Evening Star Newspaper, July 17, 1936, Page 1

WEATHER. (U. 8. Weather Bureau Forecast.) Falr tonight and tomorrow; little change in temperature; light, variable winds. Temperatures—Highest, 88, at 1:15 p.m. yesterday; lowest, 65, at 5 a.m. today. Full report on Closing New York Markets, Page 14 No. 33,680. page A-11. - Entered as second class matter post office, Washington, D. C. D. TOWNEND GRUP BANS BACKING [ POLITEALPARTES Delegates Cheer Chairman’s Decision to Keep Conven- tion Non-Partisan. IGOV. LANDON DECLINES * TO ADDRESS SESSION Wownsend, Coughlin and Rev. Mr. Smith Announce They Will Stump for Lemke. BULLETIN. CLEVELAND, July 17 (#).—Evi- dence of dissension among leaders of the Townsend old-age pension movement became evident today with & statement by Dr. Francis E. Townsend that “I do not consider Gomer Smith any longer & mem- ber of our*organization.” @y tne Associated Press. CLEVELAND, July 17.—Frank Ar- buckle, permanent chairman of the Townsend National Convention, an- nounced to delegates today “Any mo- tion or resolution having to do with indorsement of a national political party shall be out of order at all times.” He said he so ruled because “we have thad liberal discussions concerning the national political situation,” and to *re-emphasize the fact that this con- wvention is non-partisan in its political | metivities.” His announcement was met With | eheers. Last night Dr. Francis E. Townsend ennounced he, Rev. Father Charles E. Coughlin, Rev. Gerald L. K. Smith and | WRepresentative William Lemke, presi- | dential candidate of the Union party, | would conduct a speaking tour on | Lemke's behalf. Dr. Townsend also called last night for the resignation of Gomer Smith of Oklahoma, national vice president, | after Smith’s attack on Coughlin and. Rev. Mr. Smith. Coughlin is head of | the National Union for Social Justice, | which has indorsed Lemke. Rev. Mr. | Smith claims to head the Share-the- Wealth movement. | Landon Answers Request. ‘ Arbuckle’s ruling was similar to a resolution adopted yesterday declarin, the convention to be non-partisan. "The same resolution invited the presi- dential candidates of the Democratic, Republican and Socialist partles to #peak before the delegates. A message from the Republican can- | didate, Gov. Alf M. Landon of Kansas, was read to the convention saying that ‘while he appreciated the invitatin it would be “impossible for me to make any address of this kind until after my acceptance of the nomination.” Invitations to speak before the con- vention also were sent to President Roosevelt and to Norman Thomas, Bocialist presidential candidate. A secretary to President Roosevelt sent a message to the convention ecknowledging the invitation. Had Attacked Lemke. Last Monday night in a press con- ference Dr. Townsend said he “could name & dozen men in the United Btates who would make a better third party candidate” than Lemke. He said he would be bound by whatever the eonvention did, and added “but I don’t think the degelates have decided by ®ny means that they want a third party.” . In the opening session Wednesday, Representative Martin F.. Smith, Dem- ocrat, of Washir.gton, temporary chair- man, was cheered when he said, “my friends, we are not going to lose with iLemke, we are going to triumph with ‘Townsend.” Attacked Roosevelt. i In his “message” to the delegates| Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Townsend attacked President Roosevelt.and the New Deal, and said the Townsend plan had the support of the National Union for Social Justice, founded by Coughlin, and the Share-the-Wealth Group led by Rev. Mr. Smith. ‘Wednesday night it was announced Coughlin would address the conven- tion. Southern delegates who claimed the support of Townsendites from 15 ~ (See TOWNSENDITES, Page 4) D. C. YOUTH DROWNS AS CHUM WATCHES Walter Yebens Loses Life in Canal—Boy Thought Cries Were in Jest. Eighteen-year-old Walter Yebens, | 8815 Sherrier place, was drowned in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal about a half mile above Chain Bridge shortly before noon today. Yebens, in company with a 14-year- old chum, Raymond Miller, 1432 N street, was in the water alone when Miller saw him go under. As he came to the surface Yebens called for help, but the younger lad thought he was joking and told him “to stop the foolishness.” Two men—Dr. John Grady, 2305 Third street, a veterinarian, and a retired policeman named De Nean— ‘were walking along the river side of the canal about 200 yards from the scene when they heard Yebens' cry. They dived into the canal several times, but failed to find the youth. Yebens' body was recovered by sev- enth precinct police about an hour . and a half later. Yebens' father, a carpenter, said his son and Miller, who lives next to the Yebens home, had started out-to pick blackberries. He saild Walter could not swim. B FRENCH RENEW STRIKE PARIS, July 17 (#).