New-York tribune., 1921-06-14
Piano Ragtinle
Used as Aid i'm
Kaber Murder
Stepdaughter Accused of
Furnishing Music to Dead
EN- Scuffling of Assassins
as They Rehearsed Crime
First Atte M pit Failed
Story Midwife Is Declared to
Have Told Causes Her In
dictment ON Two Counts
Special Dispatch to The Tribune

Special Dispatch to The Tribune
CLEVELAND, June 1S.-First degree
murder was charged on two counts in
an indictment returned to-day at the
direction of County Prosecutor E. c.
Stanton by the grand jury against Mrs.
Ermina Colavito, midwife, who, it is
said, confessed that she had procured
for Mrs. Eva Katherine Kaber two as
sassns who stabbed Daniel F. Kaber to
death.
One count is based on the poisoning
Of Kaber and the second has to do with
his actual murder. Mrs. Colavito is ac-
cused of knowing every preparatory
step taken and of aiding in the ar
rangements for killing Kaber.
According to detectives who ques-
toned Mrs. Colavito early to-day, the
woman said:
at was on Wednesday before the
murder that we went to the Kaber
home to learn the arrangement of the
rooms, find where Kaber slept and
other matters necessary to the work in
hand. Two men, Sam and Tony, who
were to do the actual work, were
with me.
Ragtime Played
"When we reached the home that
evening we were taken through the
halls and rooms. SO a. to deaden the
noise that we made tramping through
halls and rooms, Marian McArdle kept
playing ragtime on the piano. The
two men were told just what to do
how to enter the rooms and how to get
out. They were shown the door to
Kaber's room. 1t was. arranged that
q fp n I've
Brickel was to be on the porch at 10
o'clock that night as a signal that all
was we'll
THE killing was to be the next night
Thursday, that was. On Friday morn
ing | had a call from the two men.
They said they had been out to the
kaber House the night before, but that
the back door was locked and there
was no woman on the porch as had been
arranged. ! called the Kaber house
on the telephone and Marian McArdle
answered. She said she could not dis
cuss the matter over the telephone, but
asked me to meet her with the two men
that afternoon, Friday, We met that
afternoon, Marian, Tony, Sam and I,
on a street corner in the East End, as
she had ordered. We had Some talk
and then Marian said: Come out to-
night-youll find everything ready
Then we discussed new plans. 1t
was decided that the men were to hide
and that Marian was to make the
rounds upstairs. When everything was
an upstairs window, so that it would
strike the ground near the basement
window.
Harmless Mixture Offered
"That's all I heard, because I left
them about that time. The next morn
ing | read of the murder in the news
papers.
when Mrs. Kaber came to me the
III st time and wanted something for
her husbands nasty habits, l gave her
q bottle containing mixture of pop
and OIL 1t wouldn't kill anybody I
and l just gave her that other stuff to
be rid Of her"
After Mrs. Colavito's story had been
obtained Chief of Police Frank v.
Smith decided to bring all the women
together. The four women were con-
fronted with Mrs. Ethel Burman, who
continued an acquaintance with Mrs.
kaber after the murder and who volun-
teered to act as private detective. 1t
was largely on her evidence that Mrs,
kaber was indicted
Duiiiig tHe Sfllllng, which lasted four
or i've hours, Mrs. Colavito amplifed
her statements to some extent in Mrs.
haber's presence. She said four men
had been employed in the murder, two
who actually murdred Kaber and two
who were hired as lookouts.
Mrs. Colavito said that $500 had been
given her to be paid the assassins for
their work, this being a partial pay
ment., The. money was given her, she
sald, by fortune teller, who is being
held by, the police as a go-between.
Mrs. Colavito said the money was rot
paid until she telephoned Mrs. Kaber
that the men had threatened her.
The latest discovery in connection
with the case is that the two alleged
assassins of Kaber attempted to collect
the reward of $4,000 offered for their
own arrest when those alleged to have
hired them to kill Kaber failed to pay
them the $4,000 said to have been
promised.