New-York tribune., 1921-08-20
Tells of Plot to
Kill Mrs. Stillrnan.
Then He Denies 1t
Man Admits Confession of
Elaborate Conspiracy In
volving N. Y. Cunmen
and Cash Was Only Hoax
Special Dispatch to The Tribune

CHICAGO, Aug. 19.-Four gunmen,
hired to kill Mrs. Fiji Potter Stillman,
wife of James A. Stillman, New York
banker, followed her from New York
to Chicago. and the ringleader of the
gang is now in this city, according to
the confession made by Sam Royal
Harris, of New York, to the Kansas
City police to-day.
1t is recalled that man with a
similar name, Roy Harris, signed a
sensational confession in Buffalo last
April that he had been hired to kill
Joseph B. Elwell, New York whist ex-
pert and turfman The Kansas CITY
police assert, however, that a compari-
son of photographs of Roy Harris with
the man who told Of the alleged plot
against Mrs. Stilman showed they
were not the same man
Tonight Harris admitted in Kansas
City that his statement was false. He
was arrested and is being held there
tie told the police that he wanted to
return to New York, and believed his
otlliman story would induce the au-
thorities to send him East.
Mr5. Stlilman, Who is at the home
of Harold F. Mccormick, in Lake
Forest, is in highly nervous con-
ditlon, bordering on prostration, as the
result of the severe strain she has
passed through in the last months in
connection with her divorce suit, and
could not be interviewed Az the sam
time it became known that Baby Guy
Stillman, the central figure IN the d-
-vorce suit, whose paternity has been
Sattacked by the New York banker
was on his way to Chicago from Buff
falo in care of his nurse.
At the Mccormick home. Mr.. McCor-
mick refused to bring the story OF the
alleged assassination plot to Mrs
Stillman's attention.
According to the story from Kansas
City, Harris, who is twenty years old
went to Police Headquarters and gave
the details Of the alleged plot. He said
the leader of the four was Henry Nc
Cluskey, alias Henry, the Pole.' Ac-
cording to Harris's story, a man living
at the Hotel Claridge, New York City
onered $4,000 for the killing of Mrs
Stlllman and made advance payments
amounting to several hundred dollars
~ ileiuoeiS "a the gang. harris SAID
the first payment was made at a New
York taeaoer and another payment was
made at cheap hotel in that city. On
the latter occasion, he said, the man
gave $500 to Henry the Pole"
Harris Gives Plot Details
Harris said one of the members OF
the gang was known as "Tony the
Wop,' who said he knew Mrs. Still
mans chauffeur Tony was to attem pt
to lure Mrs. Stillman's car to lonely
spot where the other members of the
gang were to be in wait, ready to mur-
der Mrs. Stillman, according to Harris
Ihe first advance payment was alleged
to have beer made on June and the
last one on June 23, when Harris said
he saw the man higher up" for the
last time.
The plot was not carried out in New
York and when Mrs Stillman came
to Chicago to visit the Mccormack
family the members of the gang fol-
lowed her here, Harris asserted The
plot hung fire in Chicago and then
Harris went to Kansas City,
Harris said he stopped at the Y. NJ
c. A. Hotel while here and that Nc
Closkey was registered at the Dear
born Hotel At the Y. NJ. C. A. Hotel
it was said that Sam Harris had been
registered there from August 3 to Au-
gust II. At the Dearborn Hotel it was
recalled that man known as "Polak
Joe" had stopped there.