Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-16

that time the city has been the scene of
many sensational murders. About ten
| years after the organization of the force
| there was brutal murder committed in
| the gas house one night before Christmas.
Because of the brutality Of the crime and
the easy manner in which the criminal es-
| capped the police who were on the force at
the time will never forget it.
Michael Lyden killed Michael Welsh. The
men We're neighbors and had been on the
| best of terms previous to the evening of
| the fatal meeting. But with certain class
| Of the residents OF that section of the city
| in those days it was the custom to cele-
brate this holiday with rum drinking. One
| and perhaps both men had been drinking,
and when working side by side in the gas
works they had dispute, which resulted
| in Lyden using his shovel on Welsh's head
| The one blow was effective. The news of
| the homicide was soon known to every
| resident of 'Foggy Bottom" Singular as
| it may SEEM many Of the residents, while
| not particularly glad that W elsh had been
| killed, were not anxious that his slayer
| should be prosecuted. Lyden left the gas
| house without being pursued, and walked
| leisurely to his home,a few squares distant
| He told them what he had DONE" said
friend of the family the other day. and
1 they told him to CO. And he Went.
| Ii is said that the police made no special
effort to capture this man, who is thought
! to have gone to the coal fields OF Pennsyl-
| vania and entered the mines, where in
short time man becomes unacceptable
| by his dearest and most intimate friends
| Others say he went to West virginia ana
| worked on the railroad while 1t is per-
| haps the general impression that he went
across the ocean to his native land
| In connection with this case there is an
Interesting bit of history. While the facts
| were fresh in the public mind a man in
| New York impaired the information to an
other that he was the murderer of Mike
| Welsh. He was under the influence of
| liquor at the time and his object was to
make his newly made friend believe that
| he was not meek citizen. OF course his
| friend was told TO keep the secret. which
| he did not do, and the arrest OF the man
followed.
The late Lieut.. Guy went over to New
York to see the prisoner. and entering the
room he gave vent to his surprise, when
| he recognized the self-confessed murderer
| as Dice Moran. Moran was wanted here.
He had been released on bail pending
| trial for robbery, and, as the ponce caii a.
had skipped his bond" When the late
lieutenant returned. Moran came with him,
and was afterward sent over the road
| Two Cases of Mystery.
| Thomas Fitzgerald, who was known as
| Tom Fitz," killed Charles Draeger, and
Ike Lyden. he soon shook from his feet
the dust of Washington, and SO far as is
known there has since been no attraction
here for him. This was about eighteen
wears ago. The murderer, a young man.
had never been source of much comfort
to his friends, and even in his younger days
he had kept bad company and been the
recognized leader of a gang OF boys who
plundered country wagons ard did other
things for which they may have been pun
ished. Charles Draeger was al ambitious
young man, who conducted a grocery
store in Northeast Washington. and whom
Fitzgerald had known in his boyhood days.
One Sunday morning Draeger was I'm his
store attending to his business when in
walked "Fitz' and companion.
stance of his remarks addressed to the
grocer. who was a quiet, easy-goinS man.
He did not violate the Sunday law. and he
so informed the man, who had probably
not been home the night before.
There was an oath uttered by the in
truder who also threw a heavy iron weight
at the grocer, whom Re imagined had
offended him. The blow proved fatal.
During the inves legation of the case the
police made many searches, watched the
mails and trains, but to purpose The
only information they obtained was that
the murderer had gone to the coal mines.
At the time he committed the murder he
was not alone, and his companion has
since been sent to the penitentiary for an
other crime.
In 1883 there was another murderer who
escaped, and, like the others mentioned, he
is still at large. This man was named
Lucius johnson, a heavy-Set colored man,
who killed boy named King Howe. at
Sd and III streets southwest. The affair
happened late at night, when several col
ored men met young Howe and others on
| the sidewalk 1t seemed that the colored
men claimed the entire sidewalk, and be-
cause King Howe, who had only been
here from the country q few weeks. did
rot move fast enough for him. there was a
quarrel which ended in the killing OF the
boy.
Lucius Johnson was well known here
both to the police and citizens of South
Washington, and strenuous efforts Were
made TO effect his capture He remained
about BuzzardS Point several weeks dress
ed in female wearing apparel and when
he thought the coast WIS clear he took a
heat from wharf near the point and went
across the river to Pencote woods, and
from there made his way down through
southern Maryland.
They Also Escaped.
-Four years later there WAS another case
which still reminded the police that muir
der won't out colored man, almost
white, named Frank Heidcman Hardi-
man, killed hTckster named John HaincE
This occurred in the first ward, not far
from Goth and E streets, and lieidcInan
and some colored friends were entirely re-
spoasible for the affair. The huckster was
attending to his business at the time and
was driving aleng the street, when he was
halted The starting Of the affair was re-
garded as an alleged joke On the part of the
colored men, but the huckster failed to see
where the joke came in, when he saw his
stock being ruined and 1t was while ne
Tending himself and property that he was
shot and killed. After threatening ian
guage had been INDUCED in HeiGeman went
off, borrowed the pistol and, upon his re-
turn to the place, killed Hanes.
Tha last seen OF the murderer was when |
he ran III the direction of the river and dis |
appeared the marsh. 1t was about sun
down when the affair happened, and it was |
thought that he lived in the marsh several |
days, but concerning this the police have
changed their minds and they Tow believe |
he left thu city the evening the murder
was committed.
The last crime Of this kind In which the
culprit escaped arrest and punishment was |
enacted on the sidewalk at the corner Of