The Washington herald., 1911-12-02
To ARREST
SECOND SUSPECT
|NM|CKLEMURDER
New Line of Inquiry Into
Mystery Is Begun.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

Confident that James Smith will be
convicted of murderously assaulting
Morris Bennett, the grocer, and that
Smith eventually will be shown to have
had a hand in the staying of William
Mickle, the tobacconist, the police last
night switched their investigation in a
new direction and began delving into
the problem of whether two men killed
Mickle e.
ANOTHER ARREST LIKELY.
Basing this new line Of inquiry on sew
eral facts already brought to light, and
keeping under surveillance a man who
has been under suspicion ever since the
arrest Of James Smith. detectives de-
clared It probable another arrest will be
made in the next few days. or at least
before Smith is formally charged with
numbering MIckle.
When this charge Of murder is lodged
against Smith it will be a declaration by
the police that they have solved the
mystery of the Seventh street tobacco
shop killing, which has been the most
bathing problem the Washington police
have confronted in years. 1t is asserted.
with a degree of certainty, that the mys-
terry IS to be cleared in a few days.
1t became known last night that the
chief reason Tor the arrest of Mrs.
frankie c. Davis was her supposed abil-
ity to incrIminate another than Smith in
the killing OF Mickle. Detectives hoped
Mrs. Davis to reveal the name OF a man
she Is supposed to have seen with Smith
when he Joined her within stones
throw of the tobacco shop a few min
Mrs. Davis declared Smith was alone
when he Joined her. and she remembered
seeing him with no one just before he
spoke to her, II is said by detectives, but
whether Mrs. Davis made a contradic-
tory statement when examined by the
United States district attorney has not
been learned.
Saw Smith I'm Store.
After Wilbur Patterson. sixteen years
old, of Baltimore. added his name to the
long list of witnesses against James
Smith yesterday, the police ceased to
doubt their ability 10 prove Smith was
in the cigar store at 1904 Seventh street
northwest, talking to William H. Mickle
the night of November 16, when the to-
baCcOnist was slain.
Patterson asserts with emphasis that
he saw Smith in the store, leaning
against the counter, with a package
wrapped in brown paper, between 6:15
and go o'clock the night of the murder
This evidence strengthens that OF Charles
Davis. the colored coachman . who sew
eral days ago declared he saw Smith in
the store talking to Mickle just prior to
the killing
Coming Unexpectedly with his corrob-
Grafton of Davis story. Patterson some
what surprised the police, but they were
later elated by the new development,
which renews their hope of not only
charging Smith with the murder. but
proving he is the man who swung the
monkey wrench which crushed the skull
OF the aged tobacconIst.
Patterson came from Baltimore to
Washington In the morning and went to
the Police Court, where he told his story
to Deputy United States Marshal Reed.
Patterson was then escorted to police
headquarters, where he was examined by
Maj. Sylvester and Chief Of Detectives
Baur. Patterson was taken to the jail to
identify Smith.
Singles Out Prisoner.
The prisoner was placed in a room with
several others and Patterson was in
struCted to enter and point out the man
seen in the tobacco store talking to
Mickle just before he was killed. Pat
terson glanced hurriedly over the faces.
and without. hesitation pointed to james
Smith, saying:
That is the man I saw in the cigar
store with brown package in his hand.
He has a short mustaChe now, but 1
would recognize his face even though he
had a full-grown beard. Yes; that is the
hat he wore. / remember it because 1t
was cowboy shape and had a hole cut in
the top.
Patterson was examined by Assistant
District Attorney Harvey Given and the
statement of the witness was recorded
Patterson said he came
to this city from Baltimore seeking en-
ployment two or three days before the
murder. The night of the crime he says
he passed Mickle's store and looked in
to see the time.
1t was while looking through the door
that he saw Smith, Patterson asserts.
built, rough-clad man in the store had a
package which looked like 1t might con-
tain hammer under one arm. Patterson
said he saw no one else in the store.
Seemed Excited, He Says.
Il walked down to Seventh street and
Massachusetts avenue and stood there
about fifteen minutes, when I saw the
man had seen in the store walk rapidly
down Seventh street to Massachusetts,
avenue and turn east toward Sixth street
He seemed excited, was walking very
fast, and did not have the package with
him. I watched him, and at Massachu-
sets avenue and Sixth street I saw a
woman join him.
Il did not think much Of the occur
renee then, but when I returned to Bal
timore and began reading accounts of the
murder mystery recalled the incident
at once. Friends advised me to come to
and tell the police what I
oy,l