—Seilors oc- cupied four freighters in Le Havre Harbor today in a fresh outbreak of French strikes. Butcher boys and employes of three tobacco warehouses in Paris also quit work demanding application of the Qe socisl and labor laws, @b WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1936—THIRTY-TWO PAGES. Economists Help Byrd Seek Changes in U.S. Organization Brookings Institution and McCarl Push Studies to Lower Costs. BY WILL P. KENNEDY. Under contract with Senator Harry' F. Byrd of Virginia, chairman of the special Senate Committee on Govern- ment Reorganization, and with the approval of Chairman Buchanan of the special House Committee, which is co-operating, the Brookings Insti- tution is making an intensive fact- finding study of the governmental set- up, with suggestions for reorganiza- tion, to report before Congress con- venes January 5. Senator Byrd also will avail him- self ot an offer by J. R. McCarl, who has just retired as controller general, to help in the proposed reorganization. Senator Byrd, with his advisory com- mittee, will then start hearings and hope to get a reorganization program betore Congress early in the January session. Enjoying a vacation at his Summer cottage at Skyland, Senator Byrd em- phasized that governmental reorgani- zation is the biggest job ahead of Con- gress: “Something must be done be- cause of the very real need for re- duction in cost of government, which the people are demanding,” he said. B SENATOR BYRD. “Today we have the most complicated bureaucracy the world has ever known. The force of economic cir- cumstances demands drastic economies —not only in the emergency units but in the regular department, bureaus and commissions. “We are preparing next year to "(See REORGANIZATION, Page 3.) HAL OF FIRE KILLS SHERIF N AUTO Roanoke Deputy Slain on Road by Killers in Speed- ing Auto. ey the Assoclated Press. ROANOKE, Va., July 17.—Struck in the back of the head by a hail of buck- |shot as he drove along the Rocky Mount road 3 miles south of Roanoke about 3 o’clock this morning, Roanoke County Deputy Sheriff C. E. (“Big Boy”) Simmons, about 45, slumped in instant death while a car from which fthe shotgun roared its deadly charge flashed past and disappeared. Another occupant of the police car, Deputy Sheriff Charles Boone, was un- scathed as the leaden hail peppered the rear curtain of the roadster’s top, early tore off the Sack of his com- nion’s head and thudded out through the windshield. Dozing at the time, Boone was relaxed in the seat. Apparently unaware of Boone's pres- | ence, the unknown killers, who also un- | loosed .45-caliber slugs at the police car, waited until the roadster careened into a ditch, then roared past. Boone said the killers' car “sounded like a Ford.” He sald the car's lights were | on, but that he did not get the license | | number. Parallels Franklin Slaying. The mysterious slaying nearly par- allels the unsolved slaying of a Frank- lin County deputy sheriff, Jeff Rich- ards, several years ago. The Franklin County officer also met death in a hail of buckshot and .45 bullets. County police could ascribe no mo- tive to the shooting. Simmons, whose home is about a mile and s half be- yond the scene, had been a deputy for about seven years under Sheriff George Richardson. He has a family of eight children, the youngest 16 months. City and county started an immediate roundup, and by 6 am. nearly a dozen persons had been booked at headquarters here on charges of “hold for investigation for Roanoke County.” The two county officers were driving south on the Rocky Mount road. Boone said he was dozing with his head in the right corner of the seat. Saw Car Following. As the police car topped what is #pown as “Red Hill,” Boone said he noticed the lights of a car behind them. About a quarter of a mile further, a shot sounded, followed by several others, all fired closely together. “The car started for the ditch,” Boone said, “and I thought a tire had blown out. I pushed Simmons and he