The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-12-12
MYSTERY HANGS OVER
MRS. BEALL'S MURDER
Brutal Crime Committed in
H Street Home.
POLICE MAKE ARRESTS
Department Cropping Amid Circumstan-
tial Evidence for the Motive as
Well as the Man.


tally murdered. The crime was commit
ted some time yesterday morning. It
came TO the knowledge of the police at
O'Clock in the afternoon.
Andrew Weldon is charged with the
murder, and Mrs. Oelrich and her hus-
band. Charles. are also under arrest
Not until the Coroner's inquest on Mon
day. If then. will it be known who is
probably responsible.
The dead woman was riddIed with
bullets. At least sixty-five years ord.
feeble and helpless. alone in the house,
sitting in her favorite chair in the cor
ner behind the kitchen stove. mending
and family stockings. she was shot in
the head both arms. once in the abdom-
en-, and twice in the breast. The autop-
sy will show how many of these wounds
were mortal. but it is certain that she
could not have lived a moment after the
bullet was sent into her brain
It was a cOwardly murder, whoever
perpetrated It. The position of the
wounds indicates that Mrs. Beall was
sitting down when the murderer enter
ed the kitchen. and that he or she
threatened the woman before the first
shot was fired. With the helpless in
stlnct of one defanseless she threw up
danger. Her gray hair and her age did
not appeal TO the murderer. The first
bullet penetrated both arms, and caused
them TO drop. Then the revolver. in
perhaps the fatal shot, was held so
close to the wonlan's head that the thin
gray hair was singed and powder burn
ed. A malevolence not often met with
prompted the murderer 20 shoot his VIC
tim twice in the breast and once in the
abdomen. Then he apparently kicked
the body under the stove.
A Mysterious House.
The setting of the crime is all that
could be wished in a sensational meIo-
drama. For four years the Oelrichs
have lived in the II Street home, which
has been, and remains, a mystery TO the
neighbors- IT IS a two-story building,
but there is little there but the inclos-
ing walls. The front door is boarded
up. the windows heavily curtained with
wooden cloths. which admit not even
light The walls are upholstered, and
rooms are formed by means of the
same heavy curtains hung from the high
ceiling 20 the floor The. only stove is
the cook stove. Here and there is a
piece OF furniture. Half a dozen digi1es
for a picture. photograph, or any
evidences Of refinement, there are none.
The reason for the domestic secrecy
observed by the family was once ex-
planned by Mrs. Beall to a neighbor as
fear Of a daughter. Mrs. Beall said al
that time the Douglass twin girls had
been Intrusted to her With certain
herself were In mortal fear that the
daughter would come and either abduct
the girls or do the older women bodily
harm.
Living In the house were Charles and
Jessie Oelrichs. Mrs. Beall. the dead
woman. mother of Mrs. Oelrichs, and
Minnie Bib, another daughter. about
whom there was long litigation some
tine back, the court awarding the child
rem 10 the mother, yet who continued
Arrest Of Widow.
The first news Of the murder, and
that which caused the arrest of An
drew Weldon. Familiarity known as
Bun" Weldon, came from the DEL
richses. Mrs. Olerichs claims to have sent
the children TO the Pierce School, and
then to have gone 10 market. This was
about o'clock. At noon Mrs. Oelrich.
still according to her own story, re-
turned home. She entered the kitchen.
I
Of blood, under the kitchen stove. She
/ thought she had had a hemorrhage. She
screamed, and was about to summon as
sistance, when her husband came IN
the back gate. He explained his re-
turn at this time Of day by saying that
! II was too cold 70 work. The two lift
! ed the dead woman, and carried her
| TO the front rom. Then they went 20
/ the back entrance Of the fat next door
/ and asked Mr. Ireland who lives there
| II he had heard any screams or shots,
I daughter, who had been working In heT
| kitchen with doors and windows open
/ within a few feet II where the tragedy
/ was enacted.
Three hours later they notified the po-
| lice. With their first report they in
sisted that Weldon was the murderer
The negro woman living in the rear
/ had seen a man. wearing a light over
/ coat and SLOUGH hat, force an entrance
/ 70 the house about 10 O'Clock, leaving
/ shortly after.
| This description does not fit Weldon,
but as long as he was named, he was
watched for, and WIS arrested by PO-
liceman Cullinane, Of the Fifth precinct
/ 1t was because OF this delay in notifying
/ the police, the moving Of the body, the
! evident attempt to remove the traces
/ Of the crime, the frank statement that If
I the woman had lived the police should
/ never have known about II, that caused
/ the Coroner 20 direct the arrest Of the
! Oelrichs. though as yet they are merely
I
The Falljly History.
! Difficulties I'm mo Beall family dat
back four years, when Charles Beall
| husband of the woman murdered. ans
| father of a large family, died. He lef
considerable property, including a row
! of houses known as "BealIs row." OF
! Ninth Street. between 3 and c Streets
| southeast. To each Of his seven child
ren-Warren, Everett s., William, an
| Kate Beall. Mrs. Minnie Bib. and Mrs
! Oelrich. and Mrs Andrew Weldon. tn,
latter his daughter by a previous mar
| riage-one of the houses was bequeath
| ed. For "a long time the estate figured
| IN the courts. but by judicial decision
| the will was declared valid. and Kat
| Beal. who lives in Baltimore. wal
! named eXecutrix. The widow was TO re
! ceive as an income the rents Of tn
/ houses until her death. when ali wal
| to be finally divided. In May last An
| drew Weldon rented the house which
] was eventually to become his Wife
property and moved into it, He refused
/ 10 pay rental since September and wal
| 20 be elected from the premises thl!
/ week.
! Weedon's wife was a stepdaughter OF
| Mrs. Beall who would inherit hei
/ house at the death OF Mrs. Beall. The
/ theory OF the case against him. OF
/ course, is that, angered at his election
/ from a house which would eventually
| be his Wife'S, he went 70 the OelriCl