Evening Star Newspaper, August 30, 1931, Page 4

C A4 w THE SUNDAY TAR, WASHINGTON. D. C., 'AUGUST 30, 1931—PART ONE. FFTH “BLUEBEARD’ " VI IS FOUND Body of Woman Believed That of Mrs. Dorothy P. Lemke, Worcester, Mass. (Continued From First Page.) | i hours before that he killed Mrs, Eicher ! and her three children, his purpose to ' secure for himself the property he be- | lieved she owned. ] Exhorted by a Clarksburg minister to ccnsider biblical sayings on the enormity of crime and the confession of sin, he collapsed in tears, faltered an outline of his deed, and then, re- turning once more to the compcsure of two days of rigorous questioning, dic- tated a formal, brief statement admit- ting his guilt. “I did, in the month of July, 1931, murder Mrs. Asta Eicher and her three | chjldren, Harry, Greta and Anabel, by usifig a hammer and by strangulation,” | he said. | That was his only reference to the killings themselves. He absolved his | wife and sister-in-law of any complic- | ity, declared the statement was made ! of his own free will, and nothing more. | The brief statement gained him re- srite, however. Not until he has rested and fully gained control of himself will officers attemft to have him tell his tale of horror in detail By that time they expect to guestion him on more than the killing of widow | and children. Today, a resident of su- | burban Quiet Dell reported finding | bones, apparently human, in the ruins of a burned cottage near the garage | aear which the bodies of the woman, her | son, and her two daughters were found | buried in the muck surrounding a sewer. Then, too, there are his further activi- ties as correspondent in matrimon: These activities, he said, were merely diversion, “just for fun.” Even today, | three days after he was arrested for th disapearance of the Chicago family, let- ters arrived for him from women | throughout the country. Even without a detailed story from the prisoner himself, officers here could outline the events of the last few months. | Car and Home Bait. Papers among hif possessions showed he corresponded with innumerable wom- en in all sections of the country, ob- taining their names through matri- monial agencies, posing in the ardent letters he wrote I‘s a well'.;ly civil en- ineer, longing for womanly compan- entp, veasming t return and establish | a home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The bait | was a “beautiful 10-room house, com- pletely furnished.” promises of liberal | spending money and of a car for h\s; wife alone. ! He met Mrs. Eicher. To Chicago neighbors who had never seen him be- | fore the widow of a silversmith de- scribed him as “just an old friend of the family.” Two months ago she disap- peared, Powers disposing of her home. A few days later the three children van- ished also, taken away in a car bearing | West Virginia registzation plates. But | ‘before the children were taken, Powers, | who called himself Cornelius O. Pierson | in his philandering, sent one of them | 1o a Chicago bank to secure $1,000 from | Mrs. Eicher’s account, but was refused | because of insufficient funds. Today he admitted he lured Mrs. | Eicher here, bringing the children later. | He went that far in his story and then | stopped. It was hours later before he| confessed the rest | M He did not tell how he strangled his| victims. A rope, found tied to a rafter| above a trapdoor to the cellar of the| “garage” he built at Quiet Dell in- dicated what the method might hav been. Blows from & hammer pleted the work. If he had planned to acquire Mrs. Eicher’s property, however, it was in- dicated returns would be small | Chicago sources today revealed that the | home the woman owned was heavily | mortgaged, that she was deeply in debt. Continues Correspondence. With four victims beneath ground, Powers continued his matrimonial cor- respondence. PFive letters to women were found in his possession when he| was arrested, awaiting o be mailed One of them showed he had intended visiting a woman in Hagerstown, Md. today or tomorrow. * Meanwhile, police investigated the | possibility that he had ventured into! matrimony more than once. His pres-| ent wife, Mrs. Luella Powers, whom he | married four years ago, is living here. | Today Mrs, Essie Watkins of Fairmont, | W, said she believed Powers was | she married here as George | Michael Mathias a year ago, but she | changed her mind after talking with officers and viewing photographs here Confession of the killings and revela- | tion of her husband’s correspondence | with women had no effect upon his wife here. She caressed him when she saw him today and declared she would | “stick by him." 1 Powers confessed the killings after a | day of hinting that the story would be | told. First he demanded to see a law- | yer and was granted that request. Then | he asked to see a minister, and the Rev. T. E. Gainer of the Clarksburg Baptist Church was called. He then | admitted he had lured the woman here, | then stopped and asked for time o rest and seek spiritual reassurance. he and Mr. Gainer read the! e minister dwelling on biblical | confession and to the ! ¥ crime. Powers began to| ke & baby,” the minister said,| and the confession was obtained Dr. H. H. Haynes, who sssisted in the autopsy, said that apparently all| four victims were hanged. The autopsy disclosed, the physician said, that the