Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-26
CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LED TO
THE MURDERER's ARREST.
Struggling With a Maniac in q
Church-Nipping Insanity in
the Bud.

he remarked Ito events and matters that
naturally they ought to have knowledge of
has often made an impression upon me,
and two or three incidents of the character
required to me this morning. Many peo-
ple in this CITY," he observed, still remem
Der the murder of the cattle drover Hahn
Of Woodstock, Va, that occurred some
where in 1.-The early 7os. 1t followed close
upon another terrible crime, the murder
of the Jew peddler by the negro, Tom
Wright. and was equally as atrocious. The
circumstances that led up to the arrest of
the man who robbed and killed the drover
Hahn are still fresh in my memory. The
crime was committed near the old Long
bridge and the body of the murdered man
was found in a vacant lot near the Ith
street entrance to that old highway. Maj.
Richards was chief of police at the time
and the entire force under his direction was
Immediately. upon the discovery of the
crime put at work in the effort to arrest
the guilty person.
What Led to Murderer's Arrest.
ut was on a Saturday morning the body
was found. 1t was terribly mutilated. I
remarked to my partner after seeing the
corpse that the tragic work must have been
that of brutal colored man. arguing that
a white man who killed another was usu-
ally content with the killing and not dis
posed to hack his victim to pieces was
the case in this murder. On Saturday even
ing man who kept restaurant on the
Alexandria road and who had read ac
count of the murder in The Star of that
afternoon came to headquarters and men
toned having been called from his bed the
night before by colored man who wanted
a drink and who exhibited a check from a
Ba fillmore bank for a large amount asking
how he would be able to get the money for
1t. He described the man who presented it.
There had already been placed under arrest
N "a VI To 70 tnr
known to be bad. These included a num-
Der of women and l asked one of them who
she thought could commit such crime.
There's man l know in Alexandria, she
answered, who never crossed the Long
bridge at night without waylaying and rob-
bling somebody. His name is Henry Young,
but he has just been released from Jail,
where he has been under the name of
Henry Williams
Now here is the point I wish to make
about the listlessness or whatever you may
be pleased to call it of some folks to what
Immediately concerns them. When 1 heard
what l have said to you from the colored
woman l went to the jail and asked the
proper official If there had recently been
released colored man named Henry Will
Jams, and he answered me- after consult
Ing an alphabetical list of names he had
inscribed In a small book, that there had
been no such man in the Jail. I asked him
for the book. and there found family writ
ten in pencil the name Henry Williams. He
had beer released two days before Hahn
was murdered That fact went a great
deal In causing the arrest of the criminal.
The Jail official was simply careless, or in
different. The description of the man who
had been released tailed exactly with the
descriptions given both by the women and
the Alexandria road saloonkeeper. of Henry
Young. who was, will be we'll remem-
bered, convicted and hanged for the MUIR
der.
In Government Bureau.
Here's another circumstance 1t was
very important on one occasion that I
SHOULD locate a man who had been en-
ployed in one of the government bureaus l
went to the Office where he had been en-
ployed and talking to a gentleman who had
been twenty-five years in that department
of the government service asked him If he
was acquainted with the party wished to
learn about-call him Mr. Blank. He told
me he had never heard of the man, and
asked him If he had any goods or property
of any kind stored away In the Office but
was again answered in the negative. Sew
eral other employees were questioned. with
the same result. AT last met another off,
cial, a man of some authority in the bu-
reau, and mentioned to him the subject of
my quest. He a of action all
through. 1 know the man you are after
he said. He here for quite a while
and in his desk there is quite lot of prop
ertv that belongs to him. l was permitted
to look over these goods and chattels and
the very 20 mt | desired was made manifest
to me. Now you see here was a whole lot
o. men who were Officially in one way or
another connected with the man hoped to
learn something about, but not one of them
had any recollection of ever having met
him. They took interest whatever in my
search for information and didn't even stop
to think whether they had ever seen the
person not. Their absolute Indifference
was surprising.
Il had a similar experience in another
@G,a ,r;x- t..cz.
ton concerning party 1 was very anxious
to know something about. They were all
confident he had never been in that office.
and I was talking over the subject with
those who We're present in the room when
young employed In the same bureau
came in and, listening to the conversation.
said know that man. He was three
years in this Office. He left only year or
so ago. and from this man, who accidental
ly stepped into the room. l obtained some
valuable inklings that led to my finding the
man l was In search Of The others must
have met him. but they had not kept him in
mind and were. 1t seemed to me. unwilling
to strain their memories in an effort to help
me out.
When People Begin to Act Queer.
Another thing that I've been chewing the
cud of meditation on this morning is the
number of suicides and homicides that every
now and then fill much space in our daily
papers. Now in many cases these events
can be traced to insanity. and have often
thought that the moment person begins to
act strangely an investigation of his sanity
should begin. But my experience shows
that this is not the case. The family to
which the queerly acting party belongs in
nine cases out of ten endeavor to hide the
dementia until tragic climax comes, and
then all the PERSONS friends can recall that
they had noticed something wrong.
II was in church one morning not so
very long ago. There were only few
others present, when one of two ladies who
were sitting a few pews in front of me
beckoned to me. and upon my approach
called attention to a man who she said.
was acting In very strange manner.
told her would keep my eye on him. and
soon / was surprised to see him take off
his coat and throw 1t in the aisle, glazing
about him in Q savage way, at the same
time stepped up to him and told him he
must behave himself or leave the church,
and without saying a word he stepped out
of the pew and started toward the door
He did not go out. however, but came down
the next aisle making menacing gestures
as he walked. / started to meet him. and
found him raving maniac. He gave me
q pretty hard tussle, and 1t was as much
a could do to get him to the police sta
ton and have him locked w. He was not