The authorities resolved on a plan which they hoped might make the
prisoners weaken. It was to have them look upon their murdered victim
and have the crime recalled in all its hideousness.
Mayor Caldwell Chief Deitsch and Sheriff Plummer went to Epply's morgue,
where the remains lay.
In a short time Detectives Crim and McDermott arrived with the
prisoners. Crim had Walling in charge and McDermott Jackson. The latter
was placed at the head of the coffin and Walling near the foot. Both
faced the brother and sister of the murdered girl, who were on the other
side of the casket.
Jackson was terribly excited and nervously clasped and unclasped his
hands. His eyes roved from one end of the body to the other and he shook
his head and sighed deeply. His face was terribly flushed, and he looked
as though he might break down every second. On the other hand Walling
was to all appearance the coolest man in the room. He gazed at the
corpse without a shiver and looked around on the faces of those present.
His only noticeable display of agitation was to tap his foot nervously
on the floor.
Not a word was said until Chief Deitsch, at the other end asked:
"Walling do you recognize the corpse?"
"I do not."
"Do you know who it is?"
"I believe it is Pearl Bryan."
"What reason have you for this belief?"
"What Jackson has told me."
"Jackson, do you recognize the corpse?"
"I do not."
"Do you know that it is the body of Pearl Bryan?"
"I have not taken a close and careful look at the body."
"Would you recognize it if you did?"
"I think I would."
"Walling did you kill this woman?"
"I did not."
"Jackson did you kill this woman?"
"I did not."
"And do you deny, in the presence of the corpse, that you killed her?"
"I do."
"Who did kill her?"
"I have every reason to believe that Walling did."
Determined to make one more effort to secure a confession as to where
the head was, Chief Deitsch arranged for Mrs. Stanley to ask the
prisoners. Almost begging on bended knees, and sobbing heavily she
cried: "Mr. Jackson, I come to you and ask where is my sister's head.
For the sake of my poor mother and for my sister and for my brother I
beg of you to tell me where my sister's head is. It is my last chance
and I want to send it home with the body. Won't you please tell me, I
beg of you?"
Jackson looked at her, and, without turning a hair, said:
"Mrs. Stanley, I do not know."
The same question was asked Walling to which he coldly and without any
semblance of feeling, replied:
"I do not know where it is."
The same evening Pearl Bryan's headless body was taken back to her home
in Greencastle accompanied by her brother, sister and friends.