women and children had had nothing to eat for at least 48 hours before o One of the children, Harry, 12 had been struck twice on the head with a hammer. GIFTS LURED CHILDREN. Powers Took Three from Home to West Virginia. CHICAGO, August 29 (#)—Promi: of enchanting gifts and a trip to ] rope lured the fatherless children of | Mrs. Asta Eicher to their deaths, their | nurse related today | Miss Elizabeth Abernathy quent visitor to Mrs. Eic R home for 13 years, said the| dow asked her on June 25 o care | her children, as she was going to a business trip. | o0 a Mr. Pierson, said she was going with him,” Miss | thy said June 30 I ceived a letter od _ with Eicher's name, i Mr. would call for the children. | Children Lured. | I thought it strange and noticed the | handwriting did not look like Mrs, Eicher’s. Pierson arrived the next day and stayed overnight. The next morn- ing he told the children about their wonderful home in the East. He prom- ised a pony and a dog, Anabel 2 big doil with shiny blue eyes, and Grethe was to have a small automo- bile and a plano. Anabel, he said, could study the violin in Europe. “The children lstened wide-eyed. Suddenly Plerson said, ‘Well, it's time 10 get started’ I told him the children were not dressed suitably for a long trip. ‘The girls had on beach pajamas and the boy a bathing suit and trousers. He wouldn’t let me pack any, but said he would buy clothes on the way. 5o on July 2 they left.” B. E. Keulffus, teller in the Park Ridge State Bank, told how Grethe presented @ letter “from her mother,” the $4 balance of her ac- \ he 0 | { | Mrs. | Pierson | | to | because she thought there would be no | | (Sunda: I told the little girl to write her mother for a ure like the one on our books. never came back.” Charles O'Boyle, who roomed with the Eicher family in 1925 while on an ring job in Park Ridge, told ice he telephoned the house June 30 for drawing instruments he left there. Miss Abernathy told him Mrs. Eicher was away. He thought it strange, he said, so went there the mext day. “T found Pierson and he told e he was busy, and to return later. I talked with the children and left. On August 14 T returned and was told Pierson was there. I knocked and heard noises, but no one answered. I visited neighbors and then learned Pierson had just gone into the garage. After waiting at the house T went to the garage, locked the door and went to the police station, thinking Pierson was inside, but police found it empty. Then we found Mrs. Eicher's mail, opened, beside Plerson’s bed in the house.” Goes to Clarksburg. Chief of Police Harold W. Johnson Jeft by plane for Clarksburg, by way nf| Pittsburgh He sald Mrs. Eicher, eager | to marry again, apparently had fooled rowers into thinking she was wealthy and that the man slew her when he discovered she was not. He took with him a letter, addressed | to Grethe and signed by Mrs. Eicher's name, which he said had caused the urder warrants to be issued and would ‘insure the conviction of Powel “After reading it." he said, “I was | sure the family had been murdered. 1| knew the town-wide reputation of Mrs Eicher for loving her children and be- came suspicious when I heard she had left them here. When Powers came along I was sure something was wrong. We questioned him, but he showed a letter fron Mrs. Eicher. There was nothing we could hold him on, but I questioned him again on August 16 and told him to come back the next day. Then he disappeared and we found the | letters.” MISS BELL TELLS OF LETTERS. Had No Intention of Marrying Harry Powers, She Says, Special Dispatch to The S HAGERSTOWN, Md. August 29 Harry P. Powers, 45-year-old corre spondent of matrimonial agencics, who confessed today at Clarksburg, W. V. the murder of Mrs. Asta Buick | Eicher and her three children, who dis- | appeared two months ago, was coming | to Hagerstown last Thursday, the day | | he was arrested to call upon Miss V ginia D. Bell When seen at her home this morn- ing, Miss Bell declared that her corre- spondence with Powers was merely a practical joke at first on her part and started last Japuary, when she received a letter from the man, whom she said had gotten her name from a friend She said his letters were couched in most _intelligent phrases, and that he spoke of being prosperous and would be able to give a wife all the luxuries that money could buy. { In his first letter, she said he told her that “God has taken away my dear wife only recently,” and that he was lone- some and wanted to marry some one who would take charge of his home and | mother his children. “I mever saw this man and didn't in- | tend to see him, and had no intention | of ever marrying him or any other' man,” Miss Bell said. She said she | answered the first letter from Pierson harm in corresponding with a man who could write so intelligent a letter. | Early this week Miss Bell said she re- | ceived & brief note from Powers stating that he was driving through Hagerstown | Thursday and would stop off to call | upon her. Powers said in one of his letters that he attended four colleges, Miss Bell said, and she believed him be- cause of the tone of the letters. rs. Lemke's Brother-in-Law Tells of Northboro Visit. | NORTHBORO, Mass., August 30 | (#).