Auburn Man Arrested, Chester DeMars suspected of Murder of Catherine Brophy, Auburn NY Semi-Weekly Journal, 24 Oct 1911
Auburn Man Arrested, Chester DeMars suspected of Murder of Catherine Brophy–Sheriff Fails to Identify Him as One Wanted…Possibly Innocent, Auburn NY Semi-Weekly Journal, 24 Oct 1911 p6, col. 1.
After being shielded for several days by a young girl whom he claims to be his wife, and whom had deserted more than a year ago, Chester DeMars, supposed to be an Auburn young man. suspected of the murder of Catherine Brophy, near the village of Savannah, on Monday night, last, was arrested at Ephratah, Fulton county, yesterday afternoon. Young DeMars is believed to be the son of William DeMars, who, until this past summer was a resident of this city, where he was well known as a huckster. Chester was a well known young man about the city, but for the last few years has been away from Auburn much of the time, traveling with cheap theatrical companies, and at other times traveling from town to town with various articles which be sold on the streets. During the past year the DeMars family moved to Rochester, but Chester has been in Auburn on several occasions since then. About three months ago he was in Auburn and with a partner was selling a toy telephone device on the streets. At that time the pair gave a demonstration at the corner of Water and State streets. August 9, during the carnival celebrating the turning on of the inner lights, young DeMars was in Auburn for two or three days. Chester is about 24 or 35 years old, and for the past five years has become involved in matrimonial complications, owing to his fondness for woman. About five years ago young DeMars married Catherine Styles, the 14-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Styles. The girl was employed at the DeMars home at the time, and after a year of married life, which is said to have not been, the happiest, the young wife left him. In 1909 DeMars became acquainted with Maggie Miller, a 14-year-old girl, who lived in Gloversville. who it believed to be the one at whose home DeMars was found. He brought the Miller girl to Auburn, and for several months lived with her at the house of his parents, who then resided in Logan street. In August of that year Chief of Police Bell received a communication from the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane society asking him to look up the girl. This was done, and the parents of the girl forwarded transportation money for her to come home. Nothing more was heard of the case until January of 1910, when the same society communicated with Chief Ball asking him to ascertain if young DeMars and the Miller girl had been married in Auburn, as the society was interested in the case and was working up an action for abduction against young DeMars. Investigation proved that the pair had not secured a marriage license in Annum. Mrs. Styles, when interviewed by an Advertiser reporter this morning, said that she was surprised to hear that Chester had been arrested in connection the murder, although she had thought of him when she read the first accounts of the tragedy. ‘Cheater had a mean disposition,” she said, “but I did not think that he would do anything like that, and hope that he isn’t the man who shot the woman. See, Chester married my little girl about five years ago. She worked for his people, and I think it was his father and mother that put up the job to have her marry Chester.” Mrs. Styles said that Catherine and young DeMars had not lived happily together, owing to his fondness for other girls, and that when the young wife had refused to live with him he had beaten and misused her on different occasions. Mrs. Styles said that DeMars and her daughter Had been together at different times since the separation, but had not lived together for any length of time. They were both at my house on July 13, but I do not think they came to Auburn together, but they came to the house within a short time of each other. The arrest of DeMars was somewhat of a surprise to the local police, who bad been on the lookout for an Italian by the name et Demeria, whom the Auburn police knew. The description of the two men is similar, however. DeMars, who has been known as Demears, has been hunted since Tuesday. He was located at the home of the Miller girl at Ephratah through his shortsightedness in giving his forwarding address, which gave the officers a clue as to his whereabouts. Ephratah is a small hamlet located in the foothills of the Adirondacks and would offer a good hiding place had not DeMars made known his whereabouts by having mail sent there. When he saw the constables arrive be hid in a bedroom of the house, where the officers found him cowering under the bed and trembling with fear, He nut up no resistance when arrested and was willing to go with the officers. No formal warrant for DeMars’s arrest had been issued and the arrest was made on suspicion only. Despite the fact that Wayne aad Fulton county authorities believe that they had evidence enough to warrant DeMars’s arrest, it is quite probable that he is not the Demears for whom the police have been looking. Shortly after the discovery of the of Miss Brophy, Sheriff Sherman phoned to Chief of Police Long at Little Falls and told him to watch alt trains and trolleys in and out of the city and placed special emphasis on the fact that DeMars would probably go to the post office. The next information that came which lead to the arrest of DeMars was information from Port Byron that a letter had rosse to that post office addressed to Chester Arthur DeMars with the return address of Mrs. Miller at Ephrata. A watch was kept for DeMars and when he called at the post office on Wednesday afternoon he was told that DeMars had been there, got a letter and departed. An officer was sent to the Miller home and as Mrs. Miller refused to allow the officer to enter the house, further suspicions were aroused and the door was forced and DeMars placed under arrest. That DeMars isn’t the Demears suspected of the murder is further borne out by Probation Officer Michael Curtis of the prison, who saw that Brophy woman and the man leave the car on the night of the murder st stop on the Rochester, Syracuse & Eastern trolley. DeMars is a man under medium height and weight, while the man who Officer Curtis saw leave taw ear with the who was was of medium height and rather stout. In case DeMars should prove not to be the man who is suspected of the murder, the search will revert back to the Italian Demears or Dimentio.
