New Britain herald., 1924-08-02
Relatives Convinced 0'Neill Was
 Murdered; Criticize State Police;
 No Clue Yet to Missing Watchman
Wife and Brother-inLaw of Ex-Seryiceman Refuse to
 Accept Theory That He Wondered Away

who has been missing since las
 Saturday morning, He claims tha
 the police have taken too little In
 tnrest in the case and failed to at
 tach much importance 10 1t until | was too late.
 MT, Pershken was interviewed yes
 tcrday afternoon by a representative
 of the Herald" and ho expressed th'
 belief that O'Neii has been mur'
 derod. Hc told of an incident re
 ported by O'Neill. which occurred q
 few weeks ago. An automobile con
 taining several negro men drove intc
 the yard of the plant and o'Ncill hearing the noise of the motor, went
 out to see what they wanted. H.
 warned them that they were on pri
 vatc property and they retorted thai they were not. that they had righ' to be there because 1t was the road An exchange of words is reported to have followed. resulting in tho de parture of the automobile.
 Mir. Pershkcn said 1t would have
 been a simple matter for the negroes to have done away with his brother in-law later. He let his imagination have swing for a few moments, tell ing what could easily have happened. The car might have returned upon the night upon which the watchman disappeared. Assuming that the crowd was intoxicated and that they happened to be riding past the place. they might have seen O'Neill and thought that it was a chance for them to get even with him
 Pershken refused to believe in the story that O'Neill's mind had left him and he had wandered away, theory that has been advanced by those working on the case. He contended that someone would have surely seen him and that he could not have possibly escaped detection, attired as he was in his working clothes, an old pair of trousers and khaki shirt.
 He also said that the railroad off cials had not been at all obliging and had not taken any interest in it. While the police were Investigating the theory that O'Neill might have climb- ed into a box car or might have been bundled into box car by his assail- ants, they attempted to secure the number of the cars composing the freight train that passed through East fBer1iu at about 3:3o o'clock in the morning. daylight time. The re- ply given according to Mir. Pershken, was that the company was not inter ested since O'Neill was not an em- ploye of the railroad, and that they did not care to bother with the case.
 Criticizes State Police.s
 Mr. Pershken criticized the state police department for It's lack of in- terest in the case and seeEed to be of the opinion that if the police had ap- piled themselves in the beginning some clues would have been found by this time. He stated that they had de- cided too late that the case was serious one. He had an interview with Captain Nichols of the depart ment yesterday, he said, and the lat ter is alleged to have said that the police had not made any headway be- cause the case was a hard one. Per shken told the "Hearld" representa- tive that any assailants would have had ample time to get out of the state before the police got on the job.
 Mir Pershken has covered the ground in East Berlin and has been active in trying to find O'Neill. He said yesterday that there were no signs of scuffle at the plant. as he had looked for them and had failed to find them. He said he was un- able to lesrn whether there were signs in the roadway, as several trucks had passed along before he arrived and would have oblterated any footprints.
 He expressed the opinion that there were too many fingers in the pie from the start and said that a bloodhound placed In the trail immediately after f became known that O'Neill had dis appeared would have done great 1eal toward finding him. Another natter which he did not like regard | ng the case was the fact that the | company and the police had been So about the matter during the | irst few days.
 Jim had had trouble with the legroes around the place." said | Pershken, but, outside of that he | lad not an enemy in the world. He | vas a quiet fellow, always minded his l ,wn business and was one of the | most conscientious workers have 'ver seen. When he was through | with his work he would come home, at his meal, read book for a short ime and then go 10 bed. rising k, orft hdf york. Yes, think he was mur- lered."
 Mrs O'Neill appeared to be serious y affected. "To think that lo should lave gone through the Spanish American war and the World war afely and then to come home and be filled like this,'' she sobbed
 NO man ever loved his work or lis home like Jim did" she said. q ust know he never would have gone way of his own free will. am ure he has been murdered"
 Pet Dog Waits in Vain
 When presented with the theory hat O'Neill might have wandered If. suffering from lapse Of memory. he was certain, as was Pershken, hat he would have been noticed.
 She told of waiting for her husband Il the morning of his disappearance. He always got home at about [ clock" she said. Seven o'clock anne and l put on the percolator to eat his coffee and glanced down the pad to see if he was in sight. There ias on sign of him. Ii got to be :15 and still he did not put in an ppearance. Our police dog, who lways met him as he came home,