Evening star., 1915-01-12
OFFER Of REWARD
FOR MURDER CLUE
Officials Seek Authors oi
Crime Committed at Home
of Mrs. Hughes.
FIND GREEN SWEATER,
HAT AND SEARCHL!GHT
Believed to Have Been Discarded by
the Fleeing Burglars-Injured
Woman Improving.

1t is probable that rewards aggre-
eating considerably more than $1,000
will be paid for information leading
to the arrest of the two men who par
ticipated in the double murder and
serious assault and robbery at the
house of Mrs. Matte A. Hughes, one
half mile south Of Clark station, Alex
andria county, Va, at an early hour
Sunday morning. i
Commemorative Attorney Crandal
Mackey induced the county commits
sioners to offer a reward and asked
Gov. Stuart to offer one. He was told
BY Mrs. Hughes last night that she
will pay literally for the capture of
the culprits.
Sheriff Barbor and Commemorative 8
Attorney Mackey labored on the case
until late last night and early this
morning they were busily engaged in
getting together the testimony that
they think will assist in capturing the
slayers.
A green sweater, hat and searchlight,
believed to have been discarded by the
two men as they made their way
toward the river to reach this city,
were found Sunday. They were not
turned over to the county officers until
yesterday, however, and the sweater,
it is said. bore stains of blood.
Sweater Picked Up on Road.
The sweater was found on a road
that parallels the one ON which Mrs.
Hughes house is located and not a
great distance from the scene of the
tragedy. A colored woman found the
sweater, but paid no particular atten-
tion to it, She kept it until after
she learned that the two slayers had
passed along the road in the direction
of her house. Then she thought there
was some connection between the
burglars and ,the sweater and turned
it over to the authorities.
A colored boy, son of the woman VINO
found the sweater, picker up the
searchlight. 1t had been dropped In
muddy spot not far from the boys
home. The finding of hat near the
Hughes mouse yesterday afternoon Is
looked upon as being an important Dill
of testimony.
"The hat is the same size as the
sweatband that was in the yard OF the
Hughes home," said country officer to-
day, land Is undoubtedly the hat VI
one of the murderers.
and Deputy Sheriff Palmer visited po-
lice headquarters late yesterday art
ernoon and saw H. J. Coleman, the
chauffeur who drove Mrs. Hughes and
Nicholas Coffinas to the Virginia home
Saturday night. Coleman repeated the
story of his trip to the Hughes home,
told of how he had seen light shin
ing through one of the windows while
his machine was still in sight of the
house, and said the light was ex-
tinguished before he got out of sight
Two days before the double murder
and assault occurred Commonwealths 8
Mrs. Hughes at the front door of her
house, having gone there with w. c.
Cloth, Allan Hume and Charles T.
Jesse, viewers. who were looking after
the land that is to be used in the con-
struction of the Mount Vernon High
way Mr.. Hughes donated a strip
about 1000 feet long.
Says She Shouted "cabby."
Mrs. Hughes told Mr. Mackey at Sib-
ley Hospital last night that she shout
ed "cabby" at the top of her voice
when she saw the man who grabbed
her, thinking the automobile was still
on the road in front of her home, and
her father probably thought she was
calling daddy"
1t is believed that Isaac Waldrop,
Mrs. Hughes father, engaged in a
struggle with one of the slayers be-
fore he was shot and killed. He had
staggered into the front room and
1t developed yesterday afternoon that
Mrs. Hughes had not been shot, as had
been supposed. but her skull was
fractured, both lips were nearly sew
her cheeks. Drs. Taylor and Hart,
her attending physicians, say she prob
ably will recover unless pneumonia
develops.
Suspect Foreigners.
1t is the belief of the county au-
thorities and Washington police that
the crime was committed by foreign
ers, and the descriptions given of the
men seen by Chauffeur Coleman and
by persons who saw two strangers on
the electric car line Saturday night
tally. Their descriptions, it is stated,
also tally with those of the men who
were shot at on Mrs. Hughes prem
ises a month ago.
Photographer Sandberg has blood
stained glass panel taken from the
door of the Hughes home and mark
ed rail taken from the part of the
fence where the men are thought to
have left the premises.
Funeral Services for Victims.
Funeral services for Nicholas Coffinas
were conducted at the Greek Church,
9Th and G streets northwest, at
o'clock this afternoon. Interment was
at Woodlawn cemetery.
The body of Isaac Waldrop was taken
from his late home to c. J. Ives es-
tablishment at Clarendon, Va, this aft
ernoon. where DR.. r. ]. Yates. Del Ray.