New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-04-10
If Not Slayer, He May Be
Tool of Real Murderer
in Effort to Obscure
Trail, Is New Theory
Whitman to Grill
Youth at Buffalo
Leaves To-day With Cap
tain of Homicide Squad
to Test Out Confession

Convinced that Roy Harris holds the
.ev TO the solution of the Elwell MUIR
a.r Charles S. Whitman, special Assist
ant District Attorney, and Captain of
Police Arthur Carey. head of the Homi
eide Squad, will leave to-day for Buff
falo to question the youth who insists
that he and another man slew the turf
man at the behest of woman.
They are not ready to accept the con-
fession of Harris, nor will they yet
brand it as false.
"If Harris didn't kill Elwell," Mr..
Whitman said yesterday, che was in
duced to own to the crime by some one
who had powerful reason for desiring
to divert suspicion from himself"
Mr.. Whitman and Captain Carey,
there is good reason to believe, hope to
learn from Harris who it was that was
20 anxious to draw a red herring across
the trail of the real murderer that he
was able to persuade Harris to place
himself in the shadow of the electric
chair.
If they succeed in getting this in
formation they feel sure it will be q
comparatively simple proposition to
bring to book the real slayer of Elwell
Cause of Arrest Secret
1t was definitely established yester-
day that there was nothing to the orig
inal report that Harris had been taken
into custody by a Buffalo policeman,
ybN
in St. GATHERINGS, Ont, for forgery.
The St. GATHERINGS police have no in
terest whatever in Harris.
At the same time it was learned that
the policeman who arrested Harris did
30 on information he received in Kings
ton, Ont. just across the Canadian line
from Buffalo. What the nature of this
information is was not divulged, but it
is thought that Mr.. Whitman and Cap
tain Carey know what it is and that
they see in it clew that may lead to
disclosing the identity, not only of the
person or persons who induced Harris
l., make his confession, but of the mur-
6crer of Elwell
The first impression New York police
and prosecuting officials gained from
the confession Of Harris was that his
story was either the outgiving of dis
eased mind or the fanciful imagininge
OF drug fiend. But those ideas have
been completely dissipated by the re-
suits Of ar examination of the prisoner
by noted alienist. This experts opin.
ion leaves but two hypothesis oper
for consideration.
Roy Harris either killed Elwell or hs
is the tool Of the person who did Kill
him.
Must Reach nnrssinn
It was realized yesterday that the
Buffalo police would not hold Harris
q prisoner indefinitely without some
charge being lodged against him, even
though he has confessed to murder
That was one reason Mr.. Whitman and
Captain Carey decided to lose no time
Questioned Harris they expect to be in
aposition to determine at once whethe,
or not he is to be brought to New York
Yesterday afternoon the Special AS
sistant District Attorney and Captain
Carey visited the Elwell house and
made careful note of every detail of
the premises and furnishings. They
want to be able to question Harris
thoroughly and be prepared to trip him
up on his story if it is possible to do
10. Harris already has related num-
Der of incidents that fail to coincide
with the known facts in the case. Mr.
whitman and Captain Carey armed
themselves with certain questions re-
garding the arrangement of the house
tney intend putting to Harris, upon
the answers to which, they are con.
vinced, the truth or falsity of his con.
1ess'on will be positively established.
Orders Inquiry in C-nada
Detective Sergeant Oswald, in the
mean time. was directed over the tele-
pnone by Captain Carey to make q
searching investigation of Harriss re-
cent movements in Canada and to find
cut who his associates were.
Mr. Whitman, since District Attor-
ney Swami turned over to him the
AIwell inquiry, has run across several
promising leads and there is cha ce
ne thinks, that some of the persons
uhder suspicion may link with certain
sequalntances of Harris.
one thing was made plain. Within
"a; .ae next two or three days the authori-
mss w'll have made Up their minds
.Mlnether or not Roy Harris is telling
sae truth when he says woman hired
nim and an accomplice to do Joseph
s" 0owne Eiwell to death, and in eithe,
went IT is more than likely that by
sna. .ime the first ray of light will
nave been shed on one of New York's