Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-24
Unknown Assassin Responsible for
Murder of John Marshall.
UNSOLVED FIFTH PRECINCT MYSTERY
Suspected Negro Now in Custody
of the Police.
OFFICERS WITHOUT A CLUE

L
day mornings mys terious shooting near
the Pennsylvania avenue bridge over the
| Anacostia river. died ct Providence Hos
| pital about O'Clock this Elorning from
| the effects of the serious wound described
| in yesterdays Star. and the police have
| another fugitive Murderer added to their
| list.
This will remain an unsclved fifth pre-
| cinct mystery, I'm afrcid," remarked one
| of The officers when lac heard of the farm
er's death.
There is absolutely no clue to the iden-
| tity or whereabouts of the murderer" add
| ed the officer, "and now that the victim is
dead and there is no means OF identihca-
| ton the Case is made all the more difii-
| cult"
| Detectives Weldon and Lacey, Who were
| assigned to the case by Inspector Mat
| ungly, made every effort yesterday after
| noon to get some trace of the highway
| man, but this morning they said they had
| obtained nothing that woGld help them
| in the investigation. There was arrest
| made on the Long bridge, about o'clock
this morning, the prisoner. colored man,
having IL hls possession a revolver, from
| which one shot mad been fired.
Policemen Bassford and Termillion made
the arrest, and when Inspector Mattirgly
learned of the case he sent 10 the Police
| Court for the prisoner and had a lengthy
interview with kim.
1t happened that the officers We're near
1ith street and Maryland avenue. near the
| bridge, when they first the negro.
Starting IN that direction. the officers no.
| ticeG that the man became alarmed and
| hastened his footsteps. They also moved
faster, and succeeded I'm oNertakng him on
| the bridge
Say, mister, deed I done nothin' wrong"
pleaded the young man, who said his name
was Frank Johnson. When the ;s-caliber
bulldog revolver was found on MIN, the
officers informed him that the carrying Of
weapons was violation of law.
Prisoners Story.
In conversation with the officers the
prisoner said he had lived i'm St. Louis, but
had left there some time ago and had been
| in number of large cities since. Several
| nights ago, he told them. he was i'm Ana
| costa, and two nights ago he said he slept
in the Monument lot, and also spent some
of his time about the market.
To Star reporter the prisoner said he
had lived at No. 2l2 Morgan street, St.
Louis, with his aunt, Mrs. Harriet Moore.
His mother, he said, lives in Nashville,
Tenn, where she is in service in house
on Cedar street About four years ago. he
said. he left his aunt's house in St Louis,
and about three weeks ago he reached this
city.
He was unable to tell any house I'm which
he had slept since he reached here. except
that he spent one night in the Central
Union Mission. Most of his nights, he
says. he has spent about the market and in
the parks. Last night he was about the
market until a late hour. and when he left
he started to go across the river, intending
to go south. Questioned concerning the
weapon, Johnson said he purchased the re-
volver in st. Louis. and had carried it for
more than four years. He discharged the
one shot, he said, about three weeks ago,
Just outside the city CT Baltimore.
Makes "a Break.
To Inspector Mattingly the prisoner re-
lated the story of his visit here and the
officer noticed that he was careful TO put
himself far away from the scene of the
shooting "a the time of its occurrence.
While Johnson pretended he knew moth
ing of Anacostia. he admitted later in the
conversation, that he knew of the location
of Anacostia because when he came here
on the railroad he passed through there.
Inspector Mattngiy questioned the pris-
Cner rather closely concerning St Louis
and he was fully satisfied that Johnsons
residence there was only for short time.
If the suspect is not the man who fired
the fatal snot the inspector is satis-
fled that he is good man to have in Gus
tody. " hen the detectives finished with
hlm, Johnson was taken back to the Po-
lice Court and Judge Kimball sentenced
him to four months in Jail. He will be
visited in Jail this afternoon or tomorrow
morning and interviewed by the detectives
al work on the case.
1t was thought yesterday that the wound
had been made by small bulet-perhaps
of 22-caliber-in which event the wound
could not have been inflicted with The
weapon found on Johnson: but the autonsy
showed that the bullet was much larger
than was at first supposed. 1t is pro-
Eounced to be unquestionably a 3S-caliber,
the size of the balls used in. Johnson's
Bulldog" revolver. This increases the,
suspicion against the prisoner, and In
spector Mattingly is of the impression that
he Is the guilty man.
May Have Been Foultz.
Special Officer Brockenborough, who has
been active in the search for Dorsey
FoultZ, the escaped murderer who has
been missing since May 81, called at police
headquarters this morning and suggested
that Dorsey had probably done the shoot
ing yesterday. The work, he said. was done
very much in the manner of the Foultz
murder Foultz being a man of very few
words; and when the shooting was done
yesterday morning the conversation be-
tween the murderer and his victim WAS
brief.
While the headquarters detectives are at
work on the case the precinct policemen
are by no means idle. Four mounted men
Policemen Green, Marr Stevens and
Dyer-have been especially detailed to aid
in unraveling the mystery.
They started out early yesterday, and
had not been long upon the case before
they learned that a suspicious-appearlng
colored man had been seen lettering about
this end of the bridge for several days.
man made an attempt TO 'hold up a wo-
man near the bridge, but her screams
attracted assistance. and the man was
frightened off.
Searched n Stable.
During the night the officers searched n
stable not far from the bridge. They knew
that a number of tramps and suspicious
persons had been in the habit of sleeping
in the building. but last night II was empty
Before Mr.. Marshall died, his wife broth
er and other relatives had called and seen
him. He was fully conscious when they
called, but was rather weak and II was
with considerable difficulty that he was able
to talk to them Such his condition
when he conversed with a Star reporter
yesterday afternoon.
While it is generally supposed that rob-
berry was the -m0rderer's motive. there is
nothing In the victims statement to the de-
tectiyes to show any motive. The colored
man, he informed the detectives said MOTH
irg to him about robbery, nor did he even
attempt to rob him.
AS stated in yesterdays Star Marshall
asked the colored man for match. The