flopped over. I grabbed the wheel and tried to cut the car out of the ditch, and did keep it from tearing into a telephone pole, but it went into the ditch a little further on.” From the point where the shots were fired to the place where the car stopped in the ditch was about 22 feet. Marks on the roadway indicated ‘where Boone grabbed the wheel and applied the brakes. “Then,” Boone continued, “the car behind pulled up beside us and raced down the road—it sounded like a Ford, THREN CON AWY, IPAHON ASERTS Denies He Ever Had Any Intention of Shooting King Edward. BACKGROUND— As he rode back to Buckingham Paldce along Constitution Hill after a guard mount in Hyde Park, King Edward VIII yesterday was threat- ened by a pistol in the hands of a crippled man, George Andrew McMahon, a social reformer. A “little woman in gray” knock- ed the weapon from the man’s hand and as it clattered to the street, almost at the feet of the King’s horse, the alleged assailant was hustled off to jail by police. (Copyright. 1036, by the Assoclated Press.) LONDON, July 17.—George Andrew | McMahon, whose loaded revolver men- aced King Edward yesterday, said to- day the weapon was not knocked from his hand in the struggle on Constitu- tion Hill, but that he deliberately threw it into the street near the King as the monarch rode by. This version was relayed by an authoritative source who said the bald, club-footed Irishman told police he never had the least intention of shoot- ing the King. McMahon was taken to a hospital ward for mental observation and medi- cal treatment. In an effort to get a clear account of the incident, Scotland Yard sent out & call for volunteer witnesses. Scores of spectators responded, streaming in to be interviewed by police officials. Woman May Hold Fate. McMahon's fate may lie with the still mysterious “woman in gray” who, witnesses said, knocked the ner’s revolver from his hand as King rode before a military parade yester- day. It was believed she was able to tell the true story of McMahon's attempt, but the police did not make her name public, and they were said to be shield- ing her from public contacts until the prisoner appears in court next week. Rumors circulated that the woman is an American. King Edward, seemingly uncon- cerned by the apparent attempt on his life, busied himself with the usual af- fairs of state at York House while messages of congratulation poured in from the whole world. McMahon was identified as an Irish- man, the son of John Bannigan of Glasgow. The father said his son’s original name was Jerome Bannigan, but that it was changed three years 2go. Scotland Yard appealed for wit- nesses, issuing an official communique which said: “In connection with the incident which occurred during yes- terday’s procession, the police request any persons who were in the imme- diate vicinity of the man arrested and ‘who witnessed the occurrence to com- municate with New Scotland Yard as soon as possible.” One official stated the exact charge on which McMahon would be tried would depend upon the evidence gath- ered. Under the present charge, that of (8ee ROANOKE, Page 5) (See KING, Page 4) Drought Loss Now Billion As Deaths Gain in Midwest Bt the Associated Press. CHICAGO, July 17.—A withering sun in & cloudless sky glared down on the vast “swelter belt” of the Mid- west today in continuation of its 14- day heat-drought siege. Loss of hu- extreme Northern Wisconsin and the ‘western part of upper Michigan. Higher temperatures, with the mer- man life still mounted. Crop dam- | Min, age, estimated at more than a billion dollars several days ago, roe. And no general relief was sighted. Dakota, where much of the grain was beyond help; for Northern Michigar WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION NUNTIONS PLATS ARE ATOMLIZE DY PARS CAAMBE French Arms Industry Is Placed Under Strict Gov- ernment Control. DEPUTIES TAKE ACTION BY VOTE OF 484 TO 85 U. S. Senate Probe of War Mate- rials Cited by Daladier in Backing Bill. BACKGROUND— Public interest in profits of muni- tion makers has increased in many nations since World War. In United States, Senate committee held prolonged investigation in ef- Jort to prove commercial activities were responsible for drawing Nation into last war. The swing to left in France, re- sulting in first Socialist premier, Leon Blum, led to more vigorous consideration of war “profiteering” in that nation. By the Associated Press. PARIS, July 17.