The Sun and the New York herald., 1920-07-27
HUSBAND is SOUGHT
in MURDER MYSTERY
with Identity Of Slain Woman
IN Trunk Fixed, Police
Make Rapid Progress.
CHICAGO SUSPECT FREED
Wife of Detroit PatrOlman
Says Dagger Threat Was
Made by Missing Man.

l Ano bloIJ VI u1bBVi N"'S"N '''N
sKzin1. Mrs Eugene lie Roy. whose body
was discovered in n truRk In an uptown
warehouse. a tale OF a speedy eo"VtShip
marked with Jealous auarrels that pre-
eeded the womRn's death, the disappear
ance Of her husband and the Issuance OF
a request for express companies through
out the country to examine carefully all
trunks that have been In their posses
slon for upward OF thirty days marked
the progress yesterday of the inquiry
into New York latest murder mystery
The information regarding the dagger
incident was furnished to the police OF
Detroit. in which city Mrs. lie Roy was
murdered, by Mrs. Leo Trumbull, wife
Of a Detroit policeman, who was well
acquainted with the slain woman, and
who has helped In establishing identlfi-
cation OF the body. She said that fol-
lowing an alteration with her husband.
which arose over his attentions toward
another woman. Mrs. lie Roy had tried
10 commit suicide by locking herself In a
closet and inhaling chloroform.
After the failure OF this attempt. she
said, Mrs. lie Roy decided 10 leave her
husband. and she wrote TO Allan A.
Tatum, the man who has voluntarily
presented himself to the police Of Bir-
mingham, Ala, and who had been a
friend for a long time. According 10
Mrs. Trumbul. the lie Roy woman asked
Tatum in this letter to come and take
hsr away from her husband.
Afraid of Her Husband.
Mrs. Trumbull said that Tatum ap-
peared In response to this cOmmunica-
tlon and that he took both Mrs. lie Roy
and herself to the theatre the first ave-
ming Of his stay. Mrs. Trumbull said
she noticed lie Roy in the back OF the
theatre and told his wife.
''The next day Mrs, lie Roy came to
my house and told me that her husband
was in a frightful temper" Mrs. Trum-
bull said. "She told me she had seen
him take a dagger out Of his pocket and
said, II would leave him tomorrow,
only I'm afraid he would kill me-
Mrs. Trumbull said Mrs. lie Roy ac-
tiially packed up TO leave her husband,
but delayed in fear. She said that the
acquaintance Of the couple that had
such tragic termination began in the
writing room Of hotel last fall. The
victim Of the murder was then trying to
write letter with pen that scratched.
when lie Roy, a stranger to her, offered
her his pen.
A remarkable bit of information re-
eeived by the Detroit police came from
Jack Arnold, former hotel clerk Of the
Interurban Hotel, who said he Is the
owner Of the blue sack suit that was
found In the trunk with the woman's
body. He said he had occupied room
with lie Roy for two weeks and that
when they parted this suit and some
other clothes disappeared
Arnold stated that at the time OF
this occurrence he. with two detectives.
ha1 searched for lie Roy at a railroad
depot where he expected to find him.
He had Intended at the time to cause
his arrest for stealing his clothes
Information CLEANED by the Detroit
police brings the description OF this par
ticular lie Roy even closer than before
70 the man whom Andrew ]. Branlc, a
private expressman OF this city, knew
as A. ]. or o. J. Fernandez. as o. J..
Woods and later as L. lie Roy.
Positively Identifies Sweater.
Patrolman Trumbull stated that the
Le Roy who was married TO the slain
woman, and who dropped from view
Immediately after the murder, told him
he had been arrested in New York on n
granddaughter charge at one time. which
tallies with the statement of Branlc that
the man known TO him had been arrested
~ Coney Island for running down and
killing a man with his automobile and
had been In Jail for more than a month.
Trumbull also stated that the lie Roy
ne knew was motor mechanic which
was the occupation OF the LIE Roy who
was known to Trumbull.
Iu establishing the identification of
the slain woman as the Mrs. lie Roy
fhat she had known. Mrs. Trumbull said
that she was particularly well ac-
qtiainted with the sweater coat that was
found In the trunk with the body. She
had borrowed 1t on various occasions
from Mrs. lie Roy.
Roy Mlllen, the young man who was
arrested Sunday in Chicago night on
suspicion that he might be lie P"y, vas
released yesterday. Trumbull, who had
gone to Chicago to look at him, saw him
In lineup" in the Chicago police head
quarters and stated positively that he
was not the man wanted in the case.
In describing lie Roy, Patrolman
TFumbull said he was an "oily haired
type"
Police Commissioner James w. Inches
0t Detroit issued the appeal for a gem
eral search by express companies. He
expresses the opinion that the parts OF
the woman's body not found in the
trunk here probably were shipped In an
other trunk that may be lying in stor-
age somewhere.
1T was said that Mrs. lie Roy had gone
70 Detroit from Birmingham last Sep
tember with a girl friend She said at
the time that she wanted to get away
from an unhappy past.
rThere Is still doubt as 20 the town
from which the victim originally came
At Starkville, Miss, which was said 10
be her birthplace, the chief Of police ex-
pressed the belief that she was formerly
Mlss Kate Lou Jackson of Sturgis, Miss.
Al Birmingham, Tatur said the
woman who was murdered had formerly
been married to boxer who was known
N mississippi as kid Mccoy Johnson"
She had lived with him only a short
period. Tatum has given to the police a
parcel OF letters that the girl wrote to
him. In which she addressed him as
Daddy"
Robert T. Speed, Assistant County
Prosecutor Of Detroit. arrived here
yesterday with Edward Mite, lieutenant
OF detectives. They talked with Cant.
Arthur Carey Of the police homicide
squad. Mr.. Speed will question Andrew
branic, the expressman, whose story
about Fernandez, lie Roy and Woods
gave the tip that helped the authorities
toward an Identification Of the missing
man In the case.
It. j. n. Brown Acquitted.
ThandOra I g..