Evening star., 1913-07-13
STABBED T0DEATH
IN HOTEL FRACAS
CoIored Waiter Is Held for the
Murder of John n.
Hammond.
DETECTIVE PICKS HIM UP.
NOT KNOWING OF CRIME
Little Known of Dead Ironworker,
Who Boarded at $40 H Street
Northwest.

| John IL. Hammond. an ironworker
was stabbed in the back during an
alteration in the dining room Of the
| Chicago Hotel. 345 Pennsylvania ave-
nue. northwest. shortly after O'Clock
last night and died within a few
| minutes. The police say the stabbing
| was done by Alonzo Stevenson, colored
! twenty-five years old, a waiter at the
! hotel, who gives his address as 43
Defrees street northwest, and who is
| being held at the sixth precinct sta
| ton on. charge of murder. Stevenson
denies the charge.
Hammond had made his home at a
| boarding house at $40 ri street north
west. since last Tuesday. the police
| learned He is said to have been sep
arated from his wife. His two children,
| girl about fourteen years old. and a
| boy about eleven slept at another
boarding house about a square away
| from where their father lived. They
ate their meals with him at the III
| street house.
| Hammond was employed as an iron
worker on the new coiored high school
| being erected on Georgia avenue. Other
DOdrQerS al lnc n street mouse knew Ilt-
| tie about him, not even knowing his
name None OF the boarders knew where
he lived before renting room at the III
street house. They were Of the opinion,
however, that he was not a stranger in
Washington.
His Arrest Was Quick.
Stevenson was arrested by Detective
Raymond kliendienst Of the fourth pre-
,.:xls ,kot,
bing took place, although Detective Klein
dinst did not know of the stabbing. The
detective saw the colored man board a
south-bound Anacostia car near the cor
ner Of Sd street and Missouri avenue. He
noticed that his shirt was stained with
blood and that he appeared to be greatly
excited. Believing that he had either
been shot or cut In quarrel, khendienst
jumped aboard~the car and insisted that
he accompany him to the fourth precinct
station. Upon his arrival there the de-
tective learned of the stabbing OF Ham
mond and to his great surprise found
that the man he had in custody answered
the description OF the man reported to
have done;the stAbbling. lookout for
whom had.11st been telephoned to all the
police stations. go 49,
The pogee Of the sixth precinct say that
Of & duafrd which had been In progress
for some time Ia the dining room OF the
hotel. Hammond and two companions,
the names Of whom the police say are
had several drinks together In the room.
Hammond started to quarrel with Steven
son and a colored cook named Joe john
son. employed at the hotel.
Proprietor Accuses Stevenson.
O. w Allen, one Of the proprietors of
the Chicago Hotel. told the police he was
quite positive Stevenson did the stab
bing. -
Il was on the second floor getting
ready for dinner when i heard a COM
motion in the dining room and hurried
down stairs. as fast as I could." Mr..
Allen told the police. "As / reached the
dining room door 1 saw Hammond fight
ing with johnson. They were in the
doorway leading into the Kitchen. I
jumped between the two men and started
to push Hammond toward the front Of
the house. did not see Stevenson when
/ first entered the room and did not
know he was there until saw him strike
at Hammond from behind. ! thought
he had hit him with his fist until he drew
away a bit and 1 then saw a kitchen
knife In his hand"
Hammond staggered through the dining
| room and fell as he entered the bar.
Stevenson, Johnson and HammOnd's g COM
len called the police and then sent for
an Emergency Hospital ambulance. Ham
| mond died before the operating room
was reached
After Detective KIeindienst learned that
| the man he had taken into custody while
| on the street car answered the descrip-
| ton Of the waiter alleged to have done
| the stabbing, he hurried to the Chicago
Hotel with his prisoner in the automobile
patrol. Stevenson was identified as the
waiter employed at the place and the de-
| tective then started to Emergency Hos
pital with him to have him Identified, III
| possible. by the stabbed man. not know
| ing that the man had died within few
minutes.
Charged With Murder.
Stevenson was then brought back to
the sixth precinct station and the
| charge Of murder entered against his
name. The prisoner was questioned by
Lieut. Duvall, and while he acknow1-
edged having been in an alteration
with Hammond and his companions he
denied having done the stabbing.
Stevenson contradicted himself in his
statements. however. and was unable
to explain why he was trying to es-
cape from the neighborhood.
While Lieut. Duvall was question
ing the prisoner Precinct Detective
Evans and Policeman Beckett started
out in search of Johnson, whom Steven
son declared did the stabbing
| The police OF the sixth precinct say that
until the time Stevenson learned that
1 Hammond had died he confessed to hav-
ing done the stabbing, declaring that he
had used the knife in self f-defense He
| said the men were beating him, and that
, he did his best to protect himself As
| soon as he learned Of Hammond s death
he changed his story, the police say. and
| denied having done the stabbing.
johnson was arrested at his home, III!
10Th street northwest, by Policeman Beck
ett. assisted by Policeman Meehan of the
third precinct. He was taken to the sixth
precinct station and questioned by Lieut.
| Duvall. Johnson also denied having done
the stabbing.