OCR Text |
Show oo KILL WOMAN H u U I n InflH fa Eft Hal It rf r UK MIMY Brutal Murder In Chicago Chi-cago Rooming House Two Are Suspected Chicago, Oct. 29. MIbr Sophia O Singer, 29 years old, and the daughter of Mrs. O H. Singer, a Baltimore widow, wid-ow, was found murdered, her arms and legs bound with a rope, her skull crushed, a chloroformed handkerchief stuffed into her mouth and her body wrapped in a blanket, in an Indiana avenue rooming house early today by William R. Wharthen, who accom- I panlod hor here from tho eastern city throe weeks ago and to whom, according accord-ing to his own story, she was to have been married tomorrow Charles D. CSonway, said to be a high diver, and his wife, who also is known as Beatrice Riall and May Monte, Mon-te, a variety actress, who roomed in the samo apartment, and who had been befriended by Wharthen, nre being be-ing sought by tho police In connection with the crime The body of Miss Singer was found on the bed In tho room occupied by them. The couple had been In the house during tho evening, but no trace of them has been learned since tho discovery of the body. According to Wharthen, Miss Singer Sing-er was an acquaintance of Mrs. Conway, Con-way, who was known to hor as Mlsa Riall, and it was through tho latter's invitation that he and his sweetheart went to room at the same house. Tho four moved Into the rooms where the murder as committed only yesterday. Wharthen told the police he had I paid tho expenses of the Con ways an well as thoso of himself and Miss I Singer at the rooming house since Joining them Gave Her Money. Wharthen, who was hold by the police, po-lice, declared that before leaving tho house last night ho handed Is fiancee ?4S, in to presence of the Conways, and then went down town. It was after midnight when he returned to the houso and found the hallway spattered spat-tered with blood. He aroused the other oth-er roomers by repeated pounding on the door leading to the Conway apartment, apart-ment, after finding that Miss Singer was not in her room. A key was furnished by Mrs. Julia McCarthy, keeper of tho house Investigation showed that the money he had given the woman was missing, as well ns several articles of jewelry. A trail of blood led to a kitchen where the table and floor wore covered cov-ered with blood A door knob with the piece of iron attached for n knob on the other end lay on the floor wrapped In a handkerchief saturated with blood and with a leather shoestring shoe-string attached to it in loop fashion. Wharthen said Conway had once exhibited ex-hibited the bludgeon to Miss Singer with the remark- "This Is what I knock 'cm out with " Met In Baltimore According to Wharthen's story he met Miss Singer in Baltimore several months ago, while ho wa6 employed there by a street car company He said her mother was in comfortable circumstances When be decided to come to Chicago with the idea of locating lo-cating here, Mis3 Singer, he said, expressed ex-pressed a desiro to accompany him. He told tho police that he had spent most of his life on a Maryland farm nonr Rnltimnrn with ilia fnthoi nrhn still resides there. He is 26 vc.irs old. Wharthen will be held by the police pending the outcome of the coroner's investigation today. Mother Is III. Baltimore, Oct 'J9. Sophia G. Singer, Sing-er, who was found murdered In n rooming house in Chicago, came of a good famllj of this city. Her mother, Mrs. Loui&e Singer, Is a widow, living in the northern part of the city No information could be obtained at her home this morning concerning the murdered woman Mrs. Singer was said to be ill and would not see newspaper news-paper men. From other sources It was learned that Miss Singer was an actress and had appeared at a local amusement park last summer. She left Baltimore on October 5, leving word that she. would return in about five weeks Frank Q. Singer, Jr , a prominent builder of this city, wa3 hor brother. William R. Worthen, who was her reputed sweetheart, was formerly a street railway conductor here. He quit his position about a month ago. A woman relative of Worthen said she had heard hlnT speak of Miss Singer frequently, Charles D. Conway and Beatrice Riall. or May Monto. were known hero as variety actors. They appeared at local parks during last summer. Frank O. Singer, the dead woman's brother, was notified of his sister's death in a private telegram from Chicago. Chi-cago. He said he had sent a private detective to Chicago to work on tho case. Instead of having but $40 or $50 on her person, as reported, his MBOBlinnimoMB u i i icnaicaBlP sister had fully a thousand dollars in j her possession, he declared. j Speaking of the affair Mr. Singer '1 said: ( "My sister left her home on October G. It was said she was going to Bos- ' ton for a visit, but the family heard jg from her later In Chicago and under- 6tood she had gone there direct. I "She had been In Chicago many 9 times and had both friends and rela- M tives there. Her main reason in go- I ing to Chicago wns for the purpose of M undergoing an operation for Btomach trouble. "Sophia was 30 years old. Of ber friends and acquaintances In Chicago I knew practically nothing "In my talk with tho Chicago police po-lice over the telephone this morning 1 was told that she had been bound and gagged and had been killed apparently ap-parently by a blow on the head. Beyond Be-yond these details I knew nothing. "So far as I know at this moment none of the family will go to Chicago, but I hae already made arrangements j for a private detective to leave here 1 at once for Chicago I am stunned by : the news of my sister's death." Miss Singer lived at 717 Lenox street and In an attractive neighbor- ' hood. It was said later that she was not an actress, as at first reported. on |