The Washington times., 1921-02-03
BROWN DENIES
S[AY|NGNURSE
Negro Held for Annapolis
Tragedy Says He Confess
ed" Under Torture.

Regulating the confession he 10
alleged TO have made that he killed
Miss Harriet M. Kavanaugh, pretty
Naval Academy hospital nurse.
Henry A. Brown, negro mess attend
ant Of the training ship Cumber.
land, lying at Annapolis, told United
States Commissioner j. Frank Sup
plee, at Baltimore, yesterday that
the admission Of guilt was wrung
from him after six men had tied a
-ope around his neck, threatening
o hang him, and others jabbed his
ribs with bayonet.
WAS DETAILED FACTS
Little credence was placed In
Browns retraction by the Federal
authorities. and he was committed
20 jail without bail for the action OF
the Federal grand jury. II is ex-
pected he will speedily be brought 70
trial.
In his statemtnt to Commissioners
SuppIee, Brown, who was not repre-
sented by a lawyer. declared further
that he had ben tied by the
wrists and beaten across the oack
before he indicated a willingness TO
the slayer Of Miss Kavanaugh, He
said he had been told to say where
he found the iron pipe used In XIII
ing Miss Kavanaugh and where ne
threw her pocketbook.
Brown then described to the United
States commissioner the visit or De-
tectiye Sergts. Peter d. Bradley and
Harry NJ. Hammersla who, he said
threatened to beat him with olack-
lack, and said that one OF the de-
tectives told him that IL he did not
confess he would be turned over 10
the ships crew the next day and.
swung from the wardarm unless he
admitted his guilt. By making con
fession" he said the detectives told
him he might "save his neck"
OUTLINED CONFESSION.
while in the cell on the Cumber-
land" Brown told Commissioner sup
plee, "a negro sailor named Green
was put in the brig with him. Green
threatened me with hanging II ala
not own up to the murder. Green out
lined what / should say and went over
the particulars of the finding OK the
body and other evidence so that 1
would be familiar with the situation
when 1 was taken before the naval
court of inquiry"
While Detectives Bradley and Ham
mersla denied they had subjected
Brown to the third degree, they ao-
mitted playing on his sympatnies
and obtained the confession from tn.
negro through mild and persuasive
methods. On the other hand, agents
of the Department of Justice, when
learning that Brown had confessed
to Detectives Bradley and Hammersia
admitted that the negro hao peoh
roughly treated in the cell in the brig
of the Cumberland. One or the
agents volunteered the information
to newspaper men that when Brad
ley and Hammersla took hold OF
Brown, he was on the verge OF
breakdown" This same agent admit
ted further that Brown had been III
treated by three negro members or
the shore police of the Cumberland.
With Browns repudiation or his
confession, A. c. Jenkins, head OF the
Baltimore office of the Department
of Justice, ordered another angle OF
the Staying Of Miss Kavanaugh to>be
investigated at Annapolis by Howard
Boteler, a Federal investigator, and
one of the agents who probed the
killing of the nurse three days before
Bradley and Hammersla obtained the
| confession now retracted by Brown.
other man who was under suspicion
of the Federal agents, and who was
under surveillance at the time Brown
was confessing to the Baltimore po-
| lice.
DENIES ROUGH TACTICS.
I'VE did not use any rough tactics
on Brown" declared Detective Brad
ley. at is said he had been ill-treated,
but neither 1 nor Detective Hammer
sla witnessed any of 1t. Brown was
questioned by us. We found he lied.
| He became involved in conflicting
statements as to his movements on
| the night Miss Kavanaugh was killed.
| and finally we told him he had better
tell the truth-that his story did not
ring true.
Brown then broke down and con-
fessed. He led us to the place where
he claimed to have picked up the
piece OF iron pipe used in the killing
of the nurse. The ground where he
pointed he found the pipe showed IL
had recently been disturbed. He also
led us to the tree where he lay I'm
wait and attacked Miss Kavanaugh
| and later showed us where he threw
the nur ses's rocketbook and how he
escaped from the Naval Academy res
ervalcn.
I'VE did not lead him. No, he took
us to the various places where the
parts of the tragedy were enacted
His confession, l believe, Is true and
his population OF IL was to be
expected because the negro realizes
that his life is at stake and the
moose is settling around his neck"