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Show MURDERER OF THE BEAUTIFUL MIS. WOOMLL IS BEYOND WD ATM ft ID THE I AW iicAUi Or lilt LAw Hemmed in On All Sides, Roberts Is Either Shot to Death by One of Posse or by His Own Hand Near Scene of Tragedy He May be Robert Eastman of New York Young Victims Life Was Filled With Romance terts "could not go this time" as the girls were all at Annapolis. The murder is believed to have been committed last Saturday night, the 19th. State's Attorney Turner holds to tho belief that the man committed suicide to avoid capture. This afternoon the coroner's jury decided that Roberts committed suicide. sui-cide. An inquest is to be held tonigot. Roberts, or Eastman, as he is now supposed to be. is known in police circles as a man from 40 to 45 years old, height five feet six inches, of 6tout build, face smooth shaven, bushy luxuriant hair and sullen complexion. He walked with a limp and wore a brace on hJs leg. - 1 Baltimore, Juno 25. A woman whose identity Detective Captain Humphrey refuses to disclose, called a police headquarters today and declared de-clared she knew Eastman, giving a de- ! eciiptlon of him that coincides with ! that of Roberts. She said she visit- i ed Mrs. Wevjjli jn California recent- ly and that Eastman also was a guest at tlje Woodill home. j St. Michsr-Ia. Mr., June 25 Emmett ' E. Roberts, the newspaper correspondent correspond-ent and rnagazlno writer and author,1 who was wanted for tho murder of Mrs. Edith May Thompson Woodill, the daughter of Col. Charles A. Thompson, was shot to death bv a sheriff's posse while resisting arrest ofl thp whaif at MeDaniel. Talbot, county, at 4 o'clock this morning. Rob-: rrts fired one shot from a rcolver, but without effect. Shortly after midnight this morning' a small craft was seen moving up the waters of Dark River, alon the sliores.of which are the hompg of Col. , Thompson and Roberts. It is unusual to see a small hoat on the river at such an early hour, and John MeOuav. ed for some time with Lyman J. Gage, who took a great interest in her. When she was fifteen, he sent her. with Mrs. Thompson, to Paris, whrvro she studied music. On her return from Paris, she went to Boston to complete her studies, and while in Boston she was married to a Dr. Caswell. Cas-well. When she was 17. she came to Baltimore to continue her studies in the Peabody conservatory, leaving her ( husband. She was know here as Miss Edith Thompson, concealing her marriage from all but a few intimate friends. In a short lime thereafter, she entered en-tered suit for divorce against Dr. Caswell. Cas-well. I I She left Baltimore a year ago, being be-ing engaged at the time to Harry j Adams. t Mount Vernon, N. Y. After i a brief stay in New Yorn, she went to , I California." where in less than thirty ; days after her divorce from Dr. Caswell, Cas-well, she married Gilbert Woodill of I Los Angeles. It has also been rumored rumor-ed that in her early youth, Charles Thompson, the son of her foster mother moth-er and father, being a rejected suitor, committed suicide on her account. During her residence in Baltimore, Mr. Gage, it Is said, sent her checks continually, some of them amountl; to $1,500. and when she was married to Mr. Woodill he gave her $5,000. At i the time of her death. Mr. Gage Is J said to have been building her a house in Los Angeles, with the understand-1 ing that he wa3 to come to live with ; her and her husband. All of these facts, it is asserted, were stated by Mrs. Woodill to friends in Baltimore prior to her dcatn. Mrs. Woodill had a peculiar charm for men, and nearly every man who came in contact with her was at-! .tracted. She possessed magnetism in f-ddltion to beauty. In stature she was rather petite, with a bcuMful figure, an expreseive face, golden brown hair and brown eyes. She was St. MIcheal's, Md.. June 23. Dead, cither by the shots of a sheriff's posse or his own hand, Emraett E. Roberts., the accused slayer of beautiful Mrs. Edith .May Thompson Woodill, protege pro-tege of Lyman J. Gage, passed beyond the reach of the law today, and with his death vanished the hope of clearing clear-ing up the details of one of the most shocking crimes the state of, Maryland Mary-land c-cr has known. With the lips of both victim and slayer sealed, the story of the night struggle on the lonely bungalow on the shores of a tidal inlet of Chesapeake bay. Hie s'ory of the mad efforts of the slayer to conceal the Identity and dispose of the- body or" the woman, who although al-though twice married, was still a mere girl in years: the story of the scenes preceding the fatal attack, and, above all. the motive for tho deed, may never now be told. Tiie mystery of Mrs. Woodill's antecedents, an-tecedents, her brilliant prospects and accomplishments, her beauty, and the