Evening star., 1946-07-27
Degnun
Continued From First Page

girl, the ex-WAVE. Miss Brown,
and Mrs. Josephine Ross.
The defense will make known its
position to the States attorney,
probably Tuesday, and will submit
to any procedure he subscribes.''
The Degnan crime shocked the
Nation with its brutality. The
golden haired daughter of an OPA
official was stolen from her bed by
an abductor who left note de-
manding $4,000 ransom.
Investigation established that the
killer strangled the girl almost i'm
mediately, took the body to the
basement of a nearby apartment
building and then presumably spent
several hours cutting off her head.
arms and legs and dissecting the
torso. Police recovered the parts
from sewers in the neighborhood
the same night-after the dis
traught father had made a series
of radio broadcasts pleading with
the killer.
Please don't hurt her. She's
only a little girl, he begged.
The Lipstick Note.
The Brown killing was embel-
llshed by note in lipstick her killer
penciled on the wall of her North
Side apartment saying, For heav-
ems sake catch me before I kill
more. I cannot control myself"
The victim was shot and wounded
and then killed with 10-inch
bread knife thrust through her
throat.
Mrs. Ross slayer plunged knife
through her throat and then plas-
tered piece of adhesive tape over
her jugular vein to stop the flow
OF blood.
Mr., Coghlan said Heirens dis
cussed the three slayings at a con-
ference in the County Jail yester-
day with his parents and lawyers.
Mr.. Coghlan said Heirens had
agreed to sign any statement he
makes to the States attorney.
In the Degnan case, the prosecu-
ton has announced the youths
finger and palm prints were found
on the ransom note. In the Staying
of Miss Brown, the States attorney
said his fngerprint had been found
on the door of her bathroom.
Says He Saw Heirens.
George Subgrunski, witness, also
came forward in the Degnan case.
identifying Heirens as a youth he
saw carrying paper shopping bag
near the Degnan home at about the
time the 6-year-old girl was kid
naped.
Formal indictments charging
Heirens with the Degnan and Brown
slayings were returned by the Cook
County grand jury yesterday.
The defense revealed yesterday
that Heirens would enter not guilty
plea when he is arraigned on the
two murder charges Tuesday, but
that continuance would be sought
to permit a mental examination Of
the defendant
State psychiatrists repeatedly havs
found Heirens suffering from split
personality. and a confirmation of
this finding would enable the de-
fense to offer this evidence, along
with the confessions, as mitigat-
ing circumstance when the penalty
is considered.
Mr.. Coghlan said Heirens signed
statements during the Jail confer
ence yesterday, detailing the three
slayings.
Conference at Jail.
A few hours after the indictments
were handed to Chief Justice Harold
G.. Ward of Criminal Court, Heirens,
his parents and defense attorneys
held a two-hour conference in the
Cook County Jail chapel, with its
religious background of the altar,
the stations of the cross and large
painting of THE Last Supper"
The Chicago Tribune and the Sun
said Heirens recounted for his
parents the details of the Staying of
the Degnan child, the shooting and
stabbing of Miss Brown, and also
admitted Staying Mrs. Ross.
The Tribune, In It's account which
| it credited to "a county jail report"
said Heirens 'recounted for his par
ents the details of three murders
many burglaries and several assaults
This same reliable source reported
that Heirens signed some documents
and then his mother and fathe,
signed the same papers.
The parents, it was reported
were shocked by the details of the
university's students revelations 60
The mother was visibly shocked
She appeared to be beyond tears as
sine heard the story. Laboriously
she and her husband took the pen
| to sign the documents after the son
had done sou