Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-12
WELDON MAKES DENIAL
Says He Was Not at Mrs.
Beall's Home Yesterday.
CONFLICTING STORIES
MURDER OF WOMAN INVOLVED
IN CONSIDERABLE MYSTERY.
Her Daughter and Son-in-Law Held as
Witnesses-Autopsy to
Be Held.
CONFLICTING STORIES


rested shortly after 4 o'clock following the
discovery of the crime. He was found
near a saloon at Delaware avenue and N
street southwest. Bicycle Policeman Guilt
name placed him in custody. Weldon ex-
pressed surprise at his arrest. He appear
ed to believe the policeman was perpetrat-
ing joke on him. but he found the latter
was in earnest when he finally reached the
ninth precinct station and was locked up
charged with the murder Of his wifes STEP
mother.
The lapse of time between the discovery
of the crime and the time the police were
told of II proved to be a serious handicap
to the officers. Charles Oelrich, husband
of the dead womans daughter, is employed
in the navy yard. He and his wife were
until Coroner hewitt had made partial
inves tiga ton of the case. Lieut.. Daley and
the coroner discussed the affair and deemed
1t best to hold the Oelrichs in custody as
ninth precinct station and given quarters
IN the witness room.
The Accused Mans Statement.
Weldon did not hesitate to tell the police
of his movements yesterday. He had not
office the night before, he said. where he is
employed as coal weigher. His brief state
ment made yesterday was:
Il left home this morning at about Q
O'Clock. and went directly to Flaherty's
saloon at Delaware avenue and N street
southwest, walking all the way. ! LETT
there and went home to dinner at about
1890 and went back to Flaherty's imme-
diately after the meal. ! was not at 1874
II street northeast today, and have not
been there for a long time"
Attorney f. Edward Mitchell was sent
for, and after consulting his client advised
him TO make no further statement
Theory Advanced.
Mrs. Oelrich's version of the affair to the
police gave the impression that her mother
had been murdered for the purpose of caus-
ing division of the property left by her
father In addition to the statements she
made concerning Andrew Weldon, she
showed her dislike for the man and said
his presence in her house had not been de-
sired for long time. 1t was upon her
statement and reports Of an alleged con-
fessiOn that Weldon was arrested. This al
legged confession, the prisoner promptly de-
MED. 1t was reported that Weldon had
gone to the house of his son, on o street
southwest, and given the latter a pistol.
This Weldon also denied. and made the
claim that he had never owned a revolver.
Detectives Baur and Cornwell last night
visited the sons house and learned from
him that his father had visited him during
weapon there. So far as he knew. he
stated his father had never owned a re-
volver.
Weldon made no effort to escape from
the police. He would have experienced no
trouble IN getting away. for IT was GER
tainly about four hours after the crime
was committed before the police knew
about It,
The body of Mrs Beall was removed to
the morgue late in the afternoon, and tho
autopsy will be performed by Deputy Cor
oner Glazebrook tomorrow or Monday
night Last night the police were on duty
at the house and this morning Police Pho
tographer Johnson took pictures Of the in
terror and exterior of the premises. He also
the body at the morgue.
The Oelrich Home Conditions.
The police found a peculiar condition of
the crime was committed Mrs. Beall had
been shot to death before noon, and her
relatives had been all over the city dis
cussing the affair and making an investi-
CATION tor more than three hours before
the police were notified. The first intima-
ton the police had of the affair was when
the South Washington officers were asked
for information about the killing OF
woman near 18th and H streets northeast.
the police of the ninth precinct were told
of the occurrence.
1t was 3 o'clock when Capt. Boardman
was informed of the murder and he sent
Detectives Tyser and Parham out to make
an investigation. Sergt. Falvey was on
duty at the station as acting lieutenant
and he gave directions to the men in the
station to look after the house in which
the murder had been committed and to
make every effort to overtake Weldon
whose name had been given as the SLAYER
OF the woman. A Star reporter was the
first person outside the members of the
IA u IN ia he
most Immediately followed by Policeman
Hayden, the officer on the beat. The head
quarters detectives and ninth precinct off,
GERS soon arrived and the house was placed
under guard.
Mr.. Oelrich was at the back gate as there
is no front entrance to the house His wife
was In the kitchen. and both were anxious
that no reporters should be admitted TO the
premises.
1T is our own trouble one of them
afterward told policeman. We are quies
people and do not want any publicity
Six Shots Take Effect.
The body of the woman was then i'll the
front room of the house where IT had been
taken by Oelrich and his wife from the
kitchen. AT first glance it appeared that
there were a dozen or more wounds In the
body, head and arms of the aged victim
Coroner hewitt quickly made an examine
ton and found that six bullets had taken
De Eetrated the chest, one had entered each
wrist and one had entered the abdomen.
AT the time the reporter first saw the body
there was fiattened bullet lying on The
dead woman's chest. In a pool OF blood in
front of the kitchen stove was bullet that
had not been rattened to any great extern
Beneath the stove there was large pool
OF blood. and il was there that Mrs. Beail S
head rested when her daughter returned
home and made the CHASTITY discovery. Her
first thought was that her mother had had
a hemOrrhage. and 1t was not until she saw
the wounds, she said and the one bullet
in the pool of blood, that she realized that
an awful crime had been committed.
Her statement 10 a Star reporter was that
she left the house about o'clock and went
TO market II was about noon when she
returned Her husband came home few
minutes later and assisted her in the re-
moval Of the body of her mother to the
front room. Her husband said the weather
was so cold that he quit work. and II was
FOR that reason that he returned home ear
ly Mrs. Oelrich mentioned only the name
of Weldon the alleged slayer of her
mother, and told the police he had been
seen TO leave the house during the morning.
Her description of his clothing as she had
received it from an old colored woman
named Sadonia Miles, did not tally with
the garments that the man was wearing
at the time of his arrest. She said he wore
Q light fedora hat and gray overcoat, and
the police have been unable to find any one