Evening star., 1901-07-20
HELD FOR MURDER
Charles Doyle Must Answer for Kill
ing Harlan Dent.
TWO WITNESSES OF THE TRAGEDY
Victim Offered to Fight Fair, Then
His Throat Was Cut.
CAPTURE OF ASSAILANT

| Charles Doyle was held to answer TO the
grand jury for the murder OF Harlan Dent
/ by the coroner's jury this morning on the
! testimony of Thomas Grayson and Marion
Jones. eye-witnesses OF the killing. which
| was committed in the stables Of the United
States Express Company. Az street
| northwest, about 1:30 o'clock Thursday
| evening.
| The proceedings at the inquest this morn
Ing were prompt and decisive. The body
was viewed. the prisoner was then brought
| before the Jury. the story OF the murder
was told by the two witnesses. the pris-
| oner WAS given an opportunity to make a
| statement. which he declined to do: he WAS
| sent back to his cell. and the verdict rem
dered as soon as 1t could be written.
| Doyle showed emotion as the story or
his deed was detailed to the jury. He
presented more the appearance of a hunt
ed animal as he sat in his chair and leaned
forward on a broomstck His only move
| ment during the inquest was to raise up
occasionally to spit tobacco juice into a
cuspidor. Sitting next to Doyle Fan
ME Dent, the widow of the murdered man.
William Brown, her son. sat beside her and
tried to comfort her she exhibited emo
tion during the hearing. The prisoner was
represented by Samuel d. Truett. who.
| with Campbell Darlington. has been re-
Nearly SIashed Dents Head on.
The first witness heard was Thomas
Grayson. who had been locked up since
the tragedy as a witness for the govern
ment Grayson said he lived at No. Il r
street northeast and that he had been en-
ployed as a laborer in the stables for about
four months. Describing the killing of
Dent, he told the story as printed in The
Star yesterday. At its conclusion Attorney
Truett was permitted to question him, ana
brought out the fact that after Doyle had
pinned Dent against bench and threat
ened to cut his throat with the razor he
had in his hand he had released him. AT
this time Dent called Doyle coward for
wanting to fight with a razor. and told
him to put 1t up and he would fight with
him fairly.
While Dent was saying this. the witness
said, he stepped toward Doyle, who was
going to the harness room. but who turned
and without warning slashed Dents head
nearly off. At this time the witness turned
his attention to the wounded man and
could not say how the prisoner escaped,
except that Marion Jones had told him that
Doyle had jumped out of the window.
Marion Jones. who is a street sweeper,
and whose sister was the wife Of Dent,
was the other witness. Jones was very
deliberate in his statements, and when
Coroner hewitt tried to expedite matters,
the witness became completely confused,
and remarked that IL he was left alone he
could tell what he knew. He was allowed
to proceed In his own way, and his story
tailed with what Grayson had said. At
torney Truett asked the witness regarding
the point he had brought out, but this wit
ness said Dent had not followed Doyle up.
Deadly Weapon Identified.
A razor with homemade wooden ham
die was produced and Jones identified ii
the weapon Doyle had used and which, he
said he had seen him put in his trousers
pocket Just before he jumped from
h,t fiua Farf
away from the prisoner when ne jumnei
through the window, but made no ef-ort
to stop him.
The officer who had found the razor said
incidentally that Doyle had said that the
weapon In question was not the one he had
used but that IL with a
wooden handle which looked the same.
The razor produced was found in a box
over the window through which Doyle
capped.
Doyle's wife came to the station after the
inquest, but refused to see the prisoner.
She has not lived with him for some
months His mother, however. went to
his cell after the inquest, and emerged
weeping. She took away some OF his
clothes, and little girl with her carried
away the prisoners shoes, which were
badly worn and cut in Sits over the top.
A crowd of colored people assembled in
front Of the morgue during the inquest.
yard to view the remains.
Arrest Due to Clever Boy.
Doyle was arrested at Hyattsville. Nd.
about o'clock yesterday afternoon by
Justice of the Peace Arthur Carr and Mr..
]. S. Pardon. The police authorities here.
however, give much credit to a colored
boy named John Ross, who noticed Doyle
walking in a limping manner along the
Bladensburg road about two miles from
the former place, and who. having heard
of the murder, believed from Doyle's gen.
eral appearance that he might have had
something to do with the crime.
Ross engaged Doyle in conversation and
the two walked together to Hyattsville. At
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad crossing
in that town Ross saw Mr. Carr approach
ing from rhe opposite direction, and. maxi
ing some excuse, dropped back from
Doyle. The latter kept on walking. and
as soon as he was out of hearing told Mr..
Carr about his suspicious. The latter fol-
lowed Doyle for some distance. and at an
opportune moment engaged him in a con-
versation, which finally led up to the mans
arrest.
AS soon as possible Captain Boardman.
chief of detectives here. was notified. and
he detailed Detectives McNamee and Bur-
rows to go out to Hyattsvine.
Showed Nervousness
Upon being informed that Dent was dead
Doyle nearly collapsed; great drops of per-
spiration stood out upon his face, and his
whole frame quivered. He was speedily
placed on an electric car and brought to
headquarters. On the way he talked freely
Of his crime. but claimed that he had no
intention of killing Dent.
Personal Mention.
William e. Layton of the engineers force,
War, Navy and State Departments. left
Wednesday evening for a three months
trip to Atlantic City, Thousand Islands.
Asbury Park, Niagara Falls and the Pan
American exposition.