Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-10-01


Held As Soon As Jurors, Originally
Sworn In Over Body, But Who Were
Never Called Upon For A Verdict,
Can Be Summoned And Witnesses
Subpoenaed.
Washington, d. c., Sept 24.-Thers
viii be an inquest by a coroner's jury
into the cause of the death of Norval
L. Harris, stigmatized originally by
certificate of the Coroner and the Po-
lice Department. after cusory exam
1nation, as suicide.
The Corporation Counsel, at the re-
quest of the District Commissioners,
rendered decision in the case which
makes it obligatory on the part of Cor
oner hewitt to hold an inquest.
The Coroner announced that as
soon as the jury originally sworn in
could be called together, and wit
nesses subpoenaed, the inquest will
proceed.
With positively establishing the fact
that the suicide revolver" now held
by the police is not the gun that was
owned by Norval T. Harris, and with
a policeman of the Fourth precinct of
the Metropolitan Police Department
coming forward with the startling dec
laration that the body of Harris was
not lying cold in death on street, be-
tween Eighth and Ninth streets south
mnCt n. tho rferbt Of OF ba
report made in the death mystery case
by Detective Sergeants Weldon and
Burlingame yesterday becomes a doc
ument absolutely worthless.
Permission has been secured to
print the name of the police officer
who has shattered the whole suicide
theory of the detectives and Coroner
hewitt by bodily announcing that he
was on duty at the scene of the mys-
terry that night, and reporters have
destroyed the only other supposed
clue of the police by proving beyond
a doubt that the suicide revolver"
did not belong to Norval T. Harris.
Willing to Go On Stand.
IOl4ttIdH spencer JtUDcllS, DTl-
vate attached to the Fourth precinct,
is the important witness found, who
is willing to go on the witness stand
at an inquest and tell that he known
the body of Harris was not on
street at 1890 O'Clock or / o'clock on
the night that the police claim Har-
ris shot himself.
The spot where the body was found
on the morning of August 2S is in the
Fourth police precinct territory. The
spot where the body was found was
on his beat. and this policeman pass
ed the spot number of times dur
ing the night.
And Policeman Roberts declares
that the body was not on ] street
when he passed the spot where the
dead youth was found on the morning
of August %.
There is a patrol box at the corner
of Ninth and l streets, a scare half
block from the spot where Harris
body was found, and Policeman Rob
erts pulled in from this box at
O'Clock the morning of August %. He
had been in the immediate vicinity
during the entire evening and he en-
phatically declares that he did not
hear pistol shot and not once as he
passed along ] street did he see any
sign of a body of a man.
Police Knew Roberts Story.
And as already announced, this
knowledge of Roberts was in posses
sion of the police since the morning
of the discovery of the body, the po-
1!ceman having told his story to the
lieutenant in charge of the station.
The contention of the police from
the very beginning of the Harris mys-
terry has been that Norval T. Harris,
Respondent because of his affairs with
women, had walked into / street, Sc
lee ed a secluded spot, carefully plac-
ed mself on the ground, reached
around to the back of his head. placed
his gun against the back of his head
and then shot himself.
The absence of the pistol thai fired
the death dealing bullet has been ex-
planned by the police presenting re-
volver that was recovered from sec
ond-hand sore where it was sold two
hours after the discovery of the body
The police discovered number of
positive" identifications of this pistol
as the pistol that was owned by Nor
val #. Harris, and then gave cut the
explanation that the gun was missing
from the side of The dead man be-
cause it had been picked up by col
ored man who skunk away into the
might, waited until the secondhand
store opened in the morning, and in
sore need of money, sold II for 81.
Police Story colapses.
This was the entire case of The po-
lice built up in their attempt to prove
their theory of suicide, and today that
case is completely wrecked-that the
young man did not shoot himself at
11.30 or 11.40 O'Clock on the nigh: of
hot no.