Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-16
MAY TRY "CRANK
ON MURDER CHARGE
District Attorney Will Seek In
dlctment for Death of
CoughIin Baby
MORE "CoNFEssIoNS" OUT

Augusta Pasquale vii be indicted and
tried for murder, If District Attorney
Francis X. Renninger. of Montgomery
county, is able to bring this about.
Mr.. Renninger made the statement to-
day that the murder charge would be
pressed against Pasquale, known other
wise as "The Crank the self con
fessed kidnapper and slayer of thirteen
months old Blakely Coughlin.
Yesterday II seemed to be the opinion
Of the district attorneys office it would
be poor policy to try Pasquale on a
murder charge, because 1t had not been
possible to prove the actual commission
of the crime.
The decision to prosecute for murder
was reached after a lengthy conference
today in Mr.. Renningcr's office, in
which the district attorney, his assist
ant, A. II. Hendricks, CAPTAIN Samuel
Gearhart, of the state police; George
G. Townley Larzelerc, the Coughlins'
attorney; Detective George Gibson. Of
the Philadelphia bureau, who made some
of the most important finds Of the in
vestigation, and Detective William Bel
shaw. of the Philadelphia murder
squad, took part.
| ~ have decided to prosecute this man
for murder" Mr.. Renninger said later.
81 won't give my reasons Mt this time,
but I consider that as district attorney
and the prosecutor in this case, ! must
add murder to the other charges We have
against him.
Would Set Precedent
''It will be UP to the court to pass on
the adlnssibility of evidence, and
will leave that question entirely to 1t.
A conviction can be obtained in a mur =
der case on circumstantial evidence and
we have in this matter the strongest
kind of a case, and ! intend to make q
test Of it. 1t will be mighty good
question to have thrcshed out now and
settled for good. ] recognize that 1t
will establish a precedent.
convict this, man Of kidnapping. We
also have positive proof of the extor-
ton and burglary charges"
Captain Gearhart today said that the
recent trip taken to New York by him
self, Coughlin and Larzelere had been
for the purpose of trying to locate
bank books Of Pasquale's, so that some
of the money out of which he swindled
Coughlin might be recovered
Stands by Confession"
1T was such a nice little boy" he
said one night to Haiucs. ''Hc was
q pretty child. hated to put hi min
the water. sat and held him in my
arms for hours until it became day
break, and then l had to throw him
in"
Pasquale has stuck to his last ICON
fession," in the midnight conversations
according to Haines, even though he
| yestcrday repudiatpd IL
whats the use Of trying me Oh
those other charscs?" he asked ono
hight. II wonder how long it will be
before they send me to the electric
chair?"
"I'm bad man. My life was @
failure. l want to die"
Haines says that Pasquale slcep.
, fitfully, starting up often during thu
! night groaning, as though his conscience
troubled him.
Girl to See 1.-THE Crank"
, Captain Souder. of the Philadclphi,
detective force, took l2-year: old Bessie
, Ferdman. granddaughter of Mrs. Ros,
fisherman. COS North Eighth street
! whom Pasquale says he murdered
!, twenty four hours before the kidnap
ping of the Coughlin baby, to Norris
r town to see THE Crank"
They left at noon today. The littl
, girl was unable to identify the prison
Z er's picture, and she is to be given ,
chance to see him face to face.
A Corporal Charles A. Haines, of tn
i state police, and one Of the guards VIII
q have been on duty at Pasquale's Gel
r ever since he was captured. has beel
made 1.-The Crank's" confidant man
nights between midnight and s 8. m.
Pasquale has elaborated his recent
published confession, adding to the tai
of murder two more shootings, whic
, he says may have been murders, but h
} does not know.
''I was working at an iron work
near ConshOhocken about five wear
q ago." he told Haines. Zone night tw
t other men-they were Poles wer
!. drinking with me. One of them 20
!, mad at something and came at me wit
= n bottle. I shot him. Then the otht
: interfcred and I shot him too. The
t I made my getaway. never hear
p whether they had died"
II Pasquale has contided to the corpori
during the long watches of the nigl
IT that he doesn't mind so much abo,
the woman on Eighth street, but he
n sorry for the baby"