-— Charles Flemming, | brother-in-law of Mrs. Dorothy Pressier | Lemke, whose body is believed to have been found last night in Clarksburg, W. Va. early today identified a news- paper photograph of Harry F. Powers, confessed slayer of a wonfan and three | children, as the man with whom Mrs. | Lemke left Northboro last July | Flemming said he was positive Powers was the same man, who as D. P. Low- ther of Virginia was introduced to Mrs Lemke through a matrimonial agency. | Mrs. Lemke is & sister of Mrs. Flem- | 1, Employed As Nurse, Mrs was 50, for several years had been em- ployed 4s a companion-nurse by wealthy families in Worcester County d while in North Carolina with an Uxbridge | family five years ago, met, through a matrimonial agency conducted by a man named Pierson, a man who said he was D. P. Lowther of Virginia. Mrs. Lemke corresponded with Lowth for several years, her sister sai in July he came to Northboro S her. She went away with him soc | afterward, ostensibly to be married Mrs. Flemming said Mrs letter two weeks later from Mrs. Lemke who then was in Uniontown, Pa. In this letter Mrs. Lemke said she was unhappy. On August 18, Mrs. Flem- ming said, she received a letter f Chicago in which her sister said had not married Lowther, but plar a trip around the world with hi; She expected to be gone for some time, she wrote, and advised Mrs Flemming not to worry about her. No word was heard from her s Mrs. Flemming said she be handwriting of the la: sister’s, but doubt on that poin! Powers Identifi Mrs. Lemke was married Lemke in Worcester with him in St. Paul, r 10 vears. A son by this marriage died of influenza in 1922. Following the death | of her son she returned to this sect Her husband is believed to be dead. | RECOGNIZED AS FUGITIVE. her — - | Madison, Wis., Police Say Powers Held | In Car Theft newspaper photo of H: Cornelius Piersc a Park Ridge, Il 01 children, was identified ! man who escaped jail here ir | Jesse Smith, former detective, iden fied the man in the photo as one he| arrested for stealing an automobile. | Powers escaped by sawing the bars from | his cell. With him at the time w ar-old woman he said w fe. They gave their residence Fond du Lac, Wis. WO0O0D RITES Son of General and World Veteran to Rest in Arlington. NEW YORK, Augusi 29 () body of Leonard Wood, jr., son of late Governor General of the Philip: pine Islands, who died in New York as | { TOMORROW War | something for nothing. | wide acres, }on nature's Flemming said her sister, who " mother today, 11 Flemming said she received a |t | has; | Decoration day, Text of Powers’ Letters West Virginia **Bluebeard” Tells Miss Virginia Bell of Longing for Home in Country and “*Pairs of Little “Feet”—nProtests Publication of Circumstances. Special Dispatch to The Star. HAGERSTOWN, Md., August 20.— Twenty-three letters, many of them containing four and five pages, Writ- ten to her since January by Harry F. Powers, 45-yegr-old correspondent of matrimonial @gencies, who confessed today to the murder of Mrs. Asta Buick Eicher and her three children, who dis; appeared two months ago, were turned over to the Police Department here late today by Miss Virginia D. Bell, prom- inent nurse of this city and alco a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The letters, in part, follow “I am so very happy, dear, so thrilled and glad that I could shout for joy. It is because every letter that I receive rom you gives me additional assurance | that you are ideal, my sweet darling lady, full of that wonderful womanly tenderness, strength and love and cou: age that I am so hungry for—yes, dear, and I am not taking anything too far for granted, either. Don't you see it, dear? Can you feel it in your own heart and s We are ‘meant for each other. Every thought, every senti- ment that is expressed is natural. Life will be so different, dear. To have a home in every sense of the word, to have one or two pairs of little feet to come toward us, oh, Virginia, dear, what heavenly bliss it would be. To really have some one to love, some one te live for, some one to take away that lonely existence, some one to call all our own. Gee, dear, if only it was a ittle later in the season. How I would hurry to you. Tell me, dear, does your nursing other people ever get tiresome? I suppose it s imes to always hs olks. And, dear, you would gladly ex- change it for a much better job, that ot nursing loved ones and have always ust your own loved ones to care for, iould you not? Disgusted With A. F. S, “Honey, 1 am extremely disgusted with the manner employed by the A. P. S. in publishing my description. No wonder 1 am deluged with from 25 to 160 letters each day. Why, honey, I gave them no permission to publish m: description at all. Had 1 done so, I certainly would not have had them to give my personal worth. I might have stated “such as ‘comfortable circum- stances,” or some such expression, but not the figures. I think it looks ugly and any woman who would reply to such a person is usually looking for The last part where it says ‘my wife can have hcr own car and plenty of spending mone; Why, dear, it is very disgusting. 