A Blind Man's Alleged Request.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 6688, 13 August 1919, Page 3

A Blind Man's Alleged Request.

GAVE ELEVEN POUNDS TO BE THROWN INTO RIVER, An extraordinary story has just been related by Aubrey Dcnnison, "the Chicago Kid," who surrendered to the Louisville police It was, in effect, tli.it 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, ar.d threw his body into tho 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 Lcwisville 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 cue night last summer," he said, "about August 19 as I remember, when Lewis and I were together. Lewis was drunk, and I was half drunk. He was complaining that he was a burden to himself and to everyone else, and said ho would give me 55d0l to kill him. I did so. Then I threw his body into the Calumet River. I had boon 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 l.'i, about ten miles south of Michigan City. According to the records, it had been in the water about one month. There were no marks of violence, and death was due to drowning, the Coroner's jury decided. , Absence of Details. Captain Joseph Smith, of the South Chicago police, received word of the Lewisville arrest and immediately began an investigation of records of his station to sec if Lewis had been reported missing last summer or it a body had ever been found in the Calumet River that would correspond to that of the man whom Dennison said he murdered. Ho wired to Lewisville to obtain further particulars of the crime. The abweakens it in the eyes of the police, senco of details in Dennison's story and they declined to commit themselves as to its probable authenticity. The Kentucky authorities arc holding Dennison on a charge of vagrancy.

"Maybe this man wants a free ride to Chicago," said Captain Smith, "and will repudiate his confession as soon as he reaches the town." ,„ 'There are many lonely spots along the Calumet River where a murder could be committed and none be the wiser. If the body of tho victim were weighted before it was thrown into the stream it might never bo discovered, and all evidence of th» crime could be concealed unless the murdered confessed.