Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-01
BURNED TO DEATH
PECULIAR CASE UNDER INVESTI-
CATION BY POLICE.

Writing in c-ony while flames enveloped
her body, Olive Hunter. colored woman
living at 2SOS Olive avenue, burned to
death late Saturday night in the sight of
three colored men in the same room, who.
it is said, laughed as they saw her burn
ing and failed to render her any aid. The
woman died two hours after the accident.
All three men who are alleged to have
been present are lodged in a cell at the
seventh precinct pending an investigation
of the facts In the case by the coroner.
None of the men have the faintest idea
how the woman caught fire and are at
loss to explain other facts surrounding the
case. The men are Charles Bell, Frank
West and Clarence Fletcher.
Detective E. w. Brown of the seventh
precinct, who was assigned to the case,
arrested Bell and West shortly after the
accident. For a time mystery surrounded
the identity of the third man, but the de-
tective placed him under arrest this morn
ing. and he will be held with the others.
The police have been doing considerable
sweat box" work and think they may
be able to get important facts leading to
the guilt of the accused men.
From the meager details OF the accident
it appears that the three men were at
the home of Olive Hunter and her mother,
Martha Brown, and that during the evening
all drank freely of intoxicants, except the
work next door. A neighbor, George
Luckett, returned to his home Saturday
night at 11:30 O'Clock and heard the
screams of a woman next door, and also
detected the odor of the burning clothes
Luckett states that he Immediately rush
ed into the house and found the Hunter
woman ablaZe from head to foot. He fur
Their says that one of the men whom he
could not name was standing by and
laughing as the woman groaned and cried
for help. Luckett extinguished the ire
as quickly possible by throwing coat
around the woman. then ran for a physi-
clan DR.. Montgomery arrived and found
her in a critical condition, having been
burned over the entire body.
After dressing the womans wounds the
physician left the house and returned again
Sunday morning, when he found her dead.
The coroner was notified and is conducting
an examination. In the meanwhile the
police were set at work upon the case.
Fletcher is reluctant to talk about the
matter and will not say how the WON,
ans clothes caught fire. Both Bell and
West say they were drinking and though
they heard the woman's screams, did not
know what was the matter. They say If
any one the woman burn 1t must have
been the third man.
What makes the case even more difficult
to solve, the woman was conscious when
found and was unable to say why her
clothes were in flames. She was asked
by the physician at the time to give some
reason for her predicament and she replied
that she did not know In the room where
the accident occurred the police found
lamp without chimney. There was
nothing, however, to indicate that this had
ignited the womanS clothes.
The body was taken to the morgue and
will remain there until the coroner has is
sued the necessary certificate as TO the
cause of death.
Several witnesses have been summoned
and some interesting developments may
come out of the affair The inquest, in all
probability will be held tomorrow.