New Britain herald., 1924-10-13
SHEAN WEEPS AS
 HE TELLS STORY Breaks Down as He Is Chilled
 at Police Headquarters HYPNOIIZED, HE CLAIMS
Springfield Man First Posed as Gov ernment Sleuth Engaged in Run  ming Down Gerald Chapman, But Finally Admits His Identity.

Finally Admits His Identity.
 He had me hypnotized. l was a d. fool, I guess" was the explana- tion of Walter E. Shean of Spring field, for associating with Gerald Chapman, notorious mail robber bandit who is sought as the slayer of Policeman James Skelly during robbery at the Davidson & Lev enthal department store Sunday morning.
 Shean wearily made the admis- sion after a severe grilling at po- lice headquarters, during which his earlier stories were pulverized Tears streamed down his face as he finally broke down before a bar. rage of questioning that barred him as the black sheep of a prominent Springfield family who associated with Chapman, one of the master criminals of the age.
 Shean, president of the Shean Ad- vertising Co.,, of that city, and son of Charles H. Shean, owner of two hotels, and brother of the owner of the Springfield baseball club, did not admit his identity until thoroughly grilled at police headquarters last night. It was after watch charm medal bearing his name was found on his person that he finally ad. mitted his identity.
 The watch charm had been giver to members of a rowing crew fol winning a race, and on 1t was the insignia. Walter E. shean, Mgr" Posed As Detective
 Before local policemen, Nev York detective and officials of tn police department Shean at frs stoutly maintained he was de partment of justice sleuth who va in the city to shadow Gerald Chap man. He first gave the name 0 John B. Clark of New York, bu New York police quickly ascertaine there was no such man at the ad dress in that city given by Clark.
 Shean's first story was that h and Chapman came to New Britain from Meriden, where they spen Sunday night at the Colonial Inn arriving in New Britain about 6 a m. They parked their car, he said in front of the Herald office, whel Chapman told him to wait in hi car, that he would be back sool and giving no information as t where he was going.
 At this point the police began tt tear apart his yarn. He was tolt that police had first seen hin standing at Church and Main street and that he was carrying a brie case in which a kit of burglars tools were later found; and that h, subsequently, walked down Churcl street, deposited the bag In the au tomobile and continued dowl Church street, where he was grabbed in front of the Delaney hotel by Pc liceman Malona. Shean at the tim told the policeman he did not owl the bag in the car, claiming it wa a newspaper he had thrown into it
 Shean got tangled up in his stor, as the grilling progressed and sait he could not explain how the none | got into tha mnhiIa
 Identified By Johnson
 AS shean began to wilt Edwart Johnson, the man who had first in formed the proprietor of the stor that marauders were in it, and wh had seen the pair lettering nearby was sent for.
 Johnson identified Shean as tn man he had seen with the bag Then Shean admitted ownership o the bag, and that he had made twt trips into the alley leading to tn store, and that the money had beel given him by Chapman.
 Shean still denied he had any thing to do with the shooting claiming he was not in the stor and denying he knew a burglary wa to be committed when the pair cam to New Britain. He explained tha Chapman had told him he (Chap man) had a new home in this vicin ity and he thought they were goinJ to visit it.
 Tears began to stream dow Shean's face, and he continued hi claim that he was a department 0 justice operative and that he in tended turning over Chapman t, George Brown, of the department O justice, some time this week Brown, he said was his friend fo whom he had done criminal work
 Asked why he had not told tn Springfield police about Chapman he replied he failed to do so be cause Chapman was "doGgerou man" and he feared for his life ] he had done this
 He had me hypnotized. I was d. fool, guess Shean replied.
 Met Chapman Last June.
 Shean then began to wilt further He said he first became qcquainte, with Chapman in June. when Chap man telephoned him and introduce, himself as Mueller, and said he wa told to call on him by a mutua friend named Brown. now doing 15-year sentence in Atlanta prison
 Chapman and one Anderson wer both strange birds" he said. The, were always on the move, slippin, in and out of Springfield and nevc giving any information about them
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