Evening star., 1916-01-02
POLICE PROBE ROW;
FIND MURDER DONE
Frank Davis, CoIored, Arrested
for Killing FIorine john
son, Negress.

| Alexander F. Davis. colored. charged
with having murdered a laundress. Flo
rine johnson, also colored, at Allen
court, between Sd and AZ and L and NJ
streets southeast, Thursday. was ar
| rested about 1890 o'clock last night by
police of the fourth precinct
The death of the woman did not be-
come known until yesterday morning.
The police went to the house to in
vestigate a report that a fight had oc-
CURED there. The nude body of the
woman, with her head and face badly
cut, was found on a bed, covered with
heap of bedclothing.
Davis Under Suspicion.
Suspicion pointed to Davis. The po-
| lice learned he had quarreled with the
woman. search was instituted for
him, but 1t was not until last night
that he was located.
Policemen Patterson and Fields of the
fourth precinct received Information
that Davis was in the homo of a friend
on L street between Sd and Az streets
southwest. He was arrested there.
When taken to the police station he
was questioned for about a half hour.
Capt. Williams said Davis had declared
he and the woman had fight Thursday,
and that he cut her with a safety razor.
The prisoner is also said to have stated
the woman attempted to cut him with a
razor. but was not successful. Accord
ing to the officer, Davis is said to have
stated he then kicked the woman to
death.
Just what caused the trouble between
the couple is not known. Davis is said
to have stated he had been drinking
heavily.
Occupants Of the house declare Davis
slept in the room Wednesday and Thurs
day. nights, while last night he slept in
a room on the lower floor.
Murder Not Suspected.
When Policeman Calhoun went to the
house yesterday to inquire what was the
matter he did not know there had been
a murder until he saw the body. When
he returned to the lower floor he was told
that Frank Davis had left by the back
way, and that he had fresh cut on his
neck.
Everything in the room in which the
body of F1orine johnson was found sug-
gested that there had been desperate
encounter. The stove and bed were
broken, and large pools of blood had been
removed with articles of wearing apparel
were found in a closet covered with ashes
Policeman Calhoun saw Davis in the
rear room on the ground floor when he
reached the house. Persons in the
room denied that there was anything
wrong upstairs. Joseph Minor, an oc-
cupant of the rear room on the second
floor. followed the policeman and
seemed Mortified at the sight of the
dead body. Davis disappeared before
the policeman could return to the. first
floor.
Knew Nothing of Row.
Mary Burrell. a colored woman, occu-
pied the lower floor of the house in Al
len court. She said she had heard MOTH
ing OF the fight that neighbors reported
having heard. She had had no occasion
to visit Florine Johnson. she said, and
had not been in the habit of visiting her
except when she was sick.
James Wilson, colored alias Jack
the Bear said to be an actor, wanted
for killing Lucien Mines. also colored
last Wednesday morning, at 331 Mis-
souri, avenue, was still at large up to
a late nour last night. The last seen
Of Wilson by the police was about 1
o'clock on the morning of, the shoot
ing. when he ran through Armory
Square.
The police think he had both money
and friends to assist him in hiding
and preventing his arrest They feel
confident he will be captured soon