BLIND MAN'S ALLEGED REQUEST.

Bruce Herald, Volume LV, Issue 67, 1 September 1919, Page 4

BLIND MAN'S ALLEGED REQUEST.

GAVE ELEVEN POUNDS TO BE / THROWN INTO RIVER. ,

An extraordinary story has just been related by Aubrey Dennison, 1 ' the Chicago Kid/' who surrendered to the Louisvillo police It was, in effect, that an old, blind, and helpless man named Dave Lewis gave Dennison £ll to have himself killed. Dennison said he accepted the £ll. put the old man out of the way, and threw his body into the Calumet River. .The Chicago' police are investigating. They are not entirely satisfied with Dennison's "confession'" and will not bring him back until they have investigated it. ' Lewis, the "kid" told the Lewisville authorities, was a expert machinist, who was no longer able to make a living for himself or his family. 'A BURDEN TO' HIMSELF. "It was o*c night last summer," he said, "about August 19 as I remember, when Lewis and I were together. Lewis was drunk, and I was half drupk. He was complaining that he was a burden to himself and to everyone else, and said he would give me 55d0l to kill him. I did so. Then I threw his body into the Calumet River. I had been going with his sixteen-year-old daughter, Mabel, for about a year." ■ Records at the .Coroner's Office show only one identified body in the' lake about the time of the supposed death of Lewis. A body was, taken from the lake, September 13, about "ton miles south' of Michigan City. to the records, it had been in the water about one month.There wore no. marks of violence,' and death was due to drowning, 'the ' Coroner's jury decided. ■ )

•ABSENCE Ol A "DETAILS. ' Gaptain Joseph Smith, of the South Chicago, police, received word, of tlio Louisville arrest and. immediately began. an investigation of records of Ms station, to see„ifLewishad boon 'reported missinglas'l summer, or ,if a body had ever been found; in tlio .Calumet .River that would correspond to. that of the man wiw>m DennisPn, said he murdered. ; He wired to Lewisvilleto obtain fur-' ther-particulars of the crime. -r The ab- , sence of -details ■; in]; Dennisoii's story weakens; it in- tie' eyes; of the police, and they decHned ;to, commit themselves as to its probable authenticity. . The Kentucky authorities .are; holding Dennison. on a chargeof vagrancy.. ''Maybe .this man. wants a free ride to Chicago,'' said Captain. Smith, et and will repudiate his confession as soon as i ho reaches the town. 7 ' r | There-are many lonely spots along the Calumet-Biver. whero a murder could "be committed and none be the j wiser.' if the' body of the victim were weighted bofore it was" thrown into the i stream it might never be discovered, and all.evidence of the crimo could "be concealed!' imless the murderer «onfessed.