Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1921-11-26
TEST|F|ES LENA
CLARKE ADMITTED
ACTUAL KILLING
Police Chief Tells of
First Interview After
the Crime.
DEFENSE IS SATISFIED
First Storyof Crime Is
Told AS Miss Clarke
Related.
(By Associated Press)


Orlando. Nov. Pa legal wrangle
over the admissability in evidence
of an alleged verbal confession OBJ
tained by Chief of Police Vestal from
Lena Clarke, on trial jointly, with
Baxter Patterson, charged with the
murder of Fred A. Miltimore, largely
occupied the afternoon session of
Circuit Court here today. Judge
Andrews announced he would give
his ruling at the opening of court
tomorrow.
The alleged confession as related,
with the jury excused. quoted Miss
Clarke as admitting she killed Mil
timore.
Postal Inspector w. P. Brannon
testified in regard to his investiga-
tion into the West Palm Beach post
office and brought out that $31 ,O85
of the $4,000 had been recovered.
The alleged shortages, he testified,
dated back for period of three
years and before Miss Clarke assum-
ed the duties of postmistress.
State Enters Protest.
The state contended that the con-
fession alleged to have been made
to Chief Vestal was voluntary one
and admissible as evidence under the
law, while the defense based its ar
guments on the ground that this
confession had been voluntary and
was therefore unadmissable under
the law governing confessions ex-
tracted against the will of the de-
fendant
No objections were raised by the
defense and the witness related in
clear, concise manner the incidents
of the night of August l, last when
Lena Clarke, accompanied by Baxter
Patterson, arrived at police head
quarters. about 8 o'clock and asked
to see the chief of police. He recited
the woman's story. She told him that
she was the postmistress at the West
Palm Beach postoffice, and that she
had drugged F. A. Miltimore in her
room in the San Juan hotel and left
him there with evidence, including a
registered letter in his pocket, which
connected him with $4,000 postal
robbery in the West Palm, Beach
postoffice. From her the chief OBJ
tanned the key to her room and then
telephoned to West Palm Beach and
communicated with F. G. Pulsifer
postal Inspector, whom Miss Clarke
asserted was there investigating the
missing $4,000.
Chief Vestal continued to testify
how after talking with the postal in
spector and establishing the identity
of the woman he phoned for the
key of his private office and dis
patched Frank Gordon, special de-
tective, to the San Juan hotel room
with orders to arrest the man found
there. With Miss Clarke he went to
his private office and locked the
door. The phone rang few minutes
later and Gordon said he had found
the man not drugged but dead with a
bullet through his heart.
At this point E. W. Davis. leading
counsel for Miss Qlarkeis defense,
objected to the witness detailing the
conversation he is t hen alleged to
have had with the woman. Judge
Andrews, after excusing the jury
from the room, instructed the wit
ness to proceed.
"When Mr.. Gordon told me that
it was a dead man he had found l
turned from the phone and said to
Miss Clarke "the man is dead"
She replied 81 only drugged him."
Miss Clarke, you killed that man.
didn't you?"
"No, didn' tkill him, I only