The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-04-30
DESIRE TO KILL
OBSESSED HIM
Superbigamist and Multimur-
derer Confesses to List
of Crimes.
MARRIED OVER rs TIMES

| Los Angeles, April 30.-'(A. PA
least two OF the numerous women James
| r. HURT is alleged TO have married iT
| dered by him. two others met 'acci.
dentar' deaths. while with him. and he
| ''might have murdered more" accord
| ing to an alleged confession made public
early today by ]. Morgan Marmaduke
his attorney, and county officials. Hulr,
said he, could not remember" what
happened TO some of the women because
of his still weakened condition resulting
from two attempts to commit suicide,
the reputed confession said He lay
on a cot at the county hospital as .he
talked.
HURT has been held here several days
while officers Investigated reports Il
numerous marriages, l ~
lie married twelve or fifteen womlT
probably more HURT was quoted A&A
! saying. A desire to kill obsessed III
four years ago, HURT was allegef
have said, and women were his esf &
cial victims, there being no direct mo-
tive for their deaths, and no desire to
kill men, children or animals. Nina
Lee Deoney, killed with hammer at
Long Beach, Cal, and Elizabeth Pryor,
whose head was crushed with q sledge
hammer near Pun, Washington, were
the wives" whose murders the officers
said HURT confessed.
His partial confession" said the off,
GERS, related to the deaths of Bertha
Goodnicn and Alice Ludvigson. Miss
Goodnich was tipped out of boat In
Lake Washington, near Seattle, and
Miss Ludvigson was drowned In a river
N y l q
A party Immediately left for the place
near San Diego where HURT said he
buried Miss Deloney's body
Over Twenty-Five Marriages.
More than twenty-five marriages have
been attributed by the officers 70 HURT.
Seven women are listed as missing.
They include besides the four named In
the alleged confession, Mrs. Gertrude
Wilson, Seattle; Beatrice NJ Andrews,
Of Canada and England, and Agnes VIII
according to the alleged confession, was
Miss Ludvigson. HURT was quoted as
saying he was in boat with her. fhsh-
ing in a river In Idaho. His, memory
was weak as TO the exact time and To-
against logs which We're iashed to the
bank of the river, and he and Miss Lud-
vigson tried with their arms TO free the
raft. When he broke away, he said. the
woman lost her balance and fell into the
river and was drowned.
He said Miss Goodnich died when she
fell from launch into Lake Washing
ton, while trying TO go from the stern
to the center. Later on, the officers
said. HURT referred 10 this death as
In the Pryor case, the officers said. he
asserted, the woman attacked him with
a. hatpin and he showed her SO Violently
'tlfet she ten and struck her head against
He believed she was dead. he was said
to have declared, but to make certain,
struck her with a hammer,
Miss Deloney. he was quoted as say,
ing, he killed at a camp near signal
Hill, at the edge Of Long Beach, Jan.
26 last. after they had quarreled about
letters he had received from other
women.
Doesn't Know His Own Name.
The officers, said HURT told them he
did not know his right name. but ad-
mitted having many aliases. He said
he knew pothng OF his parents; a,,hs put sha dla
south. He said he had little education.
He admitted according to the officers,
that he had no direct motive In killing
his victims. some OF the slayings foi-
lowing violent quarrels. He said. they
declared. he had killed some women, who
had no money" Something told me
to do it," he was quoted.
He told them he obtained a certain
In the very act OF murder.
the officers said, and experienced q sense
Of relief that the woman In each case
was dead.
Attorney Marmaduke. representing
HURT, stated that the alleged confess
sion had been given to the district at
torney in the best interests OF his cli-
ent."
HURT was arrested Dec. 10 at his
Hollywood. At that time. ac-
cording to the police. he was preparing
to take HIS latest wife on trip into
the mountains. He was taken into
custody far investigation in connection
with the operations OF gang OF con-
Wife Had $4,000.
Nina Lee Deloney. whose home was
at Eureka, Mont, married HURT. the
officers said. under the name OF Charles
N. Harvty at San Francisco Dec. 8.
1919 She was last seen at hotel
at Santa Monica. Jan. &c, 1920. She
had property valued at, $4,000. Some
of 1t was found In Hurts possession.
the officers declared,
ried HURT, they said. under the name
of HI. Gordon June II. 1919. at North
Yakima, Wash. Her body was found
near Plum Station. short time after
ward. Trunks belonging TO her were
located in a Vancouver warehouse.
Alice NJ. Ludvigson. whose home was
in Seattle. married the man under the |
name OF Andrew Hilton. the officer said. |
Oct. 6. 1917. al FoFrt Townsend. Wash. |
Property OF hers. various papers. her |
will and si1eir marriage license. they |
declared. were found in Hurts pos
One Was a Waitress.
Elizabeth Pryor was a waitress. OF
Ida, and Spokane. Wash: she |
under the name OF Milton Lewis at
Couer dAlene. Ida. March 25, 1913. Her |
picture and some tax receipts In her |
nam were among Hurts effects when |
he was arrested, they added.
Woman Identified.
Louisville. Ky. April 30.-Nna Lee |
Deloney has been Identified by relatives |
in this vicinity Relatives say no word |
has been received by her since January |
IS. when a postcard dated at Tia Juana, |
Mexico, and bearing her name, was re-
ceived by her sister. Mrs. Alice Noyes, |
Of Floyd Knobs, Ind. village near
II recited that I'VE are 60
ing to South America, Don't expect TO /
hear from me for<three months Mrs.
Noyes, according to Louisville police |
reports. said the handwriting was not |
That of her sister.
Mrs. Deloney left Kentucky six years /
ago with her husband for Gateway, |
Mont. Later the couple separated. Mrs.
Deloneg went to Alaska and from there
10 California. Letters from her an
her marriage on Dec 5. 1918. |
10 Charles n Harvey
Love Den" Hid Them.
Four OF the women whom Blue
beard" married and took TO his love
len in southern California never were
heard Of again. In Tacoma, Wash, he
vas identified as a man who fed from
he Olympia woods. near that city. just
before the body Of n woman was dis
,overed in a shallow grave OF the edge
II the woods
The trail of Harvey wns nrrt plckod