GIRL'S HAUNTING EYES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20626, 26 July 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

GIRL'S HAUNTING EYES.

"MY FATHER'S MURDERER."

THE SILENT "THIRD DEGREE."

FULL CONFESSION FORCED.

ST OR Y OF COLD-BLOODED CRIME

" I am going to staro a confession out H: the murderer of my father!" declared pretty 19-year-old Jalio Pearman, a student at the University of Missouri, and fclie did it in dramatic fashion.

In his cell at Bentonvillo, Arkansas, sat I)r. Andrew J. Bass, aged 55, a retired and wealthy dentist, of Columbia, Missouri, charged with tho murder of William R. Pearman in order to collect £40.000 Insurance money. Tho story is told in tho News of the World.

Dr. Bass knew that ho was guilty, but that did not matter, for nobody had seen him commit tho crime. 110 had what ho considered a good alibi, plenty of money for defeneo, and know that most murderers mauage to escape, even when not as intelligent and resourceful as ho. 'The authorities knew he was guilty, but that did not matter either, unless they could prove it to a jury with evidence mostly circumstantial and, as usual, all Tho tricks of tho law favouring the criminal.

But there was ono other person who knew that Bass was guilty, a pretty, young brunette, daughter of" the man he had killed, and, as things turned out, that did matter. The sheriff, detectives, and reporters had tried to break down the iron will of tho prisoner by questions, but ho declined to answer, on advico of counsel, except that a great mistake " had been made. The Shadow on the Floor.

v The first intimation that a new force was on hi 3 trail came to Dr. Bass in the form of a shadow across the floor of his cell, as ho sat carefully planning his defence. Glancing up, ho could not repress a. start. The face of a beautiful young girl, with great dark eyes, was staring nfc him through the bars. It was the accusing look in those eyes which had made hiin start. Forcing his features to resume their usual " poker-face " expression, ha turned away, but < could not resist glancing back again and again. Bass wished that the girl would go Rway. How could he think clearly with that silent figure staring at him ? Who was she anyway, so young and pretty and yet with such a look of venom in her eyes 1 It wonld be a relief if those silent lips would speak. Then he remembered that the murdered man had a young daughter, and ho turned his head again. Could this bo Bill Pearman's girl ? As if reading the man's mind, the •ilent figure finally said in measured tones: " I—am—Jalie—Pearman." " What do vou want?" asked Bass.

" I am going to stare at you until you confess that you murdered my father," said tho girl.

I'll never do that because I am not guilty," answered the prisoner in assumed tones of innocence. But they did not impress Jalio, who replied: "But you will confess because you ara guilty, and I am going to stare at you until you tell it all." Strain on the Nerves. The ex-dentist shrugged his shoulders and averted his face, with tho look of a strong man martyred through 110 fault of his own. It seemed hours to Bass that ho felt those eyes on him, though, as a matter of fact, it was not over 30 minutes. All that timo ha fought with temptation to call one of the gaolers by rattling his tin cuo, but he was posing as an injured innocent and did not want anyone to think ho had a guilty conscience that would make him afraid of a girl. Finally, the gaoler came, asked what his unwelcome caller was doing, and when she told him, declared it was against the rules. Miss Pearman had to be dragged away by force. Bass gave a sigh of relief. Somehow, it had been a bad strain on his nerves. His clothes had become damp with sweat, and he realised that there wero also a widow and a son who probably would stare that same way at the trial. Well, anyway, till then he would bo free of those accusing eyes. But he was not rid of them. At odd times Bass found Jalio there again, staring. Never for long, because she' was soon chased away, but 110 got to dread tho eyes, and to watch for them continually. Soon he was not able to sleep at nights, watching and waiting for that accusing stare. It became unendurable.

Full Confession at Last. At last, to get rid of the girl, Bass issued a " fako " confession, admitting that some gunmen, under threat of killing him, had made him take a certain part in the insurance conspiracy, on the understanding, not that Pearman was to lie killed, but that another hotly was to bo substituted in his place. This confession did not satisfy tho authorities, nor tho daughter with tho nccusing eyes. So, driven to desperation, Bass finally made a full confession, admitting that ho had planned the crime and had done tho actual murder with his own hand, sondirig the bullet into his friend's brain as they sat side by sido in Bass' car. " Now I can sleep," Bass declared a3 he signed a confession, and was led away to his cell, a brokon man. Thoso staring eyes will haunt him no longer, for they have got from him what they wanted. Bass might havo collected his £40,000 and not been suspected of any crimo had it. not been for two other women, one of them tho aged mother of William Folta, "who refused to havo the body o't a stranger foisted on her as that of her long-lost hoy sho had not seen for 17 years. Thak snatched the £40,000 right out of the dentist's hands, and worse was yet to como from another quarter. Miss Pearl Powell, a waitress friend of Pearman in Columbia, had an intuition that the unidentified body in Arkansas, which sho read about in the papers, was Pearman's. Sho communicated her suspicions to Jalie, her mother and brother, and got them to go with her to Bentonviile. Their positive identification of tho remains tightened tho net enough to get Bnsss into prison charged with murder, but tho caso was full of loose ends until Jalio cleared it all up by staring that confession out of him.

