Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-15
Confesses He Dragged Wife of
Playwright Johnson and
Robbed Her of $4,000 Worth
Gems-May Be Concerned in
Staying of Dorothy keenan,
And Louise Lawson-Has
y Long Prison Record

New York. May 14.-Henry Edham,
an Englishman of a half dozen aliases
and a suspect in several of this city's
most sensational unsolved crimes, was
in custody tonight on an alleged con-
fession that he drugged Mrs. Howard
johnson, wife Of the playwright, and
robbed her of $4,000 worth of gems at
the Hotel Alamac last Monday night.
Arrested on a clue furnished by a
bottle of cough medicine and identified
by numerous witnesses, the prisoner
was reported by Inspector Coughlin
to have admitted he and a woman
companion robbed Mrs. Johnson and
that he and two gunner recently in
vaded the apartment of Mrs. Mildred
Munroe. former Follies dancer, and
robbed her of 5000 worth of Jewels,
overlooking several thousand concealed
dollars.
Witnesses were summoned to his cell
tonight to see if they could identify
Edham as a participant in the drug
ging, robbery and murder of Dorothy
King Keenan, and of Louise Lawson.
Police declared they also have clues
linking him with Broadway shop silk
robbery of two weeks ago.
The Prisoner is known to the police
under the aliases of Harry LASER, Be-
ham, Wilson, Phillips, Trent and Roth
He is alleged to have confessed he
stole the stones to get enough to pay
my mouthp;ece in Washington"-to
pay a lawyer at Washington, d. c.
where he recently was arrested for
burglary.
The records indicate Edham was
born in Dorchester. England. and that
he has served in Sing Sing prison, At
lanta penitentiary and Trenton prison
in this country. He told his captors
that Sam Jackson" now in Sing Sing,
was his brother. Edham was married
at San Francisco two years ago, he
said, to Miss Lillian Schultz, daughter
of wealthy man, and an actress in
the Hollywood studios as well as on
the New York stage. They went to
Montreal on their honeymoon, and
there he was arrested by New York
detective in connection with a robbery
here. He was a bootlegger by profess
sion, he is alleged to have told police.
Mrs. johnson fell victim to a man
and a woman of recent acquaintance
who ir@k ited her to dine With them at
the Alamac. She had a cocktail with
them before dinner and straghway lost
consciousness. When she awoke she
was in bathroom, bound, gagged, and
minus three valuable finger rings. A
cord drawn tight at the throat had al.
most choked her to death.
Detectives learned that her host and
hostess registered as man and wife
the day of the robbery and disappeared
that night. A bottle of cough medi-
cine the man left behind was traced
to a drug store and thence to Edham,
resulting in his arrest.
Mrs. Monroe. her aged mother and
her little daughter. quickly identified
Edham as one of the bandit trio who
robbed them so hastily as to overlook
$4,000 cached in a mantel jar.
The negro elevator operator at the
apartment house where Louise Lawson.
an actress, and friend of wealthy men,
was strangled and robbed last fall, said
Edham resembled one of the bootleg
gers who entered Miss Lawson's suite
shortly before the crime.
Employees from the building where
Dorothy King Keenan,. mannequin and
artists model, also were summoned
to view the prisoner.