The New York herald., 1922-06-24
Prosecutor Thinks He Can
Send Slayer to Chair for
Killing Peters.
MORE CLEws TO VICTIM
Mystery About Disappearance
of His Collar Cleared
He Had None.

Auburn haired Peggy" named on
and Off In the Ward case. Is looked to
now for a possible answer to Walter
8. Wards secret Of why he killed
Clarence Peters.
Peggy" and another woman, 1t was
learned, had hair pulling, eye scratch
ing fight in Wards bachelor" fiat at
434 West 120th street last summer.
District Attorney Weeks knows about
Peggy" but he doesn't know all about
her, and so he wants the trial Of Ward
delayed until October.
Mr.. Weeks Is to prove II he can that
Ward did not kill Peters in self-de-
fense; that Ward murdered Peters
with premeditated intent: that he car
ried a pistol In his automobile on the
night of May Is with the deliberate
purpose Of Staying the man who was
trying to blackmail him.
The Peggy story. 1t Is believed. may
show that Ward killed Peters because
he wanted to shield her. and that may
be his defense when he goes to trial
next October for murder.
Peggy Is being sought by the Pinker' :
tons employed by Westchester county.
She is young and pretty and has red
hair. She Is a tough girl. which
means that she knows the subterranean
ways of the criminal world. She was
Wards sweetheart last summer. Dis
trict Attorney Weeks Is sure.
When Peggy and the other woman
fought In the house In West 10th street.
Peggy. younger and more active. won.
according to reports. Then. It is sup
posed. Peggy became the "tip-off" for
the blackmailers-the source Of the in
formation that frightened Ward into
paying $4,000 hush money and almost
squeezed $4,000 more from him.
District Attorney Weeks will not try
Ward unit. he gets to the bottom of the
Peggy affair. That much he indicated
yesterday when he told Justice Morsch-
the people will find out Ward didn't
kill Peters In self-defcnse.'
Peters Travelled without Collar.
Tho theory held by some officials and
investigators that Peters was killed by
Ward at some spot other than where his
body was found at the Kensico Reser-
voir. was dissipeted somewhat by In
formation given out by Pinkerton op-
eratives on their return from Paris ISL
and, S. c., where they went to check up
as far as possible on the movements OF
Peters.
From the first. one Of the puzzllng
features of the case has been the fact
that there was no collar and tie OF
Peters body. This led to the belief
that he may have been murdered some
where else and his body carried to the
reservoir and thrown out Of an autono-
bile The Pinkertons said. however. that
Peters had no collar and tie when he
left the naval station at Paris Island
Peters left Paris Island on May IA
He could not possibly have reached New
York before o'clock on the afternoon
of May Is. and his body was found
early the next morning. He left Pari:
Island. according to the detectives. with
s1.50 for meal allowances. ticket tc
Philadelphia and package of cards
He had no revolver. He wore brown
suit with a light stripe and low vest
sometimes known as cake eaters
vest" He wore patent leather pumps
because, according u one of the tales hs
a
Trail Lost mt Philadelphia.
The Pinkerton operatives said tina,
Private Winfield Buzzard In charge oi
the storehouse at Paris Island had q
complete record OF just what Peters had
when he left. At Philadelphia the trsi
H. lost. Sometime between his arriva
there and early on the morning OF May
is he obtained a gun and pair OF dice
When his body was found he had q
pair of dice and s1.32 in his pockets.
The findings of the Pinkerton,
strengthen the belief that Peters wa,
not one Of the blackmail band despite
the fact that Ward in his statement
refers to him as such. Peters rather
appears to have been hired gunmar
who was picked up after, he reached
New York and used as log" as II 1:
known, to handle particularly dan
gerous and rough Job.
Ward. however. never has sale
whether he met Peters before the might
OF the murder. His brother, Ralph
Ward. told OF seeing Peters with the res
Of the gang on May II near Rye. wher
several shots were fred.
Mr.. Weeks said he will prove that
Ward was not acting In self-dcfense.
But the evidence that will establish
this fact. he said, will not be published
until the trial
The prosecution has surprise for
the defense" said Weeks. This. II was
learned. has to do with Peters's activi-
ties immediately prec sding his death
Mr.. Weeks thinks now that he ha,
got enough evidence to send Walter
Ward to the electric chair provided
he has time to assemble 1t properly
He said later In the day:
IT am still convinced that I am righ'
not to agree 10 an early trial. I an
going TO stick to that position
II is known that Mr.. Weeks resent,
the attitude of Wards lawyers towart
him. He said he had assisted them ir
every way. but that they had refused