Laredo Weekly Times

COMPTON TELLS
PART IN CRIME
IN CONFESSION HE DENIED TWO
ALLEGATIONS MADE BY
FRANKS.

Friday Morning and Trial May
Be
Held Tuesday; Other Develop-
ments Following The
Confessions.

* * * * * * * * *

COMPTON CONFESSES.

J. B. Compton, who was ar-
rested for the third time on
Monday night, has confessed
to being one of the murderers
of G. J. Levytansky, corrobor-
ating the confession of Lonnie
A. Franks in nearly every de-
tail, with the exception that
he only got $20 of the stolen
money and that the other man
had induced him to commit
the deed. In other words, he
has confessed to being the
murderer of Levytansky, both
striking and stabbing him, as
he does not deny the allega-
tions of Franks in that regard.

The diamonds held by Comp-
ton have been recovered, as
has also the knife with which
Levytansky
was
stabbed,
Compton leading the officers to
the places where they were
secreted.

The diamonds mailed
by
Franks to "S. A. Austin, Mc-
Kinney, Texas," it is said have
been seized by the postmaster
at McKinney and are being
sent back to Sheriff Tobin at
San Antonio, who will bring
them here.

The grand jury will be re-
convened Friday morning and
return a bill of indictment for
murder against Compton and
Franks probably same morn-
ing and the trial of the men
will in all probability take
place Tuesday morning.

****** * * * * * *

After steadfastly maintaining his
equilibrium and a stiff upper lip
throughout the day in an effort to
control his terrible anguish and guilty
conscience, J. B. Compton the man
with a heart of steel and one of the
coolest individuals who ever per-
petrated a terrible crime, was at last
overcome by the hand of justice and
with a countenance of almost crimson
pallor and quivering-like voice he
lisped those dreadful words, "I am
guilty." During the entire afternoon
District Attorney Valls and City
Marshal Brennan were with Compton
in his cell telling him of the serious
environments that surrounded him
since Franks had confessed and im-
plicated him. He was shown a copy
of The Times containing the confes-
sion and story of the horrible deed;
but still he maintained that cold
blooded demeanor that characterized
him throughout the ordeal-that stay-
ed with him on the forenoon when
the bruised body of Levytansky was
found, and when he, the victim's as-
sassin, stood there with the first of
those to arrive on the scene and viewed
the body of the dead man; for this
Compton did. But that strong deter-
mination to withhold the secret gave
way and before the sun had sunk to
rest behind the heavy clouds of a
gloomy day he had told the officers
the story-that he was guilty of a hor-
rible murder.

It was just about 5 o'clock last
evening, while District Attorney Valls
and City Marshal Brennan were in
his cell, that the guilty conscience
overpowered and mastered the heart
and Compton threw himself on the
mercy of the officers and confessed to
the crime. He said he wanted to con-
fess his guilt but denied some of the
details of Franks' confession, these
being that pertaining to the division
of the actual cash secured at the time
of the robbery, he claiming that he
only received $20 of the money. He
also denied that he was the principal
in the murder, but said Franks in-
duced him to do the dirty work.
Otherwise he disclaimed no other al-
legation made by Franks. This would
indicate that Compton both struck
the terrible blows that felled the
victim and that then he, too, dealt
that terrible knife plunge into the
heart of the prostrated man, thus
making Franks the accessory and
Compton the principal. This is ac-
ccording to the confessions of both
men, for Compton corroborates what
Franks has confessed with the excep-
tions mentioned.

Compton then told the officers he
was ready to take them to the scenes
where the diamonds which were
given him as his part and the knife
with which the deed had been per-
petrated could be found. A carriage
was summoned and District At-
torney Valls, Marshal Brennan and
Compton proceeded to the yards of
the I. & G. N., where, at a place
just north of the yard scales and near
the south sill of the sand bin, Comp-
ton said, "the diamonds are buried
right there," and there they were.
The party then proceeded to a place
where two vacant lots extend from
Houston to Victoria streets between
the residence of Mrs. J. T. Murphy
and Col. C. G. Brewster, and on which
there is a heap of brush. Here Comp-
ton stepped to the brush pile and
pulled out a bladeless knife (the
blades having been broken off after
the murder) the handle of which was
smeared and covered with human
blood. The blades were not found, as
on the night of the murder they had
been accidentally broken off when
the man in his flight was jabbing the
knife into fences and posts and broke
them off somewhere en route.

