The Indianapolis times., 1926-04-09
Signature on Letter, Post
marked New Orleans, Re-
ceived by Times, Identi-
fled by State Officials as
That of Missing Murderer.
BLAMES POLITICS FOR
LONG STAY IN PRISON
Sister of MunCie Doctor Ex-
presses Doubt as TO
Whether He Sent MisSive
Failed to Return When
Parole Was Up.

Hunt for DR.. N. B. Ross. fugitive
Muncie Qnd.) slayer, turned today to
New Orleans, La, and Havana,
Cuba, following receipt of a letter
from DR.. Ross by The Indianapolis
Times. The letter was postmarked
New Orleans.
The envelope bore a return re-
quest asking the letter be returned
in ten days to Havana.
Hunt for DIR. Ross was started
when he failed to return to Michigan
City State Prison when a parole ex-
pired April l. The parole was
granted so he could visit his aged
mother, who was i'll here at the
home OF his brother-in-law, Michael
]. Walsh, 32OS E. Thirty-Eight st.
Left Here April 1
Relatives said he left here on the
morning of April 1 to return to the
prison. They said he had been much
depressed over the death of doctor
friend and feared he had taken his
life.
II can't understand such a letter.
Certainly he could not be that far
away" said Mrs. Walsh, DIR. Ross
sister.
He had only his railroad fare to
Michigan City. We have worried
terribly about him, because he was
under such mental strain. You
don't know what one will do when
in such a nervous condition" she
said
Mrs. Walsh said the family had
no relatives in the South. Con-
dition of DIR. Ross mother was said
to be worse today.
Extension Refused
He was granted a thirty-day
parole, Jan. 30 A thirty-day extern
sion was granted, but appeal for a
third extension was refused by the
State pardon board.
Pardons board employees compared
the signature on the letter to DR..
Ross signature on a pardon plea
and said they were identical
Thomas X. Kaylor, Indiana Ma
tional Bank cashier, said the sigma
lures seemed the same. A hand
writing expert at the bank also said
the signatures resembled each other.
Ross was convicted Of second
degree murder for the Staying OF
Daniel Linder, Muncie street car
conductor in 1909.
The Staying occurred after an ar
gument over fare.
Thanks His Friends
In the letter DIR. Ross charged
that politics was responsible for
keeping him in prison.
The letter:
April Z.
Dear friends in good old Muncy-
town:
i thank an of You from the bot
tom of my heart who have used
your influence to try to restore me
to the arms Of my poor old
mother. I thank all of you a
thousand times. Just think I may
never be able to see my poOr
mother anymore. Then they talk
about justice. God help such
justice as Indiana hands out.
They admitted to me and to
other friends that they were keep
ing me In prison on account of
politics in Hartford City. That
gang OF politicians I'm Indianapolis
said that II Piney WooIford and
Governor jackson turned me out
that BlackfOrd County would vote
against them and beat jackson.
CThe next two paragraphs of the
letter contained childish attack
on Governor. Jackson.)
Yours for justice,
DIR. N. B. ROSS
p. S.-If you people publish
this article please send copy of Il
to Eugene Debs who is a friend TO
the poor man and the convict.
just think of i'll had to run away
to keep from dying in prison.
p. S.-They are paying lots OF
attention to Governor McCray's
blood pressure, but they are not
or did not pay any attention TO
mine, and il was 215 degrees. DIR.
AN' D' hVpSs Dub ~ Ildy SOV lower
now. 1 have been using sachirine.
Authorities Informed
The Rev. George S. Henninger.
pardon board president, said Nlichi-
gan City officials would be informed
at once and authorities in New Or
leans and Havana asked to watch
for Ross.
II Ross escapes to South America
1t would be difficult to bring him back
to this country, he said.
If he goes to Cuba, however, it
will be easy to effect his return,
Henningei said.
Possibility that the letter might
have been mailed in New Orleans by
a confederate of Ross was advanced.
The fugitive might have taken this
step to put searchers on a wrong
track, 1t was pointed out.
However, as pardon authorities
had believed Ross was fleeing 10