prominence of her foster parents and relatives, and the brutal manner of her death had created an intenso sensation sen-sation In themselves, which was fur-tli'-r heightened by the death of the man In whose company she was last seen. Roberts, who was little known here, is believed now to have assumed that name. Robert E. Eastmanis believed to have been his real name, according to papers discovered today. For dramatic features, the death of Roberts could hardly be surpassed. Jt was (he blackest part of a moonless night the half hour of darkness Just before dnvn that the posse came up with their quarry, who had during the ntelJ. iaken to a row boat and sculled up E?.ck river. Hemmed In on all, sides. Roberta tried o sneak out thro-uch one of the I ranches of the creek, but the slight unusually "well-read and musical and artistic in temperament. There was aiways more or Ies3 mystery surrounding her. No one ever seemed to know exactly who she was. She referred to Captain and Mrs. Thompson, of MeDaniel, as her father and mother, but was supposed' to be an adopted child ; She constantly talked of and referred refer-red to Secretary Gage, and seemed fonder of him than of anybody else In the world. She always spoke of him , as 'Tapa" Gace. She and her husband hus-band made a visit at his home in California Cali-fornia before coming east. Mrs. Gage seemed to take the greatest interest in her material and mental welfare, and visited her while she was studying study-ing music in Baltimore, frequently meeting her in New York. Through the Influence of Mrs. Gage. It is said, Mrs. Woodill sang at the White House for President McKInley and some guests. The President was delighted de-lighted with her and her voice, and was frank to tell her so. Mrs. Woodill was very fond of pretty clothes? and when last seen here was beautifully gowned. In her letter from California to Baltimore friend?, she expressed herself her-self as happy and devoted to her husband, hus-band, of whom sue seemed very proud. Those who met him in Baltimore say that he seemed equally devoted to her. who ha a farm on a point on a i creek vnear Bosnian, notified Sherilf I Mortimer and Magistrate Willy, who were at St. Michaels. McQuav said ' the boat looked like the one in 'which Roberts escaped from MeDaniel. and a man in it looked like the missing i author. Sheriff Mortimer, Magistrate Magis-trate Willy and a posse of tdx men hurried to the scene, reaching the river shoe at 1 a. m. All were armed. They crept down to the water's edge, and made out the outlines of a man in his nhlrt sleeves, languidly rowing a boat up the rivf-r. They made no demonstration, resolving to wait until the rower got into narrower waters and within ranpe. Sheriff Mortimer and Messrs. Hooper Hoop-er and Harper obtained a boat, and followed Roberts, who apparently be-camoalartned be-camoalartned and hastened up the river at a faster pace, the sheriff's boat following. Magistrate Willy and others followed along the shore. The cornering maneuvers began shortly after 1 a. m. For three hours, the two boats and" the magistrate's party proceeded up tho river, the shores narrowing all the while. 1 Roberts was nearing.the scene of his alleged crime. As the shores drew together, members of the posse made out the features of Roberts. He was ne-nrlng the wharf at MeDaniel from which point he is supposed to have fled. . When Roberts got abreast of the j landing place, and was but one hundred hun-dred feet from shore. Magistrate Willy Wil-ly and his two deputies stepped out into trie open. "Hello. Roberts, throw up your hands." shouted the magistrate. Roberts did not utter a word but rose In hi3 boat with a big revolver in his light hand. He quickly leveled at the party on shore and fired. Myer Croue. a special deputy, fired a shot from a revolver at the white sbirted figure standing in tho boat. Then Magistrate Willy discharged a shotgun. Deputy Crone fired a second sec-ond shot, Roberts dropped in a heap In the boat, his revolver falling at his side. I The deputies waded out to the small craft. Roberts had been shot in t2 mouth and was dead. The boat was , drawn to the shore, and the body ex- arainod. Roberts had a bottle of poison in Ms pockets and a number of letter. The body was taken to Si. Michaels. j Baltimore, June 21. The death of Roberta at St. Michaels marks the culmu.atlon of one of the most sensational sen-sational tragedies in Maryland's history, his-tory, with ramifications that have ' become country-wide In their extent. ! Some of the acts in the meteoric ca-recrof ca-recrof Mis. Woooill, in whose brief life, Ice and romance played such a great part, were related today, by an Intimate friend of the slain vomas, who said they were told by Mrs. Woodill herself. Mrs. Woodill said she was born b Minneapolis about twenty years tivo-Ho tivo-Ho mother, who called herself Mrs. Ames, died v.iien she. was about three years old. leaving her in utter ignorance ig-norance of her father or mother. Mrs. Charles II. Thompson of Mr-D:tnlel, Mr-D:tnlel, Md.. then took her and brought he-: up. ielllnu her that she (Mrs. Thompson) was hvr mother's int.1-nire int.1-nire friend, but never dissclosin to lo!