The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1925-06-11
GIRL In GORTNER MURDER
CASE WILL BE RELEASED
Ailegany County Officials ReIuc-
tant to Accept Her Account
of Local Mans Murded

Nellie r. Wagner, OF Alaska,
West Va, who since last Satur-
day has been held in the Allie
gany county Jail at Cumberland
while officials investigated the
murder of Arlington Gortner, 10
years old son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Fred. Gortner, of near Mountain
Lake Park, will be released from
custody today.
Reluctant to accept the girls ac-
count of the crime, both city and
county authorities were forced to ad-
nit last night that they are unable
to find any evidence to prove that she
is not telling the truth or that she is
shielding someone. She has been
quizzed scores of times and under all
conditions since she was taken into
custody, but at no time did her ac-
count Of the crime very even as to one
detail. On the other hand every an
gle which presented itself has been
thoroughly investigated without she'd
ding any light on the case.
''If she is telling the truth, then
the murdered has escaped, for the
present time at least, and she is the
victim of a strange set Of circum-
stances. If she is not telling the truth
we are unable to shake her story or
to find anything which will contradict
her, and we cannot see any reason to
hold her in jail any longer" States
Attorney William A. Hustler declared
last night.
Search for the murderer led officials
to Kingwood yesterday morning at
which place two men are imprisoned
on charges of train riding and carry
ing concealed weapons. But like
number of others taken into custody
since the murder was committed the
two men were eXonerated when Miss
Wagner, who accompanied the Ale
gany county officers to the West Vir-
gjnia town, failed to identify them,
L caring that neither OF the men was
the one who did the shooting and then
assaulted her
Story of the Crime.
The story Of the crime, taken from
the Cumberland Evening Times of
last Saturday, is as follows:
County and city authorities contin-
ued their investigation today into the
,,,,yc+oriO,1s eboo+;,,oc o,,J ,o,,,rl ~, - c
Arlington Gortner, aged 20 years,
son of Mr.. and Mrs. Fred. Gortner, of
Mountain Lake Park, and the alleged
criminal attack and robbery of Miss
Nellie F. Wagner, 20, Alaska, w.
Va, his companion, about II o'clock
last night, by an unidentified white
man, near Washington avenue, OIL
Johnson's Heights. According to
Miss Wagoner's story, her assailant
shot Gortner and then criminally mis-
treated her and also robbed her of her
jewelry and disappeared.
Miss Wagner is of medium build
with dark bobbed hair. She had large
scratches on her neck, apparently
from a mans hand.
Delbert A. Payton, roommate of
Gortner, in company with a Miss
Lewis, and Gortner, in company with
Miss Wagner walked out Will
Jams street to Johnson's Heights after
the two girls had left their work at
the Queen City Hotel where each cou-
pie sat down to rest at some distance
apart. Prior to joining the girls for a
walk, the two men had been up the
river bathing.
1t appears that Miss Lewis and
Payton walked ahead and later came
down Williams street and went to
their respective homes.
Miss Wagner asserts she and Gort-
ner he'd left Washington avenue and
sat talking on the hillside when
man came up with a drawn gun. He
ordered them to hold up their hands
and Gortner refused. When he at
tempted to attack Miss Wagner, it.
is said Gortner leaped upon her as
sailant and later wrestling his gun
hand free shot Gortner.
The bullet entered Gortner's left
breast just above the nipple and
! pierced his heart. He sank to the
ground while his companion says the
murdered grabbed her and took her
rings, bracelet and wrist watch. He
then ordered her to cheat it and keep
quiet" the young woman states.
AT the corners inquest held Mon
day Miss Wagner rehearsed the in
cidents above varying little if any
from her original story.
The body of the murdered man was
sent to Mountain Lake Park Sunday
morning and on Tuesday the funeral
was conducted at the Gortner Union
church. Besides his parents he is
survived by two sisters and six broth
ers and large family connection.
Until about three months ago Gort-