Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-04-22
GIRLS SLAYER
UNDER GUARD
IN COUNTY JAIL
Negro Degenerate Confesses
He Stabbed Martha HUFF
When She Screamed.
GIVES DETAILS OF CRIME

| William Ray, youthful negro per-
vert, killed Martha Huff. innocent IA
year-old west side girl, and threw her
body into Big Eagle creek. because
she screamed when he attacked her.
Ray made this admission, the de-
Electives say, early today after he had
been subjected to vigorous grilling.
The negro was positively identified
by Nora Smock. 11-year-old stepsis-
ter of the slain girl, soon after he
was arrested close to midnight last
might.
A pocket knife spattered with dried
blotches of blood, taken from Rays
clothing, mutely testified to the hendish
fattack.
Confronted with these discriminating
facts the negro slowly unfolded the de-
tails of the crime which has horrihed
! Indianapolis
In his original statement Ray denied
he mistreated the HUFF girl before he
killed her, but in an appendixed confess
sion ne admitted he was assaulting her
a second time when he stabbed her to
death.
! MOST OF the clothing uau becA buLh
from her body in the first assault, he
said. and her cries were becoming go
alarming when he made the second effort
that he repeatedly plunged the knife
into her throat
He said he threw the fragments Of her
clothing into the creek.
Ray was Iodgea in closely guarded
solitary cell after being bound over to
the grand Jury in city court before noon.
He discoursed freely about the crime
with interviewers.
The girls body was taken from Big
Eagle creek late Tuesday.
The clothing, with the exception Of
shoes and stockings. had been ripped
from her slender form.
There were thirteen stab wounds in
the left side Of the neck.
TELLS OF MEETING
AT RIVER BRIDGE.
Ray. the detectives say, told how he
had met Martha HuT and Nora Smock
at the east end Of the West Michigan
street bridge over White river.
In detail he related how be had en-
ticed the Hun child with the promise OF
clothes from charitable woman.
This was Monday afternoon at
o'clock
He told how they had walked west on
. MAtlAEdu HLIert 70 4AHN1 1FNANN hs'A
then to the Danville interurban bridge
across Big Eagle creek.
The child followed him IN her march
10 death up the creek.
Z He said Martha and bimseH sat down
after going a distance up stream and ate
apples and oranges he had bought
Then he claims. according 70 the de-
tectives, be put his arms around the girl.
she screamed" be said.
1T alarmed me, and when abe eontln-
ued 10 cry a | stayed with her | stabbed
her.
L had my knife out peelIng the fruit"
GIRL DEAD WHEN
THROWN INTO STREAM.
Deputy Coroner George r. Christian,
who conducted an autopsy on the body
a short time after IL was found tossing
about at the edge Of the stream at 3
o'clock Tuesday afternoon, twenty-four
hours after the murder, said life was ex-
tinct when the child was thrown into the
water.
Two Of the knife wounds penetrated the
jugular vein, and the girl bled TO death.
Ray who saws he is 70 venrs old. and
, married. was taken into custody by three
negro Detectives Edward Ira
hue and George Sneed and Patrolman
, c n. Carter.
They had worked tirelessly with other
members Of the department in RAINING
! down clews
. It was on the information Of Pauline
Jackson, H. and Elsie Jackson. u, both
colored of 1886 West Walnut street. that
the detectives obtained their first i'm
p0rtant lead"
Pauline Jackson told them that a ne
gro answering the description of the
man who killed the HUFF girl had de-
signed TO assault her.
Tye is supposed to have trie / 20 cntice
her into a vacant house.
When SIZE failed to follow out his in
structions to go into the house be gave
her a telephone number and asked her TO
call him
This number was for the telephone In a
= negro rooming house at 1921 Columbia
avenue.
Detectives Traube and sneed and Pa
trolman Carter went to the address.
Ray was not there.
They waited.
Shortly before IL o'clock he entered
the house, whistling.
The officers rushed In and told him he
was under arrest.
Ray did not resist.
Mrs Ray was taken to headquarters
with him and detained on vagrancy
charge.
Satisfied he was the man, the de-
tectives Immediately sent an automobile
to get Nora Smock to identify him.
Yes. he's the man." she said, trem-
bling.
Ray maintained his innocence for an
! hour or more.
His movements, as he gave them, cor
responded identically with the informa-
, tion Of those who had seen him leading
the girl away.
t The detectives are satisfied Ray had
e girls away from their homes and attack
3 them.
Descriptions given by them tally with
: those of the negro.
These children also identified him
Ray said he came to Indianapolis about
three weeks ago from Chicago.
This the detectives questioned, as they
had evidence which associated him with
attempted assaults as long as six weeks
ago.
! TELLS OF LEAVING
WORK MONDAY NOON.
= Later he admitted he had lived here
all his life.
Walters jackets found In his room
show be once worked in Louisville.
Ray says he has been working at the
National Malleable Casting Company
plant, Michigan AMI Holmes avenue.
He left his work at noon Monday, he
said, because his wife had phoned him
, she was I'll and wanted him to come
home.
white man accompanied him for a
short distance, he told the detectives, as
he walked toward the downtown district