1 ha wriiten them and expressed my dis satisfaction in no feeble manner to them . "I am very glad, dear, that you sent it to me. x “You are everything that I have In my mind, my ideal, my dearest, sweetest hope to some day give you ali my love and affection and, Virginia, dear, you will find me always well supplied with love. For that is my very nature. I seldom get angry. My temper is very well under control, and my thoug are usually collected and even. I up- e every little act of love greatly am very tender-hearted, more so than the average. I am true in all things, rather suffer mental or physical p: than to be untrue. Iam quiet and ve observing and home life appeals to me an any other thing in life. I generous, but not foolish. an er become a father, then m hildren will have every benefit pos- sible. But they must be brought us in a plain, sensible manner, preferably in the country “I cannot conceive of anything finer. more conducive to satisfaction with life, than to live in the country. The the orchards, the woods and pastures all provide a healthful playground for the children and clean comfortable surroundings for the old-r members of the family. Neither man nor science has been able to improve health producers, iresh, pure air and sunshine. And in the country #hese are to be had in abun- dance. Pure, rich food, milk, butter eggs, fruits and vegetables are to be ad at its finest in the country, right And to have my darling ly, gee, dear, it would on earth 3 dear heart, T must now close this, but in doing so my thoughts and hopes of you and in you are also coming to you. May dreams come true—is m: most desirable wish at this time. W me again dear, real, real soon. Loving always—Connie " In another writes, “Are . 1y letter dated May 10th he you thinking of your dear? How I wish that could run’ over and place a few flowers upon the memorial of my own mother. ’ thers are so dear to us, aren't Even we have only the it will always recall her " and affection for us.” t on he writes in the same That man asking you had his brass. orld for money Gee, dear, but this has some terribie people in it 1t? I have had my experience: ‘I have accepted the invitation of the American Legion, of which I am a member, to formulate a program for dear, This makes it rative that I be here on that day. be long, honey, until I am free to you, and when I come I expect to assure us both to the future. 1 tay as long as i plish this object, d am 1 anxious? I a 2 ‘Why, honey quisitely delightful experience s have found you, dear, I love it now 3 1 is vividly alive with keen interest. And it is you, dear, that has given me the inspiration. I have ro aim in life Before I found you life and commonplace, just a monot- ous grind. It was deadly dull. I be out of harmony with the Meeting Nears. postmarked Clarksburg, Auugst 21, said see latter part of next week. I am all through here and all I need to do now is to submit my final report which I must deliver in person. On my way to the main office, branch office of Pittsburgh, I intend to stop to see you. So, . be a good girl until about next T will wire you, dea: A w letter Va, By the tremendous response we had to our previous adver- tised specials we are sure the public w. offerings, so we are again running those specials for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Only Thursday, will be taken to Washington | Monday by his brother, Brig. Gen. Os- borne C. Wood of New Mexico, burial in_Arlington National Cemetery. Funeral services will be held in the | cemetery at 3 p.m. ) Wood served in the Army during the | world War. BANK’S DOORS CLOSED Portland, Pa., National Is Suspend- ed, With $817,000 Deposits. PORTLAND, Pa. August 20 (#)— The Portland National Bank here closed its doors at noon today. The suspension of business was declared [ 1 withdrawal of de- in the value of e bank, according o its last finan- clal statement, had assets of $1,052,000 and deposits of $81° for | | i | | % White Oak Leather, Fuil Soles and Goodyear Rubber Heels. (extra special) y in it to the very last degree, each | was just pro- | “I expect to | and let you know exactly what day I expect to be at Hagerstown. I am bringing the new car, so get ready for that ride.” On February 3 he wrote he had re- ceived “two darling pictures. I am so proud of them both and it will be with reluctance to give one of them up. Please, dear girl. may I keep the two of them? Of course, orders are orders, especially so when they are issued by one's future better half In speaking in the same letter of the death of his father he writes | “I remember today with a sharply| etched distinctness the time of my | father's death. There was something very close and beautiful, very dear and intimate between my mother and my father. 1 think it was one of the true loves of the world, one of the dearest marifed loves it has ever been my privilege ta see.” Tells of Property. In his letter of January 26, answering | her latter he gives a description of himself as follows 1 have no reason to hesitate in tell- ing you my financial standing and will | do so “This homestead, which my father and mother founded and is located in Towa, consists of 640 acres of very valu- | able Towa land and several valuabl stocks and bonds. So in complianc with_the will, the old homestead was equally divided between my only sister | and myself, giving each 320 acres. It was however stipulated that I. as the! only boy, was to have that haif which | had all the buildings on it and also all the modern equipment and stock. I have since bought the 320 acres from my sister, and now own the whole 640 acres. It is a beautiful place, located on a paved highway three miles from Cedar Rapids; it a fine 10-room home on