
or jealousy aroused by the attention
of other men.
Misses Ethel and Mabel Kyle, the
public school teachers who had known
Lewis for q year and who furnished
his name to the police when they
learned that he had become connected
with the case, were still suffering from
the shock today over the murder
revelations and the suicide OF their
friend They again told of their &C
uuaintance with Lewis. OF his atfah!lity
and his gentlemanly conduct. They
told In greater detail of his last visit
to this city; OF how he took the sisters
to tea and afternoon dances at promi-
nent hotels on Friday and Saturday.
and to theaters on both nights. All
this time the Colbert girl lay dead in
her home, according to .ne police. On
Sunday night Lewis accompanied the
KYLE girls to church. That was the
last time they saw him. but they
talked with him later over the tele-
phone. They said:
"He called us three times yesterday.
and at o'clock, the hour Of his last
call he seemed excited but protested
his innocence"
"Isn't this horrible!' he said. 7
don't know what to do to stop this
notoriety." He said he had placed
the matter in the hands of lawyer
and everything would be all right.
Anticipated His Arrest
Less than five hours later Lewis had
| shot himself as he was about to be ar
rested.
That he had anticipated arrest and
| had made preparations to end his lie
! was indicated NY the fact that the
22-caliher rifle that he used for the
deed was new. He had pinned a
towel over the transom of his bed
room door and on the bureau was a
| box Of cartridges and an extra car
fridge lay on the window ledge within