The Washington times., 1920-07-25
AYSHE KNEW
|. TRUNK VICTIM
"AIIan A. Tatum" Tells Police
He Saw Her in Detroit
June 4.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala, July 25.-
Police here today are investigating
the story of a man claiming to be
Allan A. Tatum, a name connected
with the mysterious death of a De-
troit woman whose nude and mutt
lated body was discovered in a trunk
in New York express office.
New York and Detroit police Off
cials are expected here tomorrow to
assist in the investigation.
Meanwhile, the man claiming to
be Tatum is being held by police.
GOES TO POLICE.
Tatum, a Birmingham linotype op-
orator. went to detectives yesterday
afternoon and declared he believed
the slain woman was Katherine jack
son, a StarksvilIe tMiss.) girl whom
he met in Birmingham. Tatum went
to the police after he learned that
his name had been found in the trunk
containing the body and told the
story Of his friendship with the girl.
Tatum told the police that the last
time he saw Katherine Jackson was
in Detroit June A or 8. He stated that
on that date he met her in park
and saw her board a street car TOT
her home.
He denied any completely with the
murder in Detroit, but declared his
belief that Katherine Jackson was
slain by jealous man. He says the
woman told him she was married to
a man whom he knew by the name
of Leroy.
CALLS 1T "FRAME-UP."
Tatum believes that in mt or
Jealous rage the man slew the wom-
an and that, having obtained posses
sion OF some of Tatum's letters
placed his name in the trunk in an
effort to throw suspicion upon hlm.
Tatum says that he was introduced
to Katherine Jackson in Birmingham
in June, 1919, but that two months
later she left for Nashville. where she
went by her own name, ana unoer
the name of Katherine Dixon. he
states that he corresponded with her
in Nashville, and also after she went
to Detroit, two months later. She
wrote to him from Detroit, he says,
asking him to send her money. He
states that he sent the money to her,
but did not hear from her again until
to Detroit
GOES TO DETROIT.
Tatum went TO the Michigan city
in May. he says, and not knowing
her address, wrote to her at General
Delivery. Later. he states, she called
at the Park Hotel. where he was
staying. He declares that she did
all the telephoning and making Of
q nnnt Mt rf,a fc hn in Datrptt
He says he did not think any moro
Of not seeing her from June until
he left Detroit, two weeks later, be-
cause upon other occasions she had
failed to call him for periods Of as
long as a week.
The name Tatum came into the
case through the receipt of a letter
by New York expressman signed
with this name. The letter mailed
at Detroit, asked the expressman to
call at a New York express office to
take charge of a trunk and hold II
until further notice. The trunk Is
believed to be the same in which the
body of the dead woman was dis
covered.
DETROIT, Mich. July 25.-With
the arrival from New York OF the
death trunk" and the clothing
found wrapped around the nude and
hacked body of n young woman, the
Detroit homicide squad has begun an
exhaustive search to identify the
clothing and the woman in the trunk
murder mystery.
Mrs. Lottie Brooks, landlady of the
apartment at 105 Harper avenue, the
address given by A. A. Tiegun" or
"A. A. Tatum," the shipper, and the
address OF the man and woman CIV
ing the name of "Mr. and Mrs. II.
Leroy" whb disappeared under such
strange circumstances about the time
the trunk was shipped, failed 20
Continued on Page ., Column g.