DeMARS STILL HELD. Probable That Auburn Man is Murderer of Brophy Woman. Gloverville, Oct. 21.—Sheriff Sherman of Wayne County, arrived here today and made a cross examination of C. A. DeMars arrested at Ephratah yesterday on suspicion of having caused the death of Catherine Brophy of Savannah. He could not make positive identification but will take the suspect to Wayne county this afternoon The prisoner give his age as 25, is of light weight, spare face and bears no resemblance to published pictures of the murderer. He denies positively any knowledge of the crime, says that he never heard of Catherine Brophy or Albert Demears, and declares that he will have no difficulty in proving an alibi. According to his story he left Rochester last Sunday morning for Auburn. He lunched at a restaurant conducted by a Mr. Crawford where he was formerly employed and spent that night and Monday with his aunt, Mrs. Margaret Leslie at Auburn, not leaving there until 9 Tuesday morning, when he went to Syracuse, He met his brother. James DeMars of Binghampton at the Grand Opera, house in Syracuse and after the show, saw the latter to the train which he was to take for his home. A few minutes later DeMars claims he boarded a train for Little Falls, where he stayed Tuesday night and left for Fort Plain Wednesday morning and thence to Ephratah where he was arrested.
Monday, Oct. 23. As was related in the Advertiser of Saturday, Chester Arthur DeMars, the former Auburn man. who was arrested at Ephratah, on Friday afternoon last, for the murder of Catherine Brophy, had little trouble in proving that he was not the man for whom the authorities are searching. DeMars was taken to Wayne county for identification. George M. Fannin, a farmer who had employed the man Demears, who is the man suspected of the murder and for whom the police are looking, positively stated upon seeing young DeMars that he was not the man Demears. Coroner George S. Allen of Lyons is at Savannah today conducting an inquest in the case of the murdered woman. He has already issued a warrant for the arrest of Albert Demears of Oswego, charging him with the murder. Up to the present time all efforts to trace, the suspect have failed and Sheriff Collins and his deputies are now more handicapped than ever owing to the delay occasioned by the false arrest of DeMars. A week has now -elapsed since the commission of the crime on the lonely road near Savannah and Demears had a good start. The last that was heard of him was when he got off a R. S. & E. trolley car that arrived in Rochester at 11:58 o’clock Monday night of last week. It is believed that after he shot the Brophy woman early in the evening, he had boarded the first westbound car and gone to Rochester. As soon as the crime was discovered Demears was at once suspected and a close watch was placed on railroad and steamboat lines going into Canada, but Demears had a good start at that time. It is believed by many that he may have gone to Canada, as it is said that he is acquainted in many of the small towns along the north shore of Lake Ontario. There is also a possibility that he may have taken passage for Italy, but if he has done so it was soon after the crime was committed, for all outgoing steamships are being watched and escape through that avenue would be next to impossible at this time. Many residents near the scene of the tragedy are of the opinion that Demears is in hiding in some place not far from Savannah. The man may he concealed in some of the woods south or west of Rochester and in this event he will have to show himself before long and apply for assistance The sheriff, of Wayne county and the police in the cities in the central part of the state have hardly any clues to work upon and theories are meager. The Auburn police are better equipped than those of other cities should Demears try to come to this city, as he is pretty well known to the police here and in the event of his coming to friends he would be forced to lie very low or he would be picked up quickly. The theory that Demears is somewhere in Western New York seems to be the most plausible one and if he is caught within the next few days it will he because he has not the funds to leave that part of the state or communicate with those who are in position to assist him. Until recently it was supposed that Demears was without funds with which to escape, but reports have been circulated that Demears’s mother, who is a boarding-house keeper in Oswego, has intimated to people there that she was the possessor of a bank account worth $3,500 which she will spend in shielding Demears and defending him if be is captured.