The New York herald., 1922-05-17
SOLDIER CONPESSES;
/. CLEARS FOX MURDER
Mayo Says He Shot Camp
Dix Driver for Selling
Poison Liquor
WAS OFF ON A SPREE
Reports ) Comrades Were
Dead Drunk in Back
Seat of Motor.
THREW BODY IN BUSHES
Slayer Is a Brother of a State
Representative in
Georgia.
THREW BODY IN BUSHES

Ernest l.. Mayo. soldier from
Camp Dix, and brother Of Representa-
tive j. v. Mayo of the State Legisla-
ture, Georgia, was taken last night
from the New York Navy Yard in
Brooklyn to Police Headquarters,
where he confessed to Captain Arthur
Carey of the Homicide Squad that he
murdered Jonas K. Fox, 80, the chauf :
feur whose body was found, partially
burned, on May near Hainesport,
n. J. He said the reason he killed
Fox was that he had sold him poisoned
liquor.
Fox. who owned and operated a
touring car out Of Camp Dix for the
soldiers. had been shot three times,
once in the back and twice in the right
side. After he was killed an attempt
was made to destroy the body by set
ting fire to the clump of bushes where
it had been thrown. Most of the
clothing was burned. and part Of. the
body was scorched, but it was identi-
fed through an Elk's membership
card.
Mayo told Capt. Carey and Lieut.. J.
l.. Carman, Assistant Provost Marshal
OF Camp Dix, that early on the morning
OF May 2 he and three other soldiers
hired Fox to take them to Philadelphia.
They drank great deal, he said, spend
ing most Of their money. and started
back for Camp Dix on the afternoon OF
May g. Two other soldiers had attached
themselves to the party in the mean
time.
Others "Dead Drunk"
I'VE started back for camp" said
Mayo, with the five other soldiers piled
In the back seat. dead drunk. They
were so drunk that they didn't know
anything at all ara nothing could
rouse them. ] rode in the front seat
were not drunk. On the way back l
told Fox he had been selling me poison
liquor. He denied 1t and we qua-reled.
lie told me to get him il ! wanted
TO- and told him would.
"A little while iater L decided to
make good my word. 1 eased my left
hand beside me and slowly pulled my
gun out OF the holster Then I slipped
1t into Fox's back before he knew what
Il was OOlIlE anu SHOI nlIil. IDONeu HIS
body over to where ! was sitting. and
I took the wheel. and all this time the
fellows on the back seat were dead to
the world. never knowing that anything
wah happening.
1--WE drove on little further and Fox
suddenly lurched forward. I thought
he might be coming to, so I shot him
two more times We came to clump OF
bushes. put the body out, went
through the pockets, took a gold foun-
tain pen, the keys to the automobile and
s46S in cash and drove on"
Gave Up as Navy Deserter.
Mayo said he put out the drunken SOL
diers and then drove back to Phila-
delphia. Later he came to New York,
he said, and put the automobile in a
garage at 325 West Forty-ninth street,
under Fox's name and got receipt for
1t. He said he slept two or three nights
in lodging houses along the Bowery and
then decided to go to the navy yard and
give himself up as a deserter from the
navy. where he served before he Joined
the army in 1919. He was put in the
guardhouse.
Capt. Carey says on March II. 1919.
Mayo was arrested for robbery at
Riverside Drive and Seventy eighth
street and sentenced to Elmira. The
soldier said his father Is the Rev. Joseph
M. Mayo and that he has brother
who was a State Representative IN
Georgia. He said he had been sent to
the Tennessee Industrial School at Nash
willie and that he ran away on May 1,
1917, and enlisted in the navy as Perry
Stewart. He deserted a month before
he was arrested on Riverside Drive.
When he got out Of Elmira he Joined
the army.
Special Dispatch TO TIE New York HERALD.
CAMILLA, Ca, May 16.--Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph Max Mayo, father and mother OF
Ernest L. Mayo. hello in New York on
charge Of murder in connection with
the death OF n taxicab driver at Camp
Dix, seen at their home tonight. said
the last they had heard of their son
was when he was stationed at Camp
Dix Mayo Is brother of Representa-
tive j. v. Mayo Of the State Legislature
The legislator was attempting tonight
to get In touch with the New York au-
thorities.
The Mayos are well known throughout
this section OF the country and held In
high esteem. The father retired from
business about fifteen years ago. He
was a merchant and farmer. Both
mother and father stated that Ernest
wrote regularly for time. They re-
ceived letter from him only few