The New York herald., 1921-04-11
HARRIS RECANTS
CONFESSION WHEN
| TRAPPED BY WIFE
Admits Tale of Being Hired
to Kill Elwell Is Pure
Fabrication.
GIFT SOCKS RECALLED
Woman Gave Them to Him
in New York Two Days
After Murder.
BLONDE PLOTTER A MYTH
Whitman and Captain Carey
Reach Buffalo and Talk
With the Prisoner.
BLONDE PLOTTER A MYTH

Special Despatch to THE NEW YoKk HERALp
BUFFALO, April 10.-Roy Harris con-
fessed again to-day This time he said
his wondrous story of completely in
the murder OF Joseph Bovine ElwelI
was lie from beginning to end.
He abandoned and repudiated the
singular tale when confronted with so
homely fact as present of two pairs
of socks from his wife on his twenty
second birthday, June 13 last. Re-
membering the socks-one pair black,
the other brownie admitted that
Mrs. Harris was with him in New York
on the birthday and not in Canada as
he previously had contended. That led
to an admission that she was with
him all the month Of June, including
the 18th, when Elwell was killed, and
that the entire night of the murder
he spent with her.
Having conceded that much, he still
insisted that although he was not In
the Elwell house and did not partici-
to do so by the vengeful Mrs. Fair
child, her liveried chauffeur. Jerry, and
Harris's comrade, Duncan. From that
point he proceeded to the stage of
complete recantation.
"I'll tell you the truth about the
whole story he said, (which is that
there is no truth in il at all"
Hated to yex Detectives.
Harry Oswald. the New York de-
tective, who has been boring into
Harris's narrative for four days. OBJ
tanned the partial retraction last night.
District Attorney Guy b. Moore got the
rest OF it this noon.
Harris said to-day that he would have
told the truth two days ago, but was
afraid the Buffalo detectives would be
vexed over losing the reward offered for
the arrest OF the murderer of Elwell
Ex-Gov. Whitman and Capt. Arthur
Carey head of the New York Homicide
Bureau. arrived here at 40 tonight.
Chief of Police Higgins, District Attor-
ney Moore. Sheriff William +. Waldo and
Detective Oswald met them and took
them to the Sheriff's office in the Erie
County Jail. There Mr.. Whitman and
Capt. Carey Immediately began question
ing Roy Harris.
Mr.. Whitman left the Sheriffs Office
after he and Capt. Carey had questioned
Roy Harris and his wife for two and a
half hours. Mr.. Whitman said:
This man knows absolutely nothing
about the Elwell murder. He doesn't
know where the Elwell house is nor
even what street IL is on. We viii have
nothing to do with him. We are not in
teres.ed in him. He is in the hands Of
District Attorney Moore OF Buffalo"
Mr.. Moore said he didn't want Harris.
but would hold him until word came
from st. GATHERINGS as TO whether there
was any charge there. Mr.. Whitman
said he would question Harris again
tomorrow about "other matters" What
those matters are lie would not say.
The motive given by Harris for in
venting the Elwell murder yarn is
about the same as his wife theorized
yesterday.
Disgusted with Life.
He says In brief that he wanted to
be sent to prison or put TO death be-
cause he was disgusted with life and
fearful Of the disgrace into which he
pictured himself falling when a Buffalo
detective told him he was wanted in
ST. GATHERINGS for forgery. He re-
solved to tell story that would result
in his being put away" He chose the
Elwell story because he had been re-
minded of the case by the report Of
new clue having been discovered a fort
night ago.
Last night Detective Oswald went out
10 the Tenth Precinct Police station.
where Harris Is jailed, sent for Mrs.
Harris, who Is IN another Jail as n
material witness. and brought tho
young husband and wife together in the
Captains room Their greeting was af-
fectionate. Harris stuck to his murder
story. His wife constantly exclaimed
that this and that point could not be
true. because she knew the fact TO be
TO the contrary.
Oswald let them talk. and his Inn
preston was renewed that tho wife was
telling the truth. the husband lying.
You know, Benny. ! was with you
in New York al the time OF the mur-
der" she said Cshe knows the man as
Benny Leonard. under which name no
married her). IL didn't leave New York
to go back 70 st. GATHERINGS until
July o."
mo, It must have been Juno g." said
Benny.
positively not she said. II guess
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