—The French Chamber of Deputies voted national- ization of the arms industry today by the wide margin of 484 to 85. Backed by Premier Leon Blum’s Leftist government, the measure will clamp strict government control on the nation’s large armament plants. Edouard Daladier, minister of de- fense, urged passage of the bill and vigorously attacked war-time profiteers. There will be “no recourse and no appeal,” he warned against the gov- ernment decision on munitions exports by the state-supervised factories. The United States Senate investiga- tion of the arms industry ‘was cited by Daladier as an example of the interna- tional importance of nationalization of ‘warfare equipment production. Hits “Scandalous Profit.” He continued: “War must not be a source of scandalous profit. * * * “We want peace, but a peace of free men and not one which is suit- able for slaves.” Daladier appealed from the rostrum of the chamber for an end of the “liberty of armaments manufacture.” The bill calls for expropriation of large plants which depend mainly upon orders given by the government, he said, and these industries would be paid for their property. Exports and the manipulation of profits and securities of the firms would be controlled by cabinet decree, it was explained. In addition to about 10 major fac- tories which would be expropriated, the program envisages limited control of other companies whose production in the main is designed for com- mercial use, such as airplane manu- facturers. Daladier addressed other nations with the statement: “France an- nounces to other countries that she wishes to end certain abuses of the past and desires them to act in similar manner.” A reduction of French armaments, he indicated, would be made in pro- portion to similar action by other powers under international disarma- ment pacts. Bank Control Bill Passes. ‘The government rushed to chamber enactment yesterday a measure to give it control of the Bank of France. Officials promised, as the bill was approved by a chamber of deputies vote of 430 to 111, to refrain from using its new powers for inflation. Vincent Auriol, flanance minister, told critics the government was op- posed to inflation. Other government spokesmen de- clared the measure was intended to break the power of “200 families” which own but 170,000,000 francs in stock, while small shareholders hold 1,400,000,000 francs’ worth. On the other hand, opposition dep- utles criticized the number of func- tionaries on the proposed bank board, and assailed what they said was gov- ernment failure to provide a body more representative of the share- holders. Plan to Revise Charter, Blum’'s government already has financed itself through the Bank of France, the nation’s top financial in- stitution. 1Its leaders have indicated they want to fix the bank’s 136-year- old charter so the board of regents may no longer influence governments, as it is supposedto have done in the past. Blum’s bill will: 1. Supplant the present board of 15 regents with a board of 30 directors. 2. Permit small shareholders to vote in the election of 10 directors. 3. Abolish the requirement that the governor of the bank own 100 shares of its stock. Under the bank's present charter, drawn up by Napolean, the board of regents has been elected since 1800 by the 200 largest stockholders. . From that rule came the election campain attack on the “200 families” by Blum's Leftist followers. To these, the 200 were known as “money barons,” the “money wall” and the “financial oligarchy.” Places on the board of regents were handed down in family dynasties, the Leftists charged. The records show there has been a member of the Mal- let bankin family, for instance, on the board ever since the bank’s founding. Ernest Mallet, the present regent, is the fourth of the line. PRESIDENT “COASTING” TOWARD CAPE SABLE Yacht Sewanna Almost 24 Hours Out of Seal Harbor in Light Breeze. By the Associated Press. ABOARD 'SCHOONER LIBERTY IN BAY OF PUNDY, July 17.—Pres- ident Roosevelt, aboard the yacht Se- ¢ Foening Star The only evening paper in Washington with the Associated Press News and Wirephoto Services. e kKK P) Means Associated Press. Yesterday’s Circulation, 132,252 (Some returns not yet received.) TWO CENTS. | MURDER OF FAMILY 15 LAID TO MOTHER Coroner Holds Berryville Woman Insane When She Killed Three and Self. BULLETIN. BERRYVILLE, Va, July 17— Mrs. May Smallwood, 45, was held responsible here today for the fatal shooting of her mother and her two sons last Monday. The cor- oner held that Mrs. Smallwood, temporarily insane, killed her rela- tives and then took her own life. BY JOHN H. CLINE, Staff Correspondent of The Star. BERRYVILLE, Va, July 17.