The evening world., 1919-01-21
SCEPT|CAL POLICE
LOOK FURTHERFOR
R|DDELL SLAYER
O'Donnell'S Alibi of Money,
Wife and Time Clock
Offset His Confession.

When a plausible explanation was
brought forward to-day for the two
new $40 bills found upon Patrick
ODonnell last Friday when O'Don-
nell was picked up by the police Of
Yonkers, the prosecuting officers OF
the Borough OF Queens were almost
ready TO admit that they will have to
look further than O'Donnell for the
slayer of Mary Elizabeth Riddell.
Miss Riddell, killed within sight OF
tho cottage homo OF her parents IN
Briggs Avenue, Glen Morris. Rich
mond Hill, l. l., shortly before 2
o'clock last wednesday evening, had
received two $40 bills that afternoon
from her employer. the Globe In
demnity Corporation, at No. 10 Lib
erty Street, New York.
1t was revealed that ODonnen had
recently received $40 from his en-
ployer. the Waterman Fountain Pen
Company, but IL was said by the po-
| lice that the money oame TO him on
Saturday, Jan. II. and that prior TO
his arrest six days later he had been
| drinking. Tho inference was that by
that time there should have been a
"hole" in the twenty.
'Donnell," General Superintend-
ent William l. Ferris OF the Water
man plant in Fletcher Street, Man
haitian, tells The Evening World. ire
ceived $40 on Thursday. the day prior
to his arrest, for services ana over
time up TO and including the Satur.
day previous. Jan. H."
This statement by Supt. Ferris sub
stantiates Mrs. O'Donneu's story to
The Evening World on Saturday last
to the effect that she accompanied
her husband to the factory on Thurs
day TO draw his pay and there had
lost him.
There are four men down here"
Mr.. Ferris said. "who are ready To
oorroborate Mrs. o'Donnelrs state
ment that she came to tho plant with
her husband at last Wednesday
evening and that they remained until
. o'clock.
"one Of the men is Jacob Van Nos
trand. / cannot get the names OF the
others without another overhaullng
Of our records, and since this case
broke upon us it appears that have
been doing little else. Let 1t suffice
that we have given the names to
the police.
'O'Donnell came TO work hers not
quite six weeks ago as a cleaner. It
is perhaps unnecessary to say that we
did not know him TO be an epileptic.
After his arrest we learned that he
suffered two attacks here. There was
only a single witness 70 each. O'Don-
nell, fearful of losing his Job. pre-
vailed upon these two men 10 say
nothing.
"Soon afterward he was transferred
TO night duty and on Wednesday
night Mrs. O'Donnell came down
with him, helped him vigorously and
saw the cleaning done at o'clock.
The time clock, TO be exact, shows
that O'Donnell arrived at 5.45 and
left at s.45 o'clock.
Van Nostrand and the three other
men saw them here at work to-
gether."
Tbs O'Donnell alibi, therefore, first
put forward by Mrs. ODonnell be-
fore she had had a hint OF his terri
BILE confession at Yonkers, is sub
stantlated by Jacob Van Nostraud,
three other employees OF the Water
man Company and the time clock.
With Supt. Ferris's story that
ODonnell did not receive his $50 un-
I'll Thursday afternoon, less than
twenty-four hours before he walked
into Yonkers, there was little left Of
O'Donnell in the Riddell case to-day
except the confession OF one whose
lifetime has been a history OF ep-
llcpsy, who has spent some time un-
der restraint. and who. everybody
who has seen him since his arrest de-
clares, is mentally deficient.
There was. indeed. only the wild.
cvod confession OF O'Donnell himse'i
!