The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-17
Clerks Absence From Office
During Robbery Probably
Saved Her Life.
O'BRIEN STRUTS IN JAIL
Gleefully Tells Of Crime-Po'
lice Scout His "Confession"
in wilkins Killing.

the bravado Of a wild West bad man"
yesterday in the county jail at Free
hold. N. j.. where he is waiting to be
extradited to stand trial here.
oBrien staggered down the corridor
Of the jail. with guards closely watching
him for fear he would kill himself. He
described with horrible detail the four
times he smashed the skull of his en-
ployer, and the thrill he felt when he
finally saw the blood squirt from Hull's
head.
You would laugh to see the way 1t
ram" he said. The desire to Kill OBJ
sessed him, he told the other prisoners,
and all the while Paige, his pal, stood
by begging him not to kill the stationer.
IF Miss Smith, the stenographer. had
stayed around I'd beaten her, too" ne
said.
His mothers grief worried him little,
for he said he hadn't received any care
from his family in three years. When
a fellow prisoner suggested te OBrien
that he might have had something TO
do with the murder of Mrs. Julia
Wilkins in Mineola, the youngster smiled
and said:
well, maybe I did" And later when
pressed on this point, Sure / did"
Neither District Attorney Charles n.
Weeks, who prosecuted DR.. Walter h
wilkins, nor Charles n. Wysong. chief
counsel for the physician, places any be-
lief in the boys boast, and both venture
the guess that O'Brien included the
Wilkins murder In his brag from hear
ing the case discussed by his employers.
one of whom was a witness at the trial.
Youths Indicted for Murder.
O'Brien and his pal, Earl Paige, 10,
were indicted yesterday for murder in
the first degree by the Grand Jury.
Judge John F. Mcintyre in the Court OF
General Sessions Immediately Issued
bench warrants for the arrest of the two
boys, and District Attorney Swami In
structed Moses r. Ryttenberg. one Of his
assistants. to present requisition papers
to Gov. Smith for signature.
1t is expected that the papers will 60
to the Governors of Pennsylvania and
New Jersey to-day so that the boys may
be speedily brought to trial. District
Attorney Swami said that he would
move the case up on the calendar and
that the accused youths would probably
be tried this month.
The mother of O'Brien. and his sis
ter. Mrs. Joseph Bossardet of ass Lin
coin road. Brooklyn, called on Assistant
District Attorney John F. Joyce Of the
Homicide Bureau yesterday and pleaded
for mercy for the messenger. Mrs.
O'Brien said that she was the mother Of
nine children and that when her hus-
band went to war she had to place Eddie
and another son in a Providence insti-
tuition and seek employment as house
keeper. She believes the boy Is insane.
and does not credit the reports that he
| has confessed to the murder. but faith
fully hopes that when she sees him in
the Tombs he will tell her he did not
| lie when he declared he had nothing to
do with the killing of Hull.
My boy tells the truth" she said.
and you could see In his eyes when
he came down to where l work in Avon
! hat he was innocent"
The craving for easy living, good
clothes. movies and lots of apple pie
seems to have been the only motive so
| ar produced by the District Attorney s
office for the commission of the crime.
| Mr.. Joyce. who is investigating the
case. returned from Philadelphia yester-
day. He had a lcng talk with Paige.
who is in the prison in Philadelphia.
/. The younFster never had anybody to
father. and life was enc institution after
another for him until three years ago,
when he was taken from the Providence
/ HCme for Boys and allowed to attend the
! funeral of his mother. He met O'Brien
there, and the two escaped and hoboed
around Brooklyn. sleeping In doorways
and on park benches and starving Then
they boarded a freight train for Provi-
dence and were glad to get back to the
home In order 70 eat.
| Boys Run Away Once More.
They ran away again. and this time
Paige struck Hp an acquaintance with
an employee of Hull, who got him a Job
in the concern. Later he met O'Brien at
| the movies and obtained a place for him
| too.
! Paige Is victim OF apple pie and
the movies" said Mr.. Joyce. vAnother
contribution to his downfall undoubt-
eddy was lack OF parental influence and
attention. He told me he never got
enough To eat until Mr.. Hull raised his
wages to $40 a week. But even when
he received money to buy food his
greater love for the movies induced him
TO spend the money for them instead OF
In restaurant. He had an inordinate
appetite for apple pie. but ne liked the
movies more.
ut was his desire to live like the peo-
| pie he saw in some of the movies that
| Induced him to discuss with OBrien the
chance Of stealing the Hull payroll
They planned the robbery for weeks
Paige says there was never any talk OF
killing the aged man. He suggested hit.
ting the employer with a nall puller. but
O'Brien said 1t would cut him up toe
much, so Paige told him TO do II his
own way. O'Brien used a hammer.
Paige pretended to be i'll and Mr.. HUI
gave him some pills Then he and
O'Brien asked Hull for a dollar. AS Hui
was turning around to the cash drawer
O'Brien struck the stationer and felleC
him.
They grabbed all the money they
could get and went to the movie theatre
in Newark and divided the money They
were very nervous. Paige never had sc
much money before When O'Brien wen
to where his mother worked he told
Paige 10 go TO Philadelphia. but he wal
80 excited he got n train for New Yorl
and then returned to Newark. He wen
to Philadelphia Saturday morning anC
went to the movies. The secret service
men identified oBrien by his crippled
hand"
o'Brien sulIenI Curses Family.
O'Brien, pacing his cell in the Free
hold Jail, grew sullen last night anC
cursed his family. He told Sheriff Gerai
that he had been kidding the prisoner
about the wilkins murder" and that HI
knew nothing OF 1t.
I'VE had word to-day that your mother
and sister were coming to see you." SAFE
the Sheriff
see any of them after what happened
he tNrta