—A coroner’s inquest into the deaths of four members of a nearby mountain family took an unexpected turn here today when two witnesses testifled that the shot-riddled body of 87-year- old Mrs. Susan Virginia Elsea, one of the victims, was found tied to her burning bed. This evidence, coupled with the dis- closure that the slayer had attempted to burn the shotgun shells used in the tragedy, tended to cast some doubt on the officially expressed belief that the deaths were a case of triple murder and suicide. In addition to Mrs. Elsea, (he other victims were her daughter, Mrs. May Smallwood, 45, and the latter's two sons, Elbert, 23, and Alkin, 17. All had been kilfed with a 12-gauge shot- gun. Their bodies, lying in separate beds, which had been saturated with kerosene and set afire, were found early Monday morning in their log cabin home 9 miles east of here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The first witness called at the in- quest was Joseph Elsea, brother of Mrs. Smallwood, who noticed smoke curling from the cabin and broke open the front door to discover the bodies. Discovers Mother's Body. He testified that his mother, Mrs. Elsea, may have been alive when he Teached the scene. “When I grabbed her.” he said, “to carry her outside, I thought I saw her mouth move.” Elsea said he was unable to get hi: mother out of the bed because she was fastened to it in some way. In his excitement, he said, he failed to notice whether her body was tied to the bed, but said he saw a piece of cord under the covers. However, Berkley Fowler, who finally released the body of the elderly woman, said he was positive she had been tied to the footboards. “When I picked her up,” Fowler testified, “something caught. Then I saw she was tied to the footboard, although I didn’t notice how the cord ‘was attached to her body. I gave a Jerk, which broke the string.” Had Used “Sling.” Joseph Elsea testified that his moth- er had fractured her hip several years 2go and for a while kept her foot tied to the bed to “keep the leg from draw- ing up.” He added, however, he was sure she hadn't used the cord for this purpose for the past 18 months. Elsea also testified it was his impres- sion the cord was tied to some other part of her body than the injured leg. Testimony concerning the burning of the shells was given by Clifton Lee, & neighbor. He said he reached the Gabin about an hour and a half after discovery of the bodies and found a washstand burning in the boys’ bed Toom on the second floor. In addition to the brass caps of at least two shells, Lee said, he found the charred remnants of a pocketbook, T Dog Wins Battle With a Skunk, But Family Flees Home By the Assoctated Press. PETERSBURG, W. Va, July 17.—The R. C. Days are warning friends to keep their doors closed at night, even if the heat is an- noying. The family, awakened by a ter- rific noise—and odor—found their English fox terrier in desperate combat with a prowler, a common musteiine mammal, “Mephites mephitis,” or skunk. ‘The dog won, but the family had moved by that time to a neighbor's house to finish their slumber. BOMTVRIGHT HERE INGEN‘PROBE | St. Paul Secret Service Chief Confers With Treasury en “Sniping.” BY REX COLLIER. Grady L. Boatwright, Secret Service | agent in charge of the St. Paul office, arrived here today and went into con- ference immediately with Treasury officials regarding a mysteriously- directed and “unauthorized” investiga- tion of the G-men by Secret Service agents in the Midwest. Boatwright, who is said to have ad- mitted he conducted an inquiry in St. Paul int othe fatal shooting in 1934 by Justice agents of Eddie Green, Dillin- ger machine gunner, was closeted with ‘W. H. Reynolds, administration assist- ant to Treasury Secretary Morgenthau and W. H. Moran, Secret Service chief. | Joseph Murphy, assistant chief of | the service, who, it is understood, was named by Boatwright as the official who ordered him to make the inquiry, | is en route to Washington from Los Angeles. Murphy has telephone Mc- Reynolds his “horror” that “anything 1 might bave told my men had been misconstrued by them.” Several Days’ Inquiry. It was said at the Treasury this afternoon that McReynolds' investiga- tion of the “ill-advised” activities of secret service men in St. Paul and Chicago will consume several days. A number of persons are to be inter- viewed, it was stated. Secret Service agents in Chicago are reported to have questioned police officials there about the shooting to death of John Dillinger by F. B. I agents in July, 1934. Boatwright is well known in Wash- ington, having served at the White House during part of President Hoover's administration. He was with Herbert Hoover on his “good will” tour of South America in the Fall of 1927. Some of the persons interviewed are understood to have been told the Secret Service was gathering informa- tion to be used in removing J. Edgar Hoover from the directorship of the F. B. I. They said they were ques- tioned about circumstances attending the shootings in 1934. The trend of the questions indicated a belief by the Secret Service men that the killings were unwarranted. To Apologize to Hoover. McReynolds said Treasury investi- gators have no authority to conduct investigations of other Federal agen- cies. He said apologies would be ten- dered Hoover and Attorney General Cummings if the present inquiry sup- ports evidence already in hand. At (See BOATWRIGHT, Page 3.) NOTE IN CAR CLUE | 10 MISSING MAN Laundry Manager’s Auto | Found—*“Going Down on | Moonlight,” He Wrote. | An automobile found in the 1200 | block of Water street southwest with a note attached to the steering wheel | offered the only clue today to the | mysterious disappearance of Robert Gittings, 22, of Kensington, Md. Discovery of the automobile in some respects served to complicate the case, however. Whether Gittings, the manager of a cleaning establish- ment at 1925 New York avenue north- | east, is dead or alive, or the victim of | murder or suicide, remained unde- | termined at noon. The note, addressed to his wife “Kitt,” read: “I can't stand these | hours any longer. I am through. I am going down on the moonlight. Take care of Sonny. I loved you all- ways. Bob.” A man believed to have been Git- tings was seen to park his car in front of 1249 Water street, just op- posite the Wilson Line steamer City of Washington, shortly after 10 am. | yesterday. Argued With Employe. ‘This closed part of the gap of time intervening since Gittings left his cleaning place at about 8 p.m. Wed- nesday after an argument earlier in the day with a colored employe, who, according to Gittings’ wife, told her husband, “I'll get you tonight.” This man, however, has not been located | by police, but they feel the automo- bile and note may eliminate him from | the case. | The last Mrs. Gittings heard from | her husband was when he telephoned | just before he departed from his piace of business, saying he would be home | after he left some advertising copy at | The Star. He failed to reach The | Star office, however. | His disappearance then was reported to police yesterday by his mother, Mrs. Grace Gittings, with whom he and his wife and son live at Kensington. The trail was a blank until this morning when Harry Harrison, col- ored, barrel factory worker, went to| harbor police station at 8:30 a.m. to- day to report the car he had seen a man park on Water street yesterday (See GITTINGS, Page 3. U. S’S ACE WITNESS CALLED IN HAMM CASE | Bolton, Confessed Kidnaper, to Testify in Trial of Peifer Today. Bv the Assoclated Press. ST. PAUL, July 17.—The Pederal Government today called its ace wit- ness, Byron Bolton, confessed kid- naper, to testify in the trial of John Peifer, former St. Paul night club operator, charged with conspiracy in the abduction of Wililam Hamm, jr., ‘wealthy brewer. Bolton, member of the Barker-Karpis gang, which engineered the kidnaping of Hamm here in June, 1933, and held him for $100,000 ransom, already has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sen- tence. 4 F. Sullivan, United States district attorney, said Bolton was ex- pected to be the Government’s main- stay in the case against Peifer. Sulli- van said the prosecution hoped to prove that Peifer received $10,000 for his share of the kidnap proceeds and that he also brought $30,000 additional to St. Paul for payments to unnamed persons here. Full Sports Base Ball Scores, Race Results, Complete Market News of the Day, Latest News Flashes from Around the World. What- ever it is, you'll find it in The Night Final Sports Edition. Night Final Delivered by Carrier Anywhere in the City [J Coroner’s SUSPECT HUNTED INHITEL SLAYING OF GRL STUDBT Jury Recesses Without Making Finding as to Her Death. SHERIFF SEEKS MAN WHO RAN INTO STORM Blond, 19, Stabbed in Face Before Being Shot With “Un- usual” Gun. By the Assccizted Press. ASHEVILLE, N. C, July 17.