The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-09-24
MEANS CHARGED
WITH MURpER
Authorities Piece Ter
Broken Threads in o. ed
Skein of Mrs. Sc
Death My <s
So
|GovERNMEf t'EREsTs
Justice Department Taking Hand In
tho Case and Has Looked up
Record of the
Accused.


|! Staff Correspondent
CONCORD, N. c., Sept. A.-Gas-
ton Means, alleged juggler OF WON
ems fortunes and confessed recipient
Of German gold, will answer here to-
day the direct charge Of numbering
his millionaire benefactress, Mrs.
Maude A. King. He pleaded not
guilty when arraigned.
His fellow townsmen In this typic-
ally southern community were grudg'
ing witnesses to his arraignment be-
fore Police Magistrate Palmer.
Not so the representatives of the
machinery of justice from Chicago
and New York, where Means alleged
victim scattered her money to the
winds and from the department Of
Justice at Washington, who know
volumes more of his international
Vaccinations than they're ready to
tell just now.
The Chicago and New York author
tiles who have painstakingly pleced
together long and important strands
Of broken threads in the tangled
skein of the mystery, are convinced
that Means claim that Mrs. King &C
cidentally shot herself at a lonely
Blackwedler Springs the night OF
August 20. is a lie. They believe and
claim they can prove that Means
having dissipated Mrs. Kings for
tune while he masqueraded in the
guise of trustworthy confidential ad.
wiser and having schemed to get
more of the King millions by forg-
ed second will, deliberately murdered
the woman rather than permit her to
discover his duplicity. Means had
lost bit OF his devil-may-care atti
tude today. He sent for local Prose
cutor Clement during the night to
profess his innocence and was re-
buffed, being told to say his say at
his trial His usually smiling round
face was podgy and pasty white and
dark circles ringed his eyes when he
appeared today.
The preliminary hearing begun to-
day may end tomorrow or run into
Wednesday, depending ON the amount
of evidence introduced.
Plea of Not Guilty.
CONCORD, N. c., Sept. ga plea
of not guilty to the charge Of murder
ing Mrs. Maude A. King, was enter
ed by CASTOR Bullock Means when
his preliminary hearing began today
in the small crowded court rooms.
Means delayed proceedings by de-
manding a change of venue. Under
the law the examination halted while
a new justice was rushed from an
other township to preside at the pre-
liminaries.
The little room was filled with
throng Of country folk. Besides Means
sat his father, Old Bill Means, a
typical southerner. The alleged slay-
ers stout face was wreathed in
smiles as he beamed upon the Judge,
the spectators and the reporters.
Pretty little Mrs. Mention Means, his
sister-in-law, sat beside him: Mrs.
Melvin, sister of the late Mrs. King,
sat near the Means group.
The state scored its first strong
point against Means when Coroner's
Physician Burmeister of Chicago, tes-
titled that Mrs. Kings death wound
was inflicted on the left side of her
head, whereas the autopsy proved
that Mrs. King was right handed.
L. A Weddington, undertaken, who
handled Mrs. Kings body, was the
first witness called by the state. He
told of being called by Alton Means
to prepare Mrs. Kings body the
night of the alleged murder and of
shipping it in a hermetallic sealed
casket in a steel case to Asheville in
company of Alton and CASTOR Means,
August 80.
The uestions here indicated the
state believes there was a discus
sion between CASTOR Means and Mrs
Anne l.. Robinson. Mrs. Kings moth
er, as to the disposition of Mrs
Kings body.
The casket, Weddington says, was
opened here for Mrs. Robinson and
then taken to Chicago at Means
order.
"All he said was, We have decided
to take the body to Chicago" said
Weddington.
Means went with the body to the
cemetery in Chicago, remaining close
by 1t, the witness said
Means claims Mrs. King had on
high hee1ed slippers when she
stumbled and fell, discharging the