Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-25
POLICEMAN IS HELD
Barbara Reig Could Not Have
Shot Herself.
HER RIGHT HAND CRIPPLED
Letter From Girl to Suspected Man
Declared Forgery.
SUICIDE THEORY SUPPORTED
Associates Of Prisoner Give Gre
dence to His Story-Text Of
Communication.
SUICIDE THEORY SUPPORTED

~ w 1OkSh, july Zo-bdrOAf6 1SeIS
the Brooklyn girl who. according to Po-
liceman David E. shellard Of the Ham
burg avenue station. committed suicide
In his presence by shooting herself in the
right temple. could not have inflicted the
wound with her right hand, as the hand
has been so crippled for the last three
years as to be all but useless.
When the girls body was brought home
her neck and face bore cuts and bruises
in addition to the deep wound in her
temple. and her clothing was torn in
many places. as though she had been
through struggle.
Although the policeman who is under
arrest for killing her produced yester-
day a letter purporting to be. from her
stating that she was one Of a merry
party that went to Coney Island the
Sunday just before May 20. Arthur
Hack, her fiance, and Daniel Retg, ner
brother. asserted positively yesterday
that she spent that Sunday afternoon
home
Original Letter Not Shown.
While the police will not admit that
they had identified the handwriting as
that Of the dead girl, they insist that an
investigation to determine this fact Is be-
ing made. But the attitude Of Inspector
Hussey. in giving to the newspapers type
written copies Of the missive without dis
playing the original letter, and the fact
that members Of the family were not
summoned to the station to look at the
letter, caused surprise.
The letter Is not signed with the name
of the dead girl but reads as follows:
Brooklyn, May 20 1908.
Friend Dave: Pardon me for the liberty
am taking in writing to you. Hoping
not to offend you by any means BY the
way. hear that you and Teddy are going
going up to the mountains. If SO. please
think Of your deaf friend Bob" Send
me a few nice postal cards when your
WHEY is not looking. I fail to see why
you don't send me some postal cards. 1t
is too bad that you are married. 1 would
gladly spend all the days with you.
Somehow am trying hard to forget you.
but it seems all In vain. We were down
at the beach Saturday night. Gee, Dave,
we had a bully old time with our
brothers
At Coney Island Sunday.
We landed home at o'clock Sunday
morning. Say, Sadie. amt it awful to go
out with your brother? On Sunday after
noon we went down to the island. Co
ing into Stauch's met Henrietta and
her brother Dave. We had a splendid
time. We certainly did the island. We
landed home Monday morning. There
were four OF US in the carriage. It was
certainly lonely road we drove through.
1t was nice and dark. Dave. our broth
ers were not feeling well. SO we gave
them a teaspoonful every hour. 1 wish
you had been with us, I would have
given you more than a teaspoonful. How
miss you, honey. My little heart is sore
to think you are married. Dave. it
old friends. Hoping you will enjoy your
vacation. 1 remain YOUR AFFINITY.
Twenty-four crosses designating kisses
followed the letter with the following
postscript:
Take these few with YOU They will
bye. love.
P. ST. implore you not to show this
to any of your friends. Don't let your
wife get hold of this letter.
There was a marked Discrimination on
the part of the police yesterday to ac-
count for the death of Barbara Reig on
any other theory than that of suicide.
Shellard was questioned at Brooklyn
headquarters yesterday and then ar
raigned by Capt. Wormell. his command
ing officer. in the New Jersey avenue pos
lice court. Magistrate Furiong asked
Shellard how he wished to plead. Shell
lard replied he had no desires to plead I'M
til he had consulted counsel, and the
court then held him without bail until
July %.
Declare It Forgery.
Barbara Regis mother, sister and her
brother are certain the letter Shellard
turned over to his superiors is forgery.
So sure are they that they furnished Capt.
Carey Of the homicide bureau and Detec-
tive Fogarty with some samples Of the
dead girls handwriting, and insisted that
the samples be compared with the letter
signed Bob Experts will compare the
two writings today.
The girls people all declare her hand
was so helpless she could hardly hold
knife or fork. and certainly could never
have shot herself with 1t. They say they
never allowed her to wash dishes, as she
invariably dropped every dish she picked
up. They say she never wrote except &C.
casionally on postal cards. and that when
she did write 1t was slowly and with
great difficulty
They said also that her clothes were
torn when her body was brought home,
especially the skirt which Shellard main
tanned hung on hook until he told the
girl she must put 1t on and with him
leave the shelter house. The skirt. the
girls people claim. was torn in half
dozen places, and the girls shirt waist