—A coroner’s jury viewed the mutilated body of 19-year-old Helen Clevenger of New York today and recessed until 2:30 p.m. without making any finding as to her death in her hotel room early yesterday. Sheriff Lawrence E. Brown and his deputies intensified their investigation, but persisted in their refusal to theorize regarding the slaying of the pretty blond, who spent most of her life in Washington, D. C.. where her family lived from 1915 to 1928 They questioned Prof. W. L. Clevene ger of North Carolina State College, the girl's uncle, at length as to any of her connections which might have a bearing on the case,” but declined to reveal the results. Clevenger, who found her body about 8:30 am. yes- terday when he went to her room from his own just around the corridor cor- ner, retired to the home of a friend and was not expected to appear at the inquest. Officers, refusing to reveal anything other than general facts which were exposea yesterday a few hours after the 19-year-old New York University honor student was found shot and stabbed, said “this is the most complie cated case to come before the depart- ment.” Man Dashes Into Storm. A “mystery man.” whom several per- sons saw but did not identify, was sought as the one who dashed from the fashionable hotel into an early morning thunderstorm at about the time physicians said the girl died on her knees. Officers said almost any one could have gained unnoticed the floor on which her room was located. The room was four actual stories up—the | lobby, the mezzanine, the first floor, then the second. It wes number 224, many feet from a flight of stairs and second from a window at the end of the corridor. The body, with the face deeply muti- lated by a series of vicious jabs from some sharp instrument and with a bullet hole ranging downward through the left portion of her chest, was at an undertaker's today. An examining physician who re- | fused to permit use of his name said an attempt had been made to crim- inally assault the girl—but a full re= port was expected from Coroner George F. Baier, jr., today. Bullet From “Unusual” Gun. Baler said the bullet was from an “unusual type of gun, probably of a foreign make”—the sole clue so far re- vealed. He said the bullet appeared to bae2 slightly smaller than an ordinary The coroner said a pair of scissors could have been used for the repeated stabs in Miss Clevenger's face, but no such instrument was reported located. Nor was the gun found. Police fixed the time of the slaying at about 1 a.m. yesterday. The body was found in green-striped pajamas, the feet crumpled under the girl's back. Durmah Jones, colored bellboy, said he saw & man run from the mezzanine floor about 1 a.m. while he was in the darkened service room in the lobby. He said the fleeing man vaulted the porch banister to the street and dis- appeared in the storm. The bellboy gave only a scant de- scription of the man. He said he ap- peared to weigh about 160 pounds and was about five feet eight inches in heigit. He could not remember how the man was dressed, but was certain he wore no hat and that his hair was disheveled. Robert Simpson, elevator operator, said he took no one to the third floor near the time of the slaying and did not bring any one down. Several guests told of hearing a woman’s scream at about 1 am. E. B. Pittman, an employe of the State banking department, had the room opposite Miss Clevenger's and told investigators he stepped into the hall when he heard the shriek. He said he saw a man standing with his back to the door of the girl's room, which was partly open. Pitte (See SLAYING, Page 5.) STEAMER IN COLLISION The steamer Northland of the Nore folk & Washington Steamship Co. and a barge towed by a tug from the Navy Yard were in a minor collision at 5:40 am. today in the Potomac River at North River View. A report by the steamship company said the Northland and the tug and barge were drifting in the fog when the accident occurred. The steamer was not damaged, it was stated. Readers’ Guide Death Notices - Editorial Finance __ Lost and Found News Comment Features A-9 THE NIGHT FINAL SPORTS and SUNDAY STAR—delivered by carrier—70c & month. Call National 5000 and service will start at once. Serial Story - Short Story