it with every modern conven fence, such as electricity, running water, etc. Then I have a fine modern 10- room home in the city, this rents at the present at $65 per month. I also own several blocks of valuable stocks and bonds paying from 6 to 40 per cent dividends, and I have half interest in a tannery doing & good business. My brother-in-law owns the other half. “Then I own 250 acres of land in Kansas, 540 acres in Oklahoma, and both tracts have several big paying oil weils on_them and more are coming. also own four residential properties here and 125 acres of land underlaid with coal and five good paying gas wells on it. So you see I have no financial worrles, but dear, that does not satisfy the_heart. “I need a good affectionate true wife One who will love me and make home a paradise. I have not given you my financial standing as an inducement to marry me, but rather because I trust you and consider it my duty under the circumstances. You have but one life to live and no amount of money, in- flyence br fame can repay you for a life of unhappiness “I have been brought up a Methodist but am broadminded in general, in- cluding religion.” HAD FORM LOVE LETTER. | | Powers Presents Inducements to Women on $400 Income. CLARKSBURG, W. Va., August 29 (®)—Harry F. Powers, allas Cornelius ©O. Pierson, 45-year-old operator of a| one-man matrimonial agency, who held here for the murder of Mrs. Asta | Buick Eicher and her three children of | Park Ridge, Ill., prepared hand-written form letters to reply to lovelorn women | who answered his advertisements. H A score of the letters were found by | police. They said “My age is —. Height 67 inches. Have clear blue eyes, medium dark hair and weigh 175 polinds “As civil engineer I have an income of $400 per month. But in addition I| have a much larger income from oil | and gas royalties, the details of which | I will give you later. My wife can have | anything that money can buy, but above | all I expect to give her that true love and devotion for which every one of | us craves so much. “Alone and Very Lonely.” “Death has taken my precious wife from me, leaving me quite alone and | very lonely. I am longing for some | one to take her place. Some one to fill | that empty space in my heart | “Women are the sweetest, purest and mast unselfish part of the human race. They sing the melody of human life. | Any man who has experienced a moth er's devotion, a wife's self-sacr love or a sweetheart's affection k that this is true. “So 1 am trying in this manner to find the one, the only one that can make home a paradise, a place of rest, a haven of content, where loved ones wait, and to whom I can look forward with pieasure and anticipation. Who knows but what you may be that one? Asks for Photographs. “Won't you write to me? Please do. Any questions that you care to ask of me will be answered to the best of my ability, and arything that you care to tell me will be considered as strictly confidential. “I have a small photo of myself. May I send it? And yours will be greatly appreciated. Do send it “Again, please write. You shall never have any cause for regret. Use the inalosed envelope and tell me lots about | yourself. Please do. ‘Anxiously awaiting yours, I am most sincerely—" | INJURED IN FALL Elderly Man Hurt When He Stum- bles into Hole. Palling into an unguarded excavation on Connecticut avenue, near Klingle Bridge, vesterday, E. Hall Hasewell, 81 years old, of 3421 Lowell street, sustained slight injuries. He was treated by Dr Emmett Coiner of 2700 Connecticut avenue. The excavation was made by the Water Department and a guard rail had been temporarily removed to allow workmen to remove materials when Hasewell accidentally fell into the hole. Government salaries in El Salvador are three to four months in arre well satisfied with our 130 DEGREE QUIZ | such a plan would not work out satis- 15 | extensively | discipline. | punishments, for they were eliminated MOVES FORWARD U. S. Ready to Take Findings | Before Grand Jury This Week. Search for Hose At First Precinct Reveals Nothing | | | Litte the farmer who locked the | | stable door after his horse was stolen, police yesterday made a | | futile search in the lockers of the first precinct station for sections | of rubber hose. | A week ago James Henry Har- ker, 24-year-old baker, claimed he was brutally beaten in the first precinct station with & piece of rubber hose. It was Harker's complaint which led to the dis- closure of the police brutality | | scandal. ; Justice. . S. AGENTS QUIZ WALTER JOHNGO Say Preston Brooks Corrobo- | rates Colored Man’s Story of Beating. Some consternation also was caused by a notice at the third precinct station ordering a group of the officers to report to In- spector Louis J. Stoll this morn- ing at 8:30 o'clock Inspector Stoll has taken a leading part in the police inves- tigation of the brutality charges. The men listed in the notice found they were to be taken to the Griffith Stadium to assist in the preparations for the annual police and firemen's Labor day base ball game of Juseie agents yes- terday questioned o length Walter Johnson, colored, who told The Star Priday that two first precinct detec- | tives beat him a week ago last night to force a confession shortly after | James Harper, center of the third de- gree investigation, was released from the precinet. Department __(Continued From First Page.) | would not tolerate it under any con- | dition. Asked why Maj. Pratt failed Ito impress his views on the members | of the force, Gen. Crosby said “One of 'the hardest things for a | commanding officer to do is to get his |ideas down to all the men under him, | T had hoped that Maj. Pratt would be |able to do that when the inspection districts were created, because it is easier to talk to 3 men than 13.” Until the recent reorganization of the Police Department there were 13 cap- tains in command of the precinets. Now there are three inspectors in | | charge of three inspection districts in which the precincts have been grouped. Gen. Crosby also announced he | heartily approved the steps taken by { Commissioner Reichelderfer during his absence to have the Department of Justice make an impartial investiga- tion of the brutality charges. | Some thought was given during the | conference to a proposal for reorganiz- |ing the Police Trial Board because of | complaints that the existing system of | policemen trying policemen for breaches | of discipline had resulted in the “white- | washing” of too many cases. A dis- ciplinary board of civilians, selected as | members of a jury, was suggested, but | Gen. Crosby expressed the belief ‘that | five hours with Johnson and Preston Brooks, colored, 26, 400 block of Second street southwest, who also was beaten by the two policemen, according to Johnson's story. The Department of Justice agents said Brooks corrobo- rated Johnson's story. Brooks later related to a Star re- porter an account of being beaten which checked with the story told by Johnson. Brooks was released Mon- day, following his arrest Saturday night, and then re-arrested Tuesday. Later he was charged with assault and robbery, but Thursday when he was taken to Police Court the cases against him were dropped for lack of prosecu- tion. The man he was charged with attacking and robbing did not appea Charges Are Dropped Similar charges against Agnes Tay- lor, colored, 400 block of Eim street, who also was involved in the case, were dropped at Police Court. Johnson's arrest was in connection with the same case, but he was released Wednesday without being charged. The arrest of the three colored per- sons grew out of an alleged assault on a white man Saturday afternoon in a factorily. He thinks policemen should | house in the 300 block of Missouri ave- try policemen, just as Arfny officers en- | Bue. The man told first precinct po- force discipline in the Army. {lice that he was robbed of $12 by five Gives THEE-Bugren Viows. colored men and a colored woman. While cruising in the vicinity of the Shortly before his conference with Dr. robbery with Policeman P. M. Cox of | Reichelderfer, Maj. Pratt and Mr. Bride, | the first precinct, the man spotted | Gen. Crosby gave a long interview. to | JOnnson sitting in a gasoline station | newspaper men In which he developed | and told Cox that Johnson was one of the men who assaulted and robbed him. Johnson was arrested and placed in a cell at the first precinct. Say They Were Beaten. Meanwhile Policeman T. D. Bacon picked up Brooks in the vicinity and the victim of the assault is said by po- lice to have identified him also as one of his assailants. About midnight Saturday, both John- son and Brooks relate, they were taken out of their cells and beaten by two de- tectives. They say the detectives used his views gn third-degree practice quite The third degree, he said, is a blemish which can be removed from a police department by proper discipline. “Whenever we have a policcman go- ing around the city and acting as if he is the Police Department and not re- | sponsible to a sergeant or a captain or any one else, we have trouble. There are such men in the department, al- though I am frank to say that until the present charges were made I did not know that there was an estab- | ODIY their fists and the beating lasted thnt | 15 minutes. Both maintained through- B e T e D ieat®y | Out that they knew nothing of the rob- bery and assault. P e e e ot | In his siiement o The Star. John- force who are not disciplined son sald he lost his job as kitchen e T e ot disciplined. cis as | elPer at the Manor Club because of v his arrest. The manager of the Manor if he believes he is the department he | (oo 'Test. The manager of the Manor Rere Tgusht promptly before the Trisl | untarlly left the club July 26, While AT at woul greatly prove e v - ool g I believe the discipline in | Soerc, e Was known as Danny Tracy, the force has improved in the past - year! I do not believe that we can mprove it now by any sudden radical upheaval. An organization grows by e IO Sy (SR RN hard to get ria of. An organization may be broken down, but it is very ard to build it back up into some- thing worthwhile in & short time. Cites Army Experience. “I am speaking from my experience | in the Army. Fifty years ago in the| Army it was accepted as a regular part By the Associated Press. { the scheme of things that unruly | ST. LOUIS, August 29 —Development prisoners would be strung up by the | of the St. Louis lily, the first yellow lily thumbs or spread-eagled, and any one | of tropical hybrids, was announced here who suggested the change was solemnly | today at Shaw's Garden, one of the out- told that it was impossible to discipline | standing flower gardens of the world. an