Arizona republican., 1920-08-11
OfEtERS SURE. WEIRD KILLED. ERHARDT COUPLE
Sheriff Satisfied Gibson Is Slayer - Told Officials Detailed Story of Crime Here Last June

ssThere is no doubt in my mind that Nose Gibson is the man who murdered MT. and Mrs. Jacob Erhardt," said Sheriff Montgomery last night after his arrival from San Francisco. where he and l.. M- Laney, county attorney, in terviewed the condemned negro last Saturday afternoon. .The negro talked freely of the crime the sheriff said without any leading questions being asked, and appeaerd to be familiar with the grounds and the house.
 The sheriff said that one thing above all others made him certain that the negro committed the crime which shocked the entire community early last June. The negro, MT. MontgoIn- cry said, told of mistaking a jar of jam for some liquor, and after opening it he said he threw it on the floor. He told the sheriff it was fig jam. The jar of jam was found on the floor with the top broken off the morning the crime was discovered, and stains of the jam were found throughout the house, the sheriff said last night. This puzzled the officers 9 great deal, and only man who committed the crime or was present could sell how the jam got on the floor.
 According to MT. Montgomery, he and Mr. Laney arrived at the prison at San Quentin, where Gibson is kept in the condemned cell, about o'clock Saturday afternoon and asked to see the negro Sheriff Jackson, to whom Gibson made his first confession. had intended to be present, but could not leave Santa Ana, and the Maricopa officials went on without him. Gibson. who has been sentenced to hang on Sept. 24 for the murder of Roy Trapp, a Fullerton, CaI- rancher, was brought to the office of the captain Of the guards, where the interview took place
 Negro Talked Freely
 Altar r1rpspuffug rfheor tvft17 a ra nIy . age of cigarettes, which apparently loosened his tongue, the sheriff said, he and MT. Ianey asked the negro about the crime here. Following the interview the prison officials said that the negro had talked more in the hour and half to the Maricopa county cf- ficials than he had during the entire time he has been in the prison.
 Gibson told the officers taht he had been released from the Tucson jail after serving term for bootlegsing about June l. He said he went from there to Nogales and then started back to Phoenix. He got as far as Tempe. he said, and then walked from Tempe to Phoenix on Saturday, the day before the crime was committed. He told of walking along the paved road and said that near Phoenix he entered the yard of house on the left side of the road and found a miners jack hammer, which he picked up and put in his pocket He said he arrived in Phoenix early Sunday morning and went along the Santa Fe tracks toward the west side of town. He said he hid the nam mer along the tracks.
 Out near the Erhardt home, Gibson said. he left the tracks and noticed the Erhardt home. He said he saw the old man in the yard as he passed the place. He said he then went to the bank of the canal near the house and sat there ofaF7 7Sr7rr 11n .11 Il negro insisted that he was alone, the sheriff said, and told the story without any apparent trace of remorse or emo tion. He appeared very cold blooded. the sheriff said. and spoke of the canal as a big ditch of water.
 Intended to Rob House
 About o'clock on Sunday night, the negro said, he got the hammer from its hiding place and took a street car go- ing west and rode out to near the place. After loafing around for a while, he said. he entered the Err hardt home by the front gate, intending to rob the house. He said he obtained file in the tool house back of the house, and with the point of this file he punched a hole in the window screen on one side of the hook.
 This. he said, failed to release the hook and he punched another hole on the other side of the hook and opened the screen, removing it from the hinges. He said he started to enter the window but bumped his head on some pan that was hanging on the window ledge and knocked it own. After this noise, he said, he retreated and waited a while for the people to go to sleep
 After bit, he said, he entered the kitchen through the window and went into the screen room where the couple were sleeping. The negro said he all most ran over the bed and MT. Erhardt sat up. Gibson said he struc;< with his hammer the man was reaching for something and he fell back onto the bed. He then struc< him several more blows. Mrs. Erhard-, he said.