Story of tho Murdered Man. illiam K. Peatman, tho girl's murdered father, was an expert auiomobilo mechanic who was making a comfortable living in Columbia, Missouri. But with a wife to support and a son and daughter going through tho university, ho found it difficult to make ends meet. Ho wished ho could pick up some of that easy money by thoso mysterious " deals " which made some of tho owners of tho cars ho repaired so prosperous. One day such an opportunity was offered to Mr. Pearman. His friend, Dr. Bass, touched by his complaint of never being ablo to save, consented to let him in on u big deal. Pearmah regarded den L.its as mechanics like himself, and bud enviously watched this one get rich b«:foh; liij eyes through real estate deals, Pearman was merely asked to impersonate another man, be a " dummy, in the transfer of .some Arkansas land. Yes, tho th.ng v.a" a bit shady, but it was fro-'"l'-nily done, and there would bo no

_ i he mechanic bad his misgivings, prob!'b;y, (iiit they were knocked out of his bv tho promise of £20,000 as his share. If must bo safe because ho was ,10 tl'* associate <>f t|,o smart, inspected and wealthy Dr. Bass. As a preliminary the dentist, made him a weekly allowance of £ 10 to get clothes ln S arieh real estato operator. deriTTn ■ secm llot to havo wonraiment !f ls ,. strn, . , R° blossoming into fino but, his waitr 10 t V ar "!' wor khig mechanic,

the temples to match the wig provided by Dr. Bass for tho impersonation. Tlieso final touches were made just beforo Pearman left town, telling Pearl the day lig would return with a small fortune.

Seventeen years ago William Folta, a youth of Martinsburg, Missouri, disappeared, and recently his ageing mother Itad been grieving at the prospect of not seeing him beforo she died. Some neighbours were moved to advertise a reward for information of tho missing William. Bass saw that advertisement and, by accident or design, managed to meet Frank Folta, a brother, at St. Louis, where ho pretended such interest in tho mystery that ho visited Martinsburg, got nil the details he could, and promised to help find William. Presently a stranger, claiming to bo a Government inspector of somo sort, called at the Folta homo and collected further particulars. Two moro visits from the benevolent Dr. Bas3 ended in a promiso to the grieving mother that ho would soon find her boy for her. "Then I can die happy," was the grateful answer. As a result of ail this, Bass had satisfied himself that his friend Pearman was near enough tho age, size and general description of what William might look liko after 17 years, so that his body would bo accepted as that of William Folia. The rest of the plot was to make Pearman impersonate Folta, make tho spurious Folta worth murdering, murder hitn and collect tho money. Pearman went to Kansas City, registered as William Folta at tho most expensivo hotel, and intimated to the clork that ho wanted life insurance. Ho told tho agents, who quickly descended on him, that he wanted £40,000 in favour of Dr. Bass, to protect Bass on a mortgage of that amount, covering a land sale. As this was not unusual, be was accepted and tho first premium paid with a cashier's chequo for £BOO.

The next step -wa3 the murder, for which Bass drove his victim at night from Kansas City hack to Columbia. While Pearman dosed, Dr. Bass placed a revolver at his head and, with a touch of tilo trigger, made the poor mechanic really worth £40,000. Bass then stopped tho car, took the seat out of the dickey, shoved tho btidy in and locked tho dickey. With the body locked in his car, Bass spent tho rest of tho night at his farm near Columbia, and next day met Casper Tillriun, a neighbour. For the promise of £250 Tillman agreed to help dispose of Poarman's body. The two men threw out the corpse near Gravette, whero two days later it was found. Tillman has confessed that ho helped the dentist dispose of the body and that ho fired two additional shots into the head to prevent any suspicion of suicide, as tho insurance policy would bo void in caso of selfdestruction.

A letter planted in tho dead man's pocket caused the sheriff to tclcphono Dr. Bass, who camo to Bentonvillo and identified the remains as William Folta, as did tho insurance company. In spito of Bass' protests that it was unnecessary, tho sheriff telegraphed tho Folta family that thoy had better view tho body. Mrs. Folta could ill afford tho expense, but, with her two other boys, came, as she thought, to have that promised last look at her son before sho died.

Pending over tho dead faco with teardirnmed eyes, Mrs. Folta suddenly cried: ihat s not Willie!" " But it must bo," Dr. Bass answered, and explained tho double identification. 1 don't caro who says so. It is not my son." " But you must bo mistaken, ilemombor it is 17 years, and he has changed." " I'd know iiirn if it was 70 years. You can't fool a mother."

Mrs. Folta declares that Dr. Bass then whispered to her that sho had better give the body tho benefit of tho doubt, and accept it, anyway, because she would then inherit tho huge profits ho was to receive from a real estate deal with tho dentist. Mrs. Folta has little money, but sho could not bo tempted. Sho replied: "I don't want any money that does not bolong to me, and that's not my son." In Columbia Pearl Powell read of this curious repudiation by a mother of Dr. Bass' identification of a murdered man, and decided it had something to do with Pearman s not coming home, communicated her suspicions to the Pearman family, and. with them took tho next train to Bentonville. Their instantaneous identification of the man as someono whom liass knew well was enough to get that man arrested and indicted, and Jalie, with her staring eyes, did the rest.