The New York herald., 1921-04-12
POSER AS ELWELL
SLAYER SET FREE
Roy Harris. Eager to Get
Into Jail. Makes il
Hurried Exit.
WIFE is WITH HIM
Signs Affidavit Declaring
His Confession to Be
Utterly False.
BUFFALO COPS HOSTILE
Visions of $4,000 Reward,
Never Offered. Are Gone
Whitman Returns Here.

Special Despatch 10 THE NEW YORK HERALD.
BUFFALO. April 1.-THE shabby
tousled Young man who hurried out
of the Erie county Jail to-day so fast
that lie forgot his overcoat was Roy
Harris. free and looking for a JOB. A
dime novel hero during the days he
posed as one OF the Elwell murderers.
the last seen of him this afternoon he
was lugging two suit cases UP Della
ware avenue past the City Hail. His
wife's green hat bobbed beside him.
Half an hour earlier ne had been re-
leased by Justice Wesley c. Dudley, in
the Supreme Court. The only formal
ity was the signing By Harris of an
affidavit that he had lied about the
Elwell murder and had made his re-
traction voluntarily.
"The best thing you can do. Harris.
Is to go 10 work and obey the law"
the Justice said. You have committed
a serious offence. but there appears
TO be nothing in the law by which you
can be punished. My advice to you.
though, is to take a right about face
and get started on the right track
Sheriff Waldo extended the hospital
ity Of the Jail for luncheon TO Harris
and his wife. the latter having been
held as a material witness and released
simultaneously with her husband. Last
Wednesday Harris was eager to get into
Jail and enjoy the sensations Of a muir
der and, as he says, begin his atone
ment for sorry life. After fancy's
bubble burst he was just as anxious TO
get out OF il.
Makes shabby Looking Exit.
His worldly capital was SIS. Remem-
bering on the Jail steps his overcoat left
behind. he raced inside and got II. All
his dapperness was gone. He was un-
bathed. unshaven and crumpled. But his
fake confession had netted him five
days free board in a police prison and
! for most of that time the excited atten-
ton of the public. Several days ago his
wife, from whom he had been separated
until the day before his arrest. said they
would probably remain so If he was re-
leased. But they marched down the tail
steps amicably enough and his assump
ton Of the burden OF both suitcases in
dicated at least temporary union
Buffalo detectives surveyed them
sourly. With the exposure OF Harris
their vision of $4,000 reward for the
arrest of the murderer of Joseph p Ell
well was dissipated. The detectives here
have been buying bungalows with that
reward As a matter of fact. none was
ever offered, according TO ex-Gov Whit
man.
The police talked Of rearresting The de-
ceitrul youth as a vagrant and having
him expunge his debt to them by thirty
days on the rock pile. They found that
not TO be feasible. A Buffalo newspaper
is thinking of having him nabbed on a
charge of giving false information to the
press. But it's good guess that he is as
far away from the city as his IS would
get him.
whitman Leaves Buffalo.
Mr.. Whitman, Capt. Carey and De-
tective Oswald left for New York at
p. NJ. after witnessing the informal
arraignment OF Baron Munchausen's
kinsman. Mr. Whitman said:
The man Is just cneap mar. am
not satisfied that he is normal mentally.
At least. he is of low order of mem
tality, although he is able to realize the
quality and character OF his act and
knows he did wrong in telling such
story. He has been crimnally inclined
since early boyhood | think he rather
enjoyed posing as a desperate criminal
/ am satisfied he knows nothing about
the Elwell murder"
Mr.. Whitman said that the murder
case is left by the recantation of Harris
just about where II was in the beginning.
No clues OF Importance have developed
since he reopened the investigation. Mr..
Whitman. who spent two hours with
Harris last night. talked to him again
to-day but merely to find out about the
contemplated holdup OF subway pay
master which figured in the murder con-
fession Harris and his wife agreed that
two men Harris had known as elevator
runners had tried TO get him TO help in
the subway robbery in New York. but
that Harris had refused