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Newspaper Page Text
m FEAR OUTBREAK AT JOLIET OVER MURDER OF MRS. ALLEN EXPECT CONFESSION Joliet, III., June 21. An honor pris oner killed Mrs. Odette Bordeaux Al len, wife of Warden Edmund M. Al len, and the "Angel of Joliet peniten tiary." The murderer is one of elev en "trusties" who had fairly free run of the warden's suite and who have been under third degree grilling al most continuously since the woman's body was found half burned early Sunday morning in her burning bed room. While eleven men are being held, penitentiary officials this after noon centered their efforts on one man. This man has several times contradicted himself after offering a ready alibi even before one had been requested. It was declared a confes sion was expected momentarily. While the inquest into Mrs. Allen's death was being conducted this after noon, every effort was being made to prevent news of the murder reaching, the 1,800 convicts. Orders for strictest secrecy were given and while it outwardly appears that the prisoners know only that "something" has interrupted the oth erwise clocklike regularity of the comparatively "free" routine in the prison, guards frankly admitted that the "grapevine telegraph" and the furtive Up signs and gestures have let the news of the tragedy make the rounds. Joliet, III., June 21. Mrs. Edmund Allen, wife of the warden of the pen itentiary, was found murdered in her bed yesterday morning, her body charred and her skull crushed in. A negro "trusty," one of the "honor" convicts, is suspected of having at tempted to attack Mrs. Allen either after he struck her or before and then set fire to the bed to hide his crime perhaps before she was really dead. Mrs. Allen was alone in the prison apartment for the first time, the war den having gone to West Baden, where she was to join him today, and the only persons who had access to the apartment were trusted convicts who acted as household servants by virtue of the honor system estab lished by Warden Allen with the aid of his beautiful wife. One of these convicts committed the crime and suspicion rests most strongly on "Chicken Joe" Campbell, a negro convicted of slaying his em ployer five years ago and sent to the penitentiary on an indeterminate sen tence of from one year to fife. Camp bell had been made a trusty by Allen, who believed the negro had some good traits and was chosen as Mrs. Allen's personal servant by the war den several months ago. The negro admitted that he an swered the summons to Mrs. Allen's apartment about 6 o'clock in the morning while she was still in bed, that he received instructions from her, but he claims he left the room then and took her pet dog for a walk. Not more than fifteen min utes after 6 the fire was discovered by three trusties on the second floor of the administration building, who de clared they heard the gong sound for Campbell and that as it sounded in sistently they sent one of their num ber to search for him and, not find ing him, ventured to answer the sum mons themselves and discovered smoke coming through the keyhole and under the door. It is believed that the fire freakishly set the gong ringing and thus prevented the en tire destruction of the apartment, which might have completely hidden the fact that the crime had been committed. The volunteer fire department an swered the alarm and by the time the fire had been drenched out it was 6:40. Christy O'Leary, the warden's chauffeur, was the first to stumble into the room and discover on the i