Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-14
MURDER NARROWLY AvERTED.
Police View Of What TRANSFERRED in
Giesboro, Woods.

The investigation conducted by Officers
Y. G. King and ]. w. Mccormick OF the
police station at Anacostia into the mys-
terious affair in Giesboro woods Friday
night last, in which Robert Edwards, col
ored, received serious injuries. from which
he is now confined to the Washington Asy-
lum Hospital, has resulted in the police
formulating a new theory as to the oc-
| currence. The two policemen named ar
rested Mrs. Agnes Ball, neat-appearing
young colored woman, whom they located
at her home, 735 Marshall street north
west. She made a statement to the off,
GERS wholly at variance with that given
by the victim Of the assault, and she Is
now held on the charge Of assaulting him
with deadly weapon. An additional one
of larceny from the person. it is said, Is
to be placed against her. She Is being held
pending the outcome Of Edwards injuries,
as he Is still regarded as in a serious con-
dtion and Is unable to appear in court.
The information In the possession Of the
| police. which is admitted to be true by both
the parties referred to. Is that Mrs. Ball,
accompanied by Edwards. went for walk
Friday evening in the neighborhood of
Giesboro'. They decided, 1t Is admitted by
both, to dig some sassafras roots in the ad-
jacent woods, for which purpose they. visit
ed the residence Of Albert Day, farmer,
and borrowed mattock. They then went
what transpired between them that the dis
| crepancies in their respective statements
exist.
Edwards appeared at Days house at
nightfaIl in semi-consc1ous condition,
| with his head cut to the bone In four
places. while his face and neck We're badly
bruised and cut. He was able to tell that
| the woman had assaulted him desperately
with the mattock, and that she had robbed
| him Of his pocket book. containing Sc, and
| a gold watch and chain, worth $15. This
was all he could or would say, while being
taken to the hospital in the patrol wagon
ly. At the hospital his serious condition
was promptly recognized. and the officers
at Anacostia went to work to try and ap-
| prehend his assailant, who by that time
finding Edwards pocket book in the woods
but 1t contained only few pennies.
About 80 o'clock in the morning Officers
King and Mccormick took Mrs. Ball into
custody. By this time they had learned
from Edwards that Mrs. Ball had dellber-
ately struck him senseless with blows from
the mattock as he was sitting down in the
woods. and that she had followed this up
by robbing him. Mrs. Ball made conflict
Ing statements to the policemen at first, it
Is alleged, telling them that she had been
out with no man, and then saying she had
only defended herself from the attack Of
ed her with knife. She told the officers
that she had made her way from Congress
Heights to her home without being dIscov-
ered although there was blood on her
hands and on her waist. She said that
after reaching home she had washed the
blood from her waist and had then letired.
without saying anything Of the maItsr to
her husband. She admitted that 1t was her
intention to return to the woods the next
morning to see II Edwards body yet lay
there. The policemen recovered from the
woman the missing watch and chain which,
she said, were given her by her escort
Edwards still maintains his story of being
murderously assaulted by the woman. He
Is powerful negro, over six feet tall, and
SCOTS at the idea of not being able to over
power her. as she claims he tried to do. The
police are Of the opinion that murder was
narrowly averted.
Mrs. Ball was committed to Jail from the
Police Court today without bond to await
hearing on a charge Of assaulting Ed
wards.