New-York tribune., 1921-04-08
Saw Mrs. Fairchild's' Pic.
ture in Paper After MUIR
der, Declares Harris i'm
Detailed Crime Story
''SWOre to Get Man
Who Wronged Her.
Offered to Give All She
Had for Revenge, Youth
Asserts in Buffalo Jail
From a Sta # Correspondent

From, a staff Correspondent
BUFFALO, April Roy Harris,
the confessed accomplice of the mur-
derer of Joseph Bovine Elwell, the
New York sportsman and whist
king, last June, told a reporter for
The Tribune here to-day that he
knew the identity of the Mrs. Fair
child who employed him and his pa
to kill the turfman.
He refused to make public her
name at this time, because, he said.
there was just the smallest posi-
bility that he may be wrong. He
said he recognized her picture in
New York newspaper about a week
or ten days after the. murder. 1t
was printed on an inside page, he
added. He declared that the general
features in every way coincided with
those of the woman who had agreed
to give him and his colleague $500
each for the crime.
Tells of Murder CoolIy
Harris recounted all the events
leading up to the murder with the
greatest coolness. The intensely
dramatic details of the actual shoot
ing Of the sportsman he narrated
in hesitating yet deliberate tone.
as though more interested in a logi-
cal story than merely in recounting
what he had seen or knew. Beyond
this deliberate manner there was
nothing abnormal about him.
His story, however. was full of vital
discrepancies. Despite these, though
the authorities here maintain that his
confession has every earmark of Gin
cerity.
Harris asserted he had never in
tended to fulfill his part of the plot
at any time, declaring he had made
up his mind to get as much money as
he could without going through with
his end of the crime. When he had
received $500 of the $4,000 promised
money, he said, he had offered to give
the money back to the woman a short
while before they entered the Elwel
home, but, he said. William Duncan
his colleague, threatened 'there would
be another murder before they got
there"
In order to reassure him. he said
Jerry" the chauffeur. who introduced
him and Duncan to the Fairchiid wo
man, told him that it would be "all
right" to go through with the murder,
as they were to be protected by a
politician. who said he would fix things
up if they got into trouble
He described Mrs. Fairchild az
thirty to thirty-fve years old. weigh
ing about 1870 pounds, of mediuma
height and rather plump build, with
straight nose.
She was dark blonde with blue
eyes and mad the appearance Of being
well to do. She was bedecked with
jewelry, displaying many diamond
rings on her fingers, he said, with
ruby lavalliere about her neck. There
was evidence of refinement about her
to using harsh epithets.
Wore Fawn-Colored Cape
In the three times that he saw her.
he said, she was conspicuously attired
in yellow fawn colored cape, black
turban hat trimmed with dull red
three-quarter length dark skirt, high
neel French pumps and black silk
He said Duncan was an Italian whom
he had met in Joseph Thum's bowling
alley below Greeley Square about three
months before. He described his col
league as man of the worst sor.
and said he never knew where he lived
He was coldbooded," added Harris
and would kill man as quick as YOU
or | would eat custard pie.''
Harris insists he was not in the re-
ccption room when Duncan fired the
45-caliber bullet through Elwell's
brain on that Friday morning. He had
plenty OF opportunity to kill the
sportsman two Or three times. he said
ana when they were fleeing from the
scene Duncan, he asserted, called him
'yeliower than an oil can"
Harris was doing at Police Hea6-
quarters to-day when he was asked IN
tell the flrst complete story of the muir
ier. nen reporters expressed regret
at having to awaken him, ne rcpiied
rubbing his eyes.
"Oh, that's all right, it's no trouble
at all"
Harris continually puffed at cigar
cites, but was perfectly at ease as he
tod this story:
Il am twenty-three years old, was
born at Bridgeport, Conn, and am 4
Jack of all trades and master of none.
Il was passing a hotel at Thirty
sixth Street and Seventh Avenue on
the night of June 8, about 8 O'Clock.
when | met Duncan standing in front
OF the place. While we were talking a
chauffeur, whom I later knew as
Jerry, drove up in limousine. He
stepped up to Duncan and said:
There is some easy money to bs
made
But he didn't say how. Duncan mads
a doubtful expression. and Jerry point
ed with his thumb into the automobile,
saying:
." Look in there and see for yourself
if it looks good
we got interested and went over
to the car woman all dotled I'm ~o~