army without these things. The flower was developed by crossing “Nowadays we never hear_ of such|the “lost yellow lily” of Africa with a pure white hybrid produced by the gar- den several years ago. The new lily is larger than either of the two that pro- “I believe that the force should dis- | duced it. cipline itself. I do not believe as a| Tropical lily growers have been wait- | regular thing in setting up a trial|ing for years for a yellow day-blooming board composed of persons mot mem- | lily. Always before the palette of the | bers of the department. If our Army | horticultural artist has been limited court-martials were headed by NavyAamong day-blooming varieties to red, men, I do not believe that would make | Plue and white. for good discipline in the Army. ch e o MADE JULIAN RECEIVER “I do believe that in cases where a | OKLAHOMA CITY, August 29 (/) — Years of Effort Crowned With | Success in Developing New Flower. gradually and without any sudden up- heaval charge is made against an officer by a | citizen the citizens often refuse to tes- | tify against him, and that this hampers | ment. Senator, was appointed receiver for the “I think that the department suffers | C. C. Julian Oil & Royalties Co. by during a long investigation and hope | Federal Judge S. Vaught today. i that this one will be over as quickly| Julian and several employes are | as_possible. charged with using the mails to_de- “I am in complete accord with every- | fraud. Unit holders, headed by Cali- | thing that has been done up to date.” | fornians, sought a receiver. Double Guarantee! Every plant carries the manufacturer’s guarantee, as well as our own personal guarantee. Thus you are assured of absolute satisfaction, from the standpoint of equipment and installation. AMERICAN RADIATOR Hot Water Heating Plant Completely Installed in 6-Room House SPECIAL SO PEAR Rubber Heels Genuine White Oak Leather Half Soles 69c $1.39 STEIN’S SHOE REPAIR CO. 627 E St. NW. 2nd SHOP FROM 7th St. ft. radiation, fully and satisfactorily in- stalled. One of the finest AS LOW AS Special Summer terms—immediate in- plants you can buy at stallation. 325 the price. This low 2 or 3 Years to Pay-——Eu.y Monthly Payments Budget Plumbing & Heating Co. boiler, 6 radiators, 300 513 H St. N.E. Lincoln 10317 traditions, and the traditions are vervi GROWN |N ST LOUIS | R | CITIZENS CAN AID POLICE PROBE Maj. Henry C. Pratt, Superintendent of Police, has ordered that his police department investigation of third degree charges be dropped. No civilians are to be questioned, as this wotld in- terfere with Department of Justice investigators. ‘This interfer- ence could be interpreted only as a desperate police effort to save the “black sheep” of the department and prearranged defenses against the flood of charges that have been preferred. All com- plainants have been assured by the Federal Government that they will be protected against police reprisals. It is not to be expected that suspected officers will not con- tinue their frantic efforts to protect themselves agfimst the in- quisitorial powers of the Federal Government. Pratt’s orders, individual officers under suspicion may continue to question civilians or even threaten them with reprisals. All citizens questioned by police officers, in the face of Maj. Pratt's order that they shall not do so, should immediately re- port such cases to the Bureau of Investigation, Department of ] | Two investigators were closeted for | . C. POLICE OPPOSE USE OF BRUTALITY |Assert, However, That Third Degree Is Effective in Solving Crimes. Despite Maj. NOTE-—A Star reporter was assioned to “get the police side of the use of the third deoree” The result is the story which appears beiow. Ome of ils interesting features ir the naive admis- sion by members of the force. when § terviewed “off the record” that the th degree. so-called, 13 a port of the po sustem, despite the formel denial olice oMo Another is the point of o of those who regard the third de oree as a necessary evil. The Star, in ng this point of view. dees mot subscribe 1o the reasoning behind it. In a later article it will present “ site point of view, which, it is beli will answer the assertions here made. Backs Probe ™P.GHAM DENOUNCES THIRD- DEGREE METHODS. ed. | Prisoners have been beaten in Wash- | ington police stations, and some police- ‘ men, talking off the record, won't - deny it. These officers are opposed to brutality, | but they point out that the abolition of the so-called “third degree” will raise practical problems which merit the seri- | ous consideration of the public. | Violence, or a threat of violence, has | often been effectively used by the police | in _clearing up crimes of a certain class, Now, they ask, if the third degree must go. what is going to take its place? Will fewer crimes be solved without this weapon, and will the number of of- fenses committed increase? How will the police deal with the vio- lent type of offender; the man of low mentality who recognizes no law but that of force? Between “Devil and Sea.” | A _The police, and especially the pre« 3 2 cinct detectives. are, as these officers ses it. between “the devil and the deep | blue sea.” Every day brings to the precinct des tective a number of petty crimes—smal} robberies, hold-ups, burglaries, thefta, assaults and an occasional murder. Hig Job is to solve these crimes and appres hend the criminal. The third degreg has helped him in the past. What, theg ask, is going to take its place in the SENATOR BINGHAM. *Senator Hiram Bingham of Connectl- | future? cut, a member of the Senate Appro- |, The Srscaee :leuu‘ecammmh precinet, - s C - | they say, hasn’" aining, the priations Committee, is the latest mem.