The New York herald., 1921-04-08
Story Of Alleged Assassin
Varies in Small Details
From Known Facts OF
the Murder.
PICKS OUT HER PICTURE
Name Of Blonde He Accuses
Is Telegraphed to Whit
man From Buffalo by
Inquisit0rs.
FOUGHT OVER KILLING
Prisoners Wife First Denies
Then Admits She Was in
New York On Night of
Murder.

Special Despatch TO TIE NEW YORK HERALD.
BUFFALO, April Roy Harris, the
glib and possibly truthful young man
who says he was an accomplice in the
murder Of Joseph b. Elwell in New
York, was cross examined tonight for
the first time by men who knew the
circumstances OF the crime. They were
New York reporters who knew every
inch Of Elwells house.
His most important assertion to-
night was this: He says that for two
months after the murder he hung
around New York looking for the Mrs.
Fairchild" who had paid the two muir
Gerers $1,000 and then WEIGHED on the
rest of the $4,000. He swears that in
n New York evening paper. ten days
or so after Elwell was killed, he saw
a photograph which he believes to
have been Mrs. Fairchild's. In fact,
he says he's certain it was that blond
and plump and vengeful person. In
Vulnerable pictures OF friends Of Ell
wells, most of them known to the
that period.
Harris would not tell the reporter to-
night the name under the picture which
he says he identified. Tie explained
that he didn't want to get anybody in
bad" unless II was proved she belonged
there. But he gave the name to the
District Attorney and 1t has been teic-
graphed TO Charles 8. Whitman. who is
investigating the murder In New York.
The unusual prisoner says. as he did
yesterday. that Ewelis house was in
West Seventy first street. 1t really
was 24f West Sevenueth street.
Duncan Not In Prison.
Harris said tonight that the William
Dunken who has been confined in the
Cheshire reformatory, near Bridgeport,
since December, 1919. is not the Duncan
who murdered Eiwell.
Henry p. Oswald. New York detec-
tive who worked on the Eiweli case.
reached Buffalo tonight and questioned
Harris for more than an hour.
Some Of the things this man says
are right and some are wrong. He s
twisted rs TO the location OF the room
IN which the murder was done, but, I
suppose that might easily pe true in
tho case of man who had been in a
house only once
Dr. James w. Putnam, a Buffalo
aIlenist watched the prisoner under
Harriss mind Ia all right. Ife. told
everything in a direct way. There is
nothing cvasivc about him"
Harris explained that Jerry" the
chauffeur o: the oloodthirsty Mrs. Fair
child, told Harris and his pal and men,
tor, Duncan, or Dunken (Harris pro-
fesses ignorance OF the spelling). 1t
would be all right for them to kill Ell
well because "a politician b. the name
OF Cross would fix It," Harris says lie
has no idea who Gross" is.
The story as Harris tells it continues
that the reception room in which Elwell
was shot Is to the left as one enters the
house. In reality it is at the right.
When questions on this point were re-
peated, without the auestloncr telling
tho man he was wrong. he amended his
answer by saying he thought the room
was on tho left, but was not sure.
Listeners remarked that II was hard TO
SEQ how the man was mistaken az to
the position OF a room where the only
murder OF his life was done.
Differs as to Cigarettes.
Harris says there was a door leading
from the reception room to rear room.
There is no such door. nothing but
wall.
And he says that when Elwall came
downstairs In his pajamas and entered
the reception room, where fifteen min
Utes later Duncan shot him, the whist
expert who had been marked for killing
wore his slippers. The fact Is he lett
his slippers upstairs and was barefoot.
Harris says that June i2 was the day
OF Elwell's taking off. The actual date
was June IL.
He asserts also that the cigarettes he
and Duncan smoked In the reception
room 10 relieve the tedium of their vigil
were Pail Malls. He recalls that Il was
one of this brand and borrowed from
Duncan--who smokes only Pail Malls.
Only two cigarette stubs we're found In
the room next day by the detectives.
Both were Camcls.
Obviously he was willing to talk 70
the newspaper men from New York. as
they lent variety to his short term OF
imprisonment. He was questioned
little as to the layout in Elwcll's home
and then allowed TO tell his story from
the beginning. In the course OF this he
gave several Incidents new 10 the public.
lie described the Elwel house as gray
stone with three steps from the sidewalk.
which Is right Elwells movements as
Harris related them were these:
When Eiwell entered he went first into
the reception ROOM and after a couple
Of minutes went up stairs. lie came
down stairs twice, once to answer the
telephone and then again TO tumble with
the door, and then walked into the recep-
tion room, where he was killed. Duncan
~, "A r.fHcnfinn a IVA ti-f,n
f.weii was in the house. No words were
spoken.
Now az to Mrs Fairchild. "She is
Continued on Fourth Pooe,