Imperial Valley press., 1919-01-31
MURDER CLUE
MAY LEAD To
AUTOPSY D n
CHARREDBODY
Startling New Evidence
May Be Result of Inves-
legations by Sheriff C. M,
Applestill.

After a diligent investigation COW
ering a period of several days, Sher-
if Charles M. Applestill declared this
afternoon that he had uncovered
some new and rather startling evil
dence which may bring about an
early solution of the Lyons Crossing
murder mystery.
In furtherance of this line of in
vestigation, the sheriff will probab-
ly order an autopsy performed on the
;harred body Of the unidentified wom-
an at the Shafer & Lemons under
taking parlors. 1t is believed the
autopsy will show that the woman
was anticipating the arrival of lit
tie stranger, thus forming motive
or the deed.
Harris Ellis, the Los Angeles man
sought by Sheriff Applestill as the
slayer suspect in the Ell Centre mur-
Ter mystery, is in or near Phoenix,
Ariz., and may be captured within
the next few hours.
Definite information that Ellis was
n Phoenix on the night of January
20 was given Sheriff Montgomery of
Phoenix Yesterday. The Arizona of
sicers. who are working in close CO.
operation with Sheriff Applestill and
he Los Angeles detectives. say they
expect to tighten their net over the
Los Angeles murder suspect and ar
rest him before he has chance to
get away again.
Viewed in the light of the new
urn in Phoenix, the case now re-
solves itself into a question of how
accurate were the descriptions of
the woman reported seen in company
with Ellis on his trip from Mexico
to Arizona.
The fact that Mrs. William Bur.
rress of Los Angeles. sister of Mrs
Watkins, wrote letter to her. un.
Ter the name of Mrs. Oliver, Roberts
and addressed to Phoenix, that this
'etter had not been claimed, ano
hat RMS. Watkins, if she is alive
and in company with Ellis. made nc
effort to establish the fact, in spite
If the wide publicity given to the
'elief that she had been murdered by
Ellis. all seem to point to the next
DEVELOPMENT in the case being in
Phoenix.
The letter discovered in the Phoe-
nix postoffice did not contain any
hing of value in the search for the
missing couple and the child, it was
'aid bv detectives in Los Angeles
Yesterday. tt urged Mrs. Watkins
return to Los Angeles. and was in
rnswer to one mailed from Phoenix
'everal days before.
What may be important informa-
ion came to the police in Los Ange-
'es Yesterday from Frank X. Raible,
head of the Acme Cesspool Company
IF 307 North Commonwealth avenue,
ny whom Ellis was employed the lat
+er part of September and in the
irst few weeks in October.
Mr.. Raible said yesterday he was
forced to discharge Ellis because of
he too numerous telephone calls he
'eceived from a woman during bus
mess hours. This woman, the in
vestigators believe. was Mrs. Wat
-ins. The time was about that when
Ellis is said to have met the wOm-
an.
Mr.. Raible also recalled an Incl
dent in which Ellis told of bur
glary of which he had some knowl-
edge and woman implicated in the
,ase. The woman, Ellis said, was
sent to jail Just what connection
he case may have had with the mur-
Ter mystery will be investigated by
the police today. Ellis told Raible
If some friends and a distant rela-
tive living in Mexico, and suggested
he would like to take trip to that
country.