Evening star., 1909-07-11
ALEXANDRIA AFFAIRS
District CoIored Man browns
While Bathing.
SANK IN Is FEET OF WATER
Was An Employe of Department Of
Agriculture.
BODY IS NOT RECOVERED
Afidavits for New Trial for Calvin
Johnson Are Filed-Contest for
City Offices.
BODY IS NOT RECOVERED
Special Correspondence of The Star.

| ALEXANDRIA, Va. July 10. 1909.
/ Frank NJ Ford colored, twentysix
years old an employe of the publication
department, Department of Agriculture,
of No. 1910 New York avenue northwest.
| Washington. was drowned while bathing
/ in the river off this city at $50 O'Clock
! this evening. 1t is believed that he was
taken with cramps. Following the drown
ing his companion. Augustus Lee. colored.
| also an employe of the same department,
who resides at No. 22O6 14th street. Wash
| ington, and who was in bathing with
Ford, went to Washington and notified
| the authorities and requested them to
drag for the body The body was not re-
| covered tonight
1 Ford and Lee came to Alexandria this
/ afternoon and visited at the home of X.
| II. Brooks, No. 723 South Fairfax street.
| Later they went to the shipyard wharf,
| at the foot of Franklin street, where they
went In bathing. The water at this point
| is about twenty-five feet in depth. and Is
| the channel of the river. At the time
| Ford was about thirty or thirty-f1ve feet
| from the wharf. and Lee was within five
! feet of the wharf. when he saw Ford
| throw up his hands and called to Lee to
catch him. Immediately thereafter Ford
went down and, it is said came up but
once.
Capt. William Simmons, who was near
/ by In gasoline launch. made a futile ef-
| fort to reach the drowning man before he
went down, but it is said his engine re-
| fused to reverse: and before he could
reach Ford he had disappeared. After re-
porting the matter to Brooks and taking
charge of the drowned mans clothes Lee
! left for Washington. - :
| The drowned man was unmarried and
lived at the foregoing number with his
mother. Ford's sister, Nellie G. Ford, is
a teacher in the public schools of Wash
| ington.
Seeks New Trial for Johnson. =
! Attorney Lewis II. Machen late this
afternoon filed three affidavits. containing
new evidence. which will be presented
Johnson. colored. convicted for the murder
of Walter F. Schultz. One of the affi-
| davits attacks the credibilty of the testi-
mony of II. Beverly Diggs. colored. an
| important witness for the prosecution.
and is made by William H. Willis. col
| ored Willis stated that the night of the
| murder, March 6 last. betwee $50 and
/ I o'clock, he found Diggs drunk, and
that the latter was unable to attend to
his business that evening. Another affi-
| davit is that of Mary Lee Rose, which
| sets forth that she saw the body of a
| man near the railroad tracks at about )
| O'Clock the afternoon of March last.
| while a passenger on a southbound train
over the Washington. Alexandria and
| Mount Vernon electric railway. In the
| affidavit given by Mary Brown, No. 511
Franklin street. it Is set forth that she
1 was at the house of Henry Smith, who
| turned states evidence, March last. be-
| tween and O'Clock in the evening. and
| saw him there. He left after she did, and
she saw Smith as he passed her home
| and the latter at her request, gave her
| five cents.
| This new evidence is regarded by Mr.
| Machen as extremely important. and In
| his opinion is sufficient to warrant a new
| trial for his client. In the rent that the
| court should fail to do so he will ask for
! a record in the case and present the same
| to the state court of appeals for hear
| ing
To Be Tried for His Life.
James Lucas, colored, will be placed on
trial for his life in the corporation court
| Tuesday morning next. Judge L. c. Bar
ley presiding, for the murder of Samuel
Blakey. colored. whom he killed June )
last, following a fracas on Aitcheson s
wharf Twenty talesmen have been sum-
moned, and it is not thought that any diff
I ficulty will be experienced in securing a
jury. The prisoner will be represented
| by Attorneys Howard w. Smith and r.
| ID. Brumback. Commonwealth Attorney
Samuel G. Brent will conduct the prosecu-
| cution. The murder took place shortly
before II Q clock the night of June 3, and
was witnessed by nearly one hundred
people. Both men were awaiting the re-
turn of an excursion steamer. when, 1t Is
said. Lucas and Blakey engaged in an
| alteration, after which Lucas drew from
his pocket a knife, SlaShing Blakey on
the throat and arm Within few min
| utes afterward Blakey died, and Lucas
was apprehended at an early hour the
| following morning at the home of his
/ father.
/ cjt Tho do
night next a number of city offices will
| be filed and the outcome over some OF
the offices is awaited with considerable
| interest. Among the offices are the fol-
| lowing: Health officer, weigher of hay.
| keeper of the almshouse physician to the
| poor four fire Wardens, chief of the fire
| department. member of the board of po-
lice commissioners from the second ward
| and steward of offices. There is sharp
| competition for several of the offices
1t is also expected that the aldermen
| will elect a successor from the fourth
\ ward to fill the vacancy caused by the
resignation of Capt. w. H. Sweeney.
! Will Inaugurate Changes.
| Capt. William H. Sweeney. recently
| chosen superintendent of public schools
| of this city, said this evening that he will
| inaugurate a number of changes in the
present system of teaching when the pub
/ lie schools of the city reopen September
next. He is now engaged in ma piping out
/ his plans for the same.
/ The Alexandria Dramatic Club has ar
ranged for the presentation at the opera
| house of Ten Nights in a Barroom''
/ Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights
| next. Those in the cast will include the
! following: y. ID. Deeton. Fl. Linden
| Wheatiey, Ernest R. Boyer, George H.
| Hayden, r. Forrest Birreli. David Robey.
| Lambert Sullivan, Miss Annie Rowland
| Hill. Mrs. Rosa Walker. Miss Minnie Zim-
norman and Miss Pearl Tancil.
| John Steward. a colored blind man,
| about seventy years old was overcome
! with the heat while on King street this
| afternoon and had TO be taken in a car
| rage to his home.
| Mr.. and Mrs. Theodore II. Sacuet of
J Baltimore and Miss Effie Shewbridge of
Wilmington. Del, are spending the week
with Mr.. and Mrs. Walter +. Jacobson
| at the Colonial apartments.
Arrangements have been made by M. d.
| Corse Camp, Sons of Confederate Veter-
! ans, for business meeting, which will
| be held Monday night next at Lee Camp
| Hall.
Sunday Services.
At the First Baptist Church tomorrow
Rev. w. F. Watson, pastor. will take for
his subject at the morning services THE
| Hasty Exit From Sodom." At the even
Righteous Scarcely Saved?"
| Seminole Tribe of the Independent Order
of Red Men held a council Friday night.
at which time the officers recently elected
were installed by Great Senior Sycamore
! -lrIs. C~ll H.