Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-21
Alleged Slayer of Henry W.
Reid, SaIonkeeper.
AN EARLY DATE SELECTED
Crime Was Committed Over a Year
Ago.
CAUSE OF DELAY IN HEARING
Detectives Unable Until Lately TO
Complete Case-0thers in Jail
on Murder Charge.

Awaiting trial on a charge OF murder
ing Henry w Reid. saloonkeeper. near
the Union station. Charles Phillips. co..
ored, has been confined In the District
Jail for more than year. His cell is not
far from that occupied by Policeman John
w. Collier. slayer OF Capt w. III. Ma
thews. and he displayed considerable in
terest yesterday when the police officer
was summoned from his narrow apart
ment to the warden's office to attend
session OF the police trial board
According to announcement made by
Harvey Given, assistant United States
attorney. last night. Phillips will be
brought to trial early next month. When
asked about the seemingly unusual delay
In calling Phillips before the court for a
trial Mr.. Given explained that tho hear
ing was postponed to enable the detectives
working on the case to obtain one very
important link In the chain Of circum-
stantial evidence by which the prosecu-
tors expect to fasten the crime of killing
the saloon keeper on Phillips.
Sufficient evidence was taken before tho
grand jury last spring to result in the
indictment Of Phillips. The detectives
had learned indirectly. however. OF some
additional evidence. which in their opin-
ion. clinches the charge. and the govern
ment attorneys regarded that as essential
before going to trial.
Long Search Rewarded.
For months, in fact ever since the in
dictment was brought last July. the de
tectives have been at work to unearth
| that positive evidence, and 1t was only
within the last months that their work
was rewarded. When it was found. the
government attorneys took immediate
steps to have the case set for trial and
the counsel for the prisoner was notified
recently that the case would probably
come up early in April. An earlier date
was not possible because the trials OF.
other prisoners indicted prior to the find
ing of the true bill against Phillips had
been previously set.
Phillips, it Is said. has shown more than
ordinar interest in the cases OF others who
have been In prison charged with taking
human life. Several times since ne
reached the prison he has seen others go
| to court and return. some to serve long
sentences and others to pay the extreme
| penalty of the law. II is said at the jail
| that the colored man has been especially
solicitous for those under sentence OF
death.
Others Under Murder Charge.
There are seven other persons in tho
prison accused of having taken human
life, three of them having been tried.
Henry Schrifogle, alias "Ducky" Holmes.
who shot and killed Mrs. NJ. E Hanli-
ton. has been convicted and sentenced to
be executed, May - being the date fixed
by the court for the execution to take
place. Robert McCulic Indian, who in
| f1icted fatal injuries upon Carl Finch,
has been sentenced to twenty years i'm
prisonment, having entered q plea of
guilty to charge Of second degree muir
der. He will spend his term of imprfs-
oninent at Fort Leavenworth.
The third Of the trio of convicted men
is Caleb Grigsby. colored, who used \
| wrench as a weapon when he became in
volved in a row with another colored man
named George Plummer. The row oc
CURED in an office building where the
men were employed. Grigsby was con-
victed OF a charge OF manslaughter, but
sentence has not yet been imposed. Po
liceman Collier, Arthur Martin, John q.
Mason and John z. Trtlling are in prison
awaiting trial.
Martin, who was employed in the gov
eminent printing office. Is accused OF the
murder of his wife at their home in Hills
dale, 1t being charged that he shot her
after they had quarreled about a . chic.
Tr1ling Is accused OF the murder of Mrs.
Lucretia Corliss. his grandmother. at 613
L street southwest. while Mason is the
man who shot and killed Matthew Nc
Crossin at the Home of the Aged and
Infirm, where both were inmates.