Evening star., 1926-09-26
KILLED BY FRIGHT,
SAYS CONFESSION
British Detectives Unable to
Decide if Letter UnraveIs
12.Year-0Id Murder.
Correspondence OF The star and New York
World

correspondence OF The star and New York
World
LONDON, September A scene
worthy Of the imaginative powers of
a master Of modern fiction is describ-
ed in an anonymous confession" re-
Gently received by the police authori-
ties at Scotland Yard. It alleges to
describe how the writer frightened"
e man to death deliberately some 12
years ago-though be it understood.
the writer does not offer to give him
self up to justice.
Scotland Yard is disposed to dis
regard anonymous letters, for that
institution gets more than its share
Of such epistles, and the British de-
tective force is we'll accustomed to
dealing with confessions, both
anonymous and signed Tor personaD.
which prove 70 be mere imagination
or the work of publicity hunters. But
in the present case, Scotland Yard is
not quite sure to which category the
frightened him-to-death' confessor
belongs.
Some II years ago a. man was
found dead in private hotel at Har-
rogate, we'll known as a convalescent
center and for its curative springs
and baths. Shock was the only
cause that could be adduced and. as
many of the visitors to Harrogate are
suffering from something or other IN
which a shock might easily prove
fatal, everything seemed normal.
Chalk Discovered in Body.
There was a post-mortem exami-
nation, but beyond the discovery of
quantity Of chalk in the body, there
was nothing to indicate foul play. or
even unusual disturbance or happen
tngs The customary open verdict
was returned, and for - years nobody
has had any interest in invoking the
aid Of the police.
Now comes an anonymous writer
to Scotland Yard. who paints a
dramatic picture of the last moments
of the Harrogate victim Of shock.
According to the writer he went to
the Harrogate Hotel with the DELHI
crate intention Of frightening the
man Cnis enemy to death. To carry
out his plan the writer claims he en-
tered the victims room, and, point
ing a revolver at him, dramatically
declared the time had come for him
to die. The threatened man was hor-
ror-stricken and on the verge OF col
lapse when the intruder explained he
had one chance for life.
Taking two packets from his pocket
he put the white powder they con-
tanned into two glasses Of water, all
the time covering the threatened man
with the revolver. "One or these
packets contains arsenic-take Your
choice" was the intruder's declara-
ton according to the anonymous let
ter writers confession ,.
The threatened man drank the CON
tents of one glass. collapsed from
fright and died He had been killed
by bluff--both packets contained cha TX
The writer declares he removed the
two glasses and left the district with
out being suspected.
Recalls Doyle Story.
Had this letter been written 80 or
so wears ago about the time Conan
Dovle wrote his study in Scarlet"
the police would doubtless have said
"Haw-haw very good. really. and
consigned II to the waste basket, TOR
Doyle's story of the choice of poisoned
or harmless pill given by Jefferson
Hope to his Mormon enemy, Drehber,
was on everybody's lips.
Sherlock Holmes remains popular
favorite. but the jefferson Hope stunt
has been almost forgotten, except PER
haps by sChoolboYs who are reading
it for the first time. and, as stated.
Scotland Yard is not at all sure ABOUT
this CONCESSION.
The writer seems to know more !
than the average person would about
the history Of the Harrogate fright
ened-to-death" case, and some of the
details given fill bla nks hitherto un-
known to the police. The fact that
there would seem TO he no reason for
the ANONYMOUS writer to recall atten-
ton to the Harrogate death and that
he brags that it is now impossible for
the police to trace him does not cause
il to ne regarded too lightly by the
authorities The workings of tho
criminal mind cannot be bounded hN
the limits of reason as has been
proved time and again.
Story Being Investigated
Anyway. Scotland Yard is looking
carefully into the records of the Har-
rogate crime" and the suggestion
they can no longer trace the writer of
the confession naturally has put the
detectives on their mettle. The "con
fession" was posted in the Charing
Cross district OF London. Meantime
all names are being officially con
cealed.
A leading Harrogate doctor who re-
menaherpt the case. observed to an
interviewer the other day he would
not be surprised if there was some
thing in the confession. There were
many rumors at the time" he said,
and many conjectures s 10 the shock
which had caused the mans death,
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