- the name of her father. When :h" wn:; twelve ycMi of .'iiro. they w:ut to Washington, where they Uv- nolse made by his oars was detected find the watchers saw the dark form cf his boat, on the water. There was a sl:ai p command to halt, which went nnh-ded. then another command. Then Roberts fired, whether at himself him-self or at the pospe fs as yet unknown. In answer to his shot tho posse sent a fussllade in the direction of the boat. Tho manhunters then rode out to the ski IT cautiously, and found Rob-cits Rob-cits lying in the 1 ottom dead. Th is culminated the most sensa-ticnal sensa-ticnal tragedy enacted in this state, with ramifications' that, havo bpcome couni rv-v.ide in extent through the icclal standing and charming personality person-ality of the victim. Jealousy may have Leon the motive. Y'liere and under what eircum-stanr-es Roberts and Mrs. Woodill met Is not known, but they seemed to have been immediately attracted to each other. Little is known here regard-. Ing Roberts, which name he gave when he came to this region about a rionth ago anjl purchased a small far.ii near Captain Thompson's place. He claimed to be a magazine writer; end newspaper correspondent. He was polite and affable in manner, made friends readily, but never discussed dis-cussed his affairs. Whether tho man's real name Is Roberts Is doubtful. The finding of a letter near his body, and a deed addressed ad-dressed to Mrs. Robert B. Eastman, care of Geo. B Turner, "to be called for," aroused hls doubt. The letter! Jjgan: "Veinl (who Is believed to be his v,Uf) the enclosed keys are several 1 you will need to examine my proper-1 t y. I owe seventy cents to William Sutton, neighbor. ' I owe .5 to Wm. Norris, Easton, Md. Pay them both." The note has no date and was written writ-ten in lead pencil. It was stamped, tut had been opened. Mr. Taylor, v.ith whom INston. or Roberts, boarded, board-ed, got a letter some days ago from E. B. Wellington, from the New Wil-lard. Wil-lard. Washington, in which inquiry is made after Roberts. , Mr. Taylor wrote to the hotel, but the letter was returned with the statement that 'Wellington 'Wel-lington had left Later Roberts said Wellington was an uncle and lived In Denver. He also stated at different times that he came from Denver, j The coroner has in his possession a letter found on Roberts, or Eastman, East-man, as he Is now supposed to be, addressed ad-dressed to Miss Vir.nle Bradcombe, care Klaw and Erlanger, New York. In which the writer asks the girl to oiffie down to Maryland to take charge cf his body and property, as he Intended In-tended to commit suicide. Eastman added that ho had been out in a boat with four other people, two women end two men and that all had been drunk except himself and one girl; thrit one of the men struck a girl over V.o head with a wine bottle and had killed ber. . The letter thivws a distinctly now light n the situation, but the authoii- j ik'K are not prepared to accept this llieorv of the murder. Mrs. Wood ill. when lat seen, was olene it: Roberts' company. A lc-ltor 1 fcund In the Roberts biinealow, dited j Juno 10. indicated there had been vis- Uora and a possible party at tLio place j early la s-1 wcok. ' I The letter was dated frm Easton, 5d.. and said: "Ryan and Short." together with tho writer. "Ilo-.vi'ith" would be d i.n it 12, o'clock that nlshl. and world !e:ue shortly afterward and were soii'y Ro'j- Mount Vernon, N. Y June 25. The only Harry Adam? known in this vl-vlnity vl-vlnity Is a son of William Adams, a retired real estate operator. The latter lat-ter said today that he dll not know enough about his son's affairs to have knowledge as to whether he had ever been engaged to be married to Mrs. Woodill, or Mrs. Caswell, as she was known at the time of the reported engagement. en-gagement. Harry Adams is now traveling trav-eling for a New York firm, his father staled, but the name of the firm or where his son was at present, the elder Adams said he did not know. His son had not been heard from in more than a year, and although ho knew the young man had been married mar-ried within that time, he did not know his present address. Henry Adams Is a little under thirty years old. J Minneapolis, June 25. Anna Pearl Witz (Mrs. Woodill) was born November No-vember 3, 18NG, in Aeotin county. Washington. She is the daughter of ; Matthew and Zeetella Knight Witz. She was adopted by Charles H. aud Laura E. Thompson, Oct. 13, 1830. ) |
