The New York herald., 1922-08-28
UNKNOWN GIRL ADDS
TOCLINE MYSTERY
Blonde Seen With Bergin
and Slayer just Before
Crime.
FLED AFTER KILLING
Chauffeur Gives Police New
Clew in Possible Motive
for Shooting.
NEVER HAD A CHANCE
Shot in Back While Being
Forced Up Stairs, Prose-
cutor Declares.
NEVER HAD A CHANCE

"A new element OF mystery was
added last night to the murder Of
jack Bergin. moving picture actor,
who was shot to death by George Cline
in the Cline home at Edgewater, N. j..
last Friday night. Investigation by
the Edgewater police and the Bergen
county authorities brought a new
woman into the case. blonde girl
about IS years old. who is now be-
lieved to have been at the Cline home
during the quarrel between Bergin
and Cline and the shooting that fol-
lowed. She disappeared shortly. after
ward and the detectives have not been
able to find her.
Capt Dinan of the Edgewater po-
lice said last night that a taxicab
chauffeur, whose name he would not
divulge, told him that he drove the
woman to the Cline home on Friday
night. The police now believe also
that Cline. Bersin and the woman
went to the house, either together or
with only a short time between their
departures from the ferry house. The
chauffeur described the girl as being
about IS, blonde, slender, wearing a
black hat and a summer .frock with
short skirt.
A. G. Hart prosecutor of Bergen
county, said last night that number
of complications in the Bergin case
have come to his attention and that
when he appears before the Grand
Jury he will tell that body that he has
substantial evidence that Bergin was
killed by prsconceived plan; that he
was invited to Edgewater not to tell
the story of his relations with Mrs.
Cline, but to be shot to death, and that
Bergin was shot in the back as he was
being forced into an upstairs room in
the Cline house.
The complications grew out of stories
to the effect that the Clines had not
been living together in the Undercliff
avenue house. but that Cline had been
living in the Venice Hotel in Coytesville
at the end ofrthe Palisade trolley line.
To support this itris sfid hat the rooms
of the Cline house. where the murder
was staged were, and still ares heavy
with the dust of disuse. Mrs. Cline Is
said to have been living with her, par
ents in a house next to the one where
Bergin was killed. ~ e
Then there IS much mystery concern
ing the Cline children at the time of
the shooting The police say that the
children were not In evidence after the
murder. There is no evidence that
they or any one else has lived in the
house recently.
Cline just Arrived.
To mystify the authorities more
comes the story that just as Bergin
was engaging David Landau. the taxi
cab chauffeur, at the Edgewater ferry
to carry him to Cline's- house. Landau
turned to a friend and said that 1t
was a coincidence that he had just
taken Cline. who had arrived on the
boat preceding the one fetching Bergin,
to the house. 'te"s-
1t is admitted. OF course. that Cline
telephoned Bergin to come to Edge
water. but there now arises the pos
sibili;y that Bergin was hoaxed: that
Bergin Nevertheless, according. TO
Cline's latest story (and 1t is corrob-
GRATED by Mrs. Cline, and two of her
three brothers), Cline, his wife and
the two brothers received Bergin as he
entered the house
Incidentally, Cline's real name Is
George f. Won Waz. He Is said to
have admitted that in Coytesvile sew
eral years ago when challenged at a
voting place His father and mother
Mr.. and Mrs. James Won walz Of
Philadelphia, and his sister, Miss
Margaret Won Waiz. were in Hacken-
sack yesterday.
There are no powder burns on
Bergins coat" said Prosecutor Hart.
"If he had been killed while In a
tussle with Cline and while the pistol
was against his body there would have
been powder marks Again / have
found Cline's statement full of dis
crepancies. Furthermore, you must
understand that the wound in Bergln's
back is an inch and a half lower than
the wound In his chest Only one bull
let was fired. That bullet went clear
through Bergin's body,
One OF my detectives has taken
this fact and has gone carefully over
the house. following the course Cline
says he and Bergin took And this
all convinces' me that Bergin was shot
from behind while he was proceeding
up those stairs with Cline behind him
forcing him forward with the pistol
Three Feet Away, Belief.
1T seems certain that Bergin was at
least three feet away from Cline when
the shot was fired. Then, too. we have
reasons for believing that Bergln may
have been pleading for tis life when
killed. At any rate II appears 70 be
the most cold blooded affair, because we
know that when Bergin realized what
he was UP against he fed. getting out
side the house. He was caught outside
the house and forced back into II by
Cline. whose argument was pistol.
The taxicab chauffeur saw Bergin es-
Gaping and saw Cline force him to re-
turn.
"Cline says that Bergin swung at him
with blackjack and that he snot In
seIf-defense. We found "A blackjack In
Clines house. but there is no evidence
that II was used In the affair OF Friday
night. Later ON Cline eliminated the
blackjack part OF the story. His latest
story is that both he and Bergin had
guns. that Bergin was relieved of his
and that in the struggle for Clines Ber-
gin was killed.
II don't think that Bergin had
chance for his life. There ia not the
slightest evidence of struggle. Az l
see this affair Bergin was politely inyited
20 Edgewater to be shot. The case will
so to the Grand Jury next Tuesday"