New-York tribune., 1920-05-01
Los Angeles Police Say
Prisoner Admits Seeing
Two Others Meet Their
Deaths Accidentally
Attempts to End
Own Life Twice
Authorities Unable to
Find Body at Place
Alleged Slayer Named

LOS Angeles, April 3O.-A con-
fession which pictured a modern blue
beard who, according to the authorities
said he had married "about fifteen
women, perhaps more" murdered at
least two of them and had been pres
ent at the "accidental death of two
| others, is alleged to have been made to
the police to-day by man held here
| since his arrest last December 10. in
connection with the operation of q
gang OF confidence men. The police be
lieve he has married more than twenty
five women.
The name the prisoner gave when
arrested was James R. HURT. The
name under which charge of murder
VIII be brought against him, it was
SAID at the District Attorneys Office, is
walter Andrew Watson He is alleged
to have gone by many aliases. The
name of Watson was selected 70 hoo,
lhe murder charge. the police said. be-
cause the defendant told them he did
not Know his true name, but was most
frequently known as Watson, particu-
larly IN Los Angeles County. and be.
cause his marriage to Nina Lee De-
loney' to whose murder he is alleged
TO nave confessed, was solemni2ed
under the name of Watson.
Inc murder charge, which will be
pressed instead of one of bigamy, it
was was sa1d, VIII be based on the Deloncy
Sase. c watson IS alleged to have con-
1essed that after killing her with a
hammer at Signal Hill, near Lon"
Beach, Calf, after a quarrel over 10 e
ters he received from other women. he
carried her body, wrapped in blankets,
IN ms automobile to the Imperial
Mountains, where he concealed it.
Fail to Discover Body
Officers checking up Watson's alleged
CONCESSION co ,3S nave failed to find the body
OF Miss Deloney at the spot in San
Diego County indicated by Watson.
1t is expected that Watson will be
indicted Monday. At present he is
under strong guard in the prison ward
OF the county hospital to prevent his
committing suicide. He has made two
attempts to kill himself and now is in
weakened condition.
Watson, in his statement, said he
believed he was a native of Tennessee
that he was raised in an orphan asy-
iulh ulltll ABOUT ten years old, then he
lived with family named Harper and
remained with them until he moved to
Plttsburg, Kan, about five years later.
While employed in blacksmith shop
an anvil fell on his head, he said
knocking him unconscious. He went to
work on nearby farm and two years
later began to drift over the country
The statement relates that Watson
was first married in Canada during the
war. He told the officers he had been
married SO often since he could not
remember names, places nor dates.
Watson's alleged confession was
made public by j. Morgan Marmaduke,
his attorney, and county officials.
No Motive for Murders
Watson said he could not remember
what happened to some of the women.
A desire to kill obsessed him four years
ago, he was alleged to have said, and
women were his especial victims, there
beng no direct motive for their deaths,
and no desire to kill men, children or
animals.
Elizabeth Pryor, whose head was
crushed with sledge hammer, near
Plum, Wash, was the other wife
whose murder the officers said Watson
confessed.
The confession. said the officers, re-
lated to the deaths of Bertha Good
nick and Alice Ludvigson, Miss Good
nick was tipped out of a boat in Lake
Washington, near Seattle, and Miss
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