- | 0% " (S0 H0m B e K ber of Congress to give his heartlest | investigation of every offense commit- encouragement to the investigation of | ted. And, they point out, many of these charges of brutality by the police force | lesser crimes are just as difficult of of the National Capital, and pledges | solution as the more sensational ones. | his support to whatever legislation may | _Yet these cases must be cleared up, . be found desirable to accomplish this|If a precinct detective spends so much end. He denounced vigorously the use | time cn one case that he falls behind of the third-degree methods and while | On the others, he is accomplishing but en route to the air races in c1evema';l‘1tem?hén§—hm own demotion to foot | uty. wired to The Star: g oo woulld 3 . 3 lad to s 11 | e police woul e an answer am glad to see that a careful and their riddle. thorough investigation is being made by the United States officials.” That most commonly given is— ‘brains, place a premium on brains in- QU TOBEDRASTE This, the police concede, sounds good and is theoretically possible—if the tax- Vice Squad Members Due Re- call Under Immunity pay;rt\vlnls to dig deep enough into his pocket. | Some officers believe that in certain | cases the third degree is justifiable | because of certain elements, such as time, which are involved. They cite this case: A murder was committed in the southwest section of the city in the presence of several witnesses. These witnesses knew the murderer and saw him get into an autgmobile driven by his brother and speed’away. The police , finally apprehended the her and Ruling. asked him where he had taken the [ guilty man, He denied any knowledge of the affair. Cross-que ing was unavailing, his answer to evemmng being—*“I don’t know a thing about it. Beating May Have Helped. While this questioning was going on, By the Associated NEW YORK, August 29.—Armed by | the Legislature with power to exchange | full immunity from prosecution for in- | the murderer was concelvably getting formation, the legislative committee in- | farther and farther away. A beating, vestigating municipal graft today an-|Of the threat of a beating, might have | nounced plans to recall for questioning | Sra¥D the truth from the recalcitrant next week former members of the Police | In a case of that character, they ask, Department vice squad. | what does the public want, the third ot it | degree or an uncaught murderer? irving Ben Cooper, assoclate with | “gom "or'the officers also believe that Samuel tieabury, chief counsel for the |the use of violence by the police can committee, said the testimony given by | be justified in another circumstance. the policemen W j unsatis. | According to them, there is an ele- Pollisatuy ine mnsipuns tS- | ent in the city which has no respect | factory, and that in some cases ques- | for law and constituted authority as | the work of disciplining the depart-| John M. Harreld, former United States | tions previously put to them were met | by refusal to answer on the grounds | that their replies might provide in- | criminating_evidence against themselves. | One lieutenant was shown to have | \"g; 08l theors be represents, deposited in five vears more than | gery wit Y .. : h them? Frequently in the $237,000 in a joint bank account with | his mother Another officer | past police officers have been beaten valaly | appellate division the right of Mr. Sea- | and beaten in retaliation, It bury to question him about his bank | {*(hought 1n some quarters the belief account, in which he had put $83,000. | thas the police will give beating for Under the new power of granting im- | peating acts as a powerful deterrent munity sccorded o the committes st |or this clemen e special session of ew or] ¥ ] Legisiature, witnesses who still persist | 10w o i e TG lng in_their refusal to answer the commit- | would be willing to see it go. | Somg. of tee’s questions may be jalled for con-| them have never used it themselves, S, | but they believe it has had a practical — value, If they are to be deprived of Four omnibus lines in England have | its use, they want a substitute weapon. merged into a $3,500,000 concern. What is it going to be, they ask? such. They regard the police as their natural enemy and treat them aécord- tEgly. ‘They respect his club but not e soci A Bank —doing SM4LL things BIG Pay off the “Stand offs” Suppose the boss “put you off” at pay day like you “stand off” the doctor, the grocer, or an F street merchant! Would it make any difference? Are you giving a square deal to your doctor, your grocer or the store where you trade, when you promise to pay and don’t—ot when you pay no atten- tion to kindly notices of delinquency looking to a satisfactory settlement. You may botrow money at the Morris Plan Bank *to pay off the stand off’—to get your scattering debts grouped in one place—to make possi- ble an orderly use of your income and to enable you to ultimately “‘round the corner.” Why net try The Morris Plan? ’ Morris Plan Under Supervision U S. B