From the vacant lots the party re-
turned to the county jail and Comp-
ton had nothing else to say, but he
was a different man. He was not the
individual of a cold-steel constitution
that he had been before the confes-
sion, for his countenance was that of
a repentant one, crimsoned by the
grief at recalling a terrible tragedy
which stood out like a weird spectre
before him with Justice pointing an
accusing finger at the shivering form
of him who had sent to a tragic death
an innocent man who had never
harmed a human being and wanted
everybody for a friend.

Last night District Judge Mullally,
upon being advised that the case
against the two men had been com-
pleted by the confession of Compton,
phoned District Attorney Valls in-
structing him to take immediate
action for the reconvening of the dis-
strict court grand jury, and this morn-
ing the necessary papers were issued
by District Clerk Martin calling on
the members of the last grand jury
to reconvene on Friday morning,
January 5, at 9 o'clock to take up the
Compton and Franks cases. The
grand jury will in all probability re-
turn indictments against both men
same day, and as the law requires
two full days in which service be
made on the defendants, the trial of
the case will probably be called Tues-
day morning in district court, which
is still in session.

A report reached here this morning
to the effect that the large package
of diamonds which was sent from
here through the postoffice on the
morning of December 23 as ordinary
mail (not special delivery or register-
ed) and addressed to "S. A. Austin,
McKinney, Texas," had been seized
by the postmaster at McKinney and
was being sent back to Sheriff Tobin
of San Antonio, who would deliver
them to the Laredo authorities.
Franks intended to get the diamonds
when he reached McKinney, but he
was nabbed at San Antonio while en-
route to that place and never got any
further.

A telephone message received by
District Attorney Valls this morning
from Sheriff Tobin stated that it was
advisable to have Franks brought to
this city for safe-keeping as he con-
sidered the Bexar county jail unsafe
for a bad criminal of Franks' char-
acter. He stated that he was inclined
to this belief on account of the fact
that recent jail deliveries in San An-
thonio made him feel that he did not
want to be responsible for the safe
keeping of Franks. Franks will be
brought to this city Friday morning
by Sheriff Tobin.

Every precaution was taken to
guard the jail here last night and a
detail of rangers and deputy sheriffs
were on duty throughout the night,
but there was no demonstration of
any character made here and the peo-
ple seemed inclined to let the law
take its course.

Customs Inspector McGeoin had oc-
casion to go to Plaza hotel on Novem-
ber 27 and there found a new trunk
which had been left there by a man
who registered under the name of "S.
Austin," but who was none other than
Lon Franks. Shortly afterwards
Franks left and some time later
Compton called there and paid
Franks' bill and stated that "Mr. Aus-
tin" had decided to move to Nuevo
Laredo, but no effort was ever made
to move the trunk. This forenoon
the officers opened the trunk, but
found no incriminating evidence, for
it only contained clothing.

Regarding the paying of the reward
for the arrest and conviction of the
murderers of Levytansky, which he
recently withdrew, Mayor McComb in
conversation with The Times reporter
this morning said in substance: "I of-
fered a reward of $250 the day the
murder was discovered and later
withdrew it, but at the time and be-
fore its withdrawal Franks had been
under arrest at San Antonio, so the
reward was in force and it is payable.
I have been assured by a number of
citizens that they will do their part
in making up the necessary amount
and not let me bear the burden
alone." This, in connection with the
$250 offered by the state, brings the
amount up to $500. The subscrip-
tion list being gotten up by Mr. Ber-
tani will probably go towards the re-
ward offered by Mayor McComb.

The men who were active in the ar-
rests and securing of the confessions
of the two men were W. H. Gilmore,
Robert A. Rumsey, District Attorney
John A. Valls, City Marshal Brennan
and Sheriff Tobin of San Antonio.
The principal work in having Franks
held and later connected with the
crime is said to have been the work
of Messrs. Gilmore and Rumsey,
assisted by Sheriff Tobin, and Mar-
shal Brennan, who arrested Compton,
and these in all probability will re-
ceive the reward. For the confession
of Compton credit is due Messrs.
Valls and Brennan.