Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-01-05

mystery tudt mas thrilled q SIeAteI
part of this country was first known
through sensational story. told to the
police by a taxicab chauffeur, Elwood
Powell Two days after the body OF
the woman was found with a sheet
thrown over it in her apar -ment at the
Wilton, 18th and Poplar streets, Powell
brought the police the first tangible
clue upon which they worked.
He related how he was asked to take
a man and two women to Germantown
on Thursday night prior to the dis
covery that the model had been slain.
He told a circumstantial story of the
mans ride with the women, how he
babe them goodbye and then climbed
on the seat for the return trip.
! On the return trip the passenger,
whose soft hat had been pulled over
his eyes, climbed to the seat with the
driver. Powell drove his fare to the
Wilton and brought his machine to a
stop on the 18th street side. the
passenger alighted and went into the
apartment house. arriving there about
1870 o'clock, as nearly as the chauneur
could Ak the time. Powell mounted ms
seat again and waited until O'CLOCK,
when he became dubious regarding ms
passenger Powell went to the wilton
and rang the janitor's bell and Rlcnafu
Benjamin, the janitor. responded. Po~el,
out where his passenger had gone.
Reported to the Police.
BENJAMIN refused, and Powell, angry
at the deception, went back to his cab
and waited another hour. Then ne went
to the telephone and informed the
manager of his stand that he had peeh
cheated of s19 He was ordered to come
in. and obeyed.
The police then began search TOT the
women who were escorted to their noI,s
by the missing passenger. They learned
definitely on Wednesday that the women
were Misses Ethel and Mabel Kyle VINO VINO
reside with their sister. MISS May, a. 20
Bringhurst street, Germantown. ana teach
| in a school in that district. They appear
ed at Capt. Tate's Office and told MIN
| that their escort was Bernard W. LEWIS
son of Wenman A. Lewis. who lived IN
suburb Of Pittsburgh.
Armed with this information, the detec-
| tiyes busted themselves tracing the own
ership of the shirt and collar that were
| found in the woman's apartments aIter
! the murder was discovered.
| The Misses Kyle told an interesuns
! and significant story in that connection:
They said Lewis told them that he mad
| run over from New York and that In
some manner he had lost his baggage
and was unable to get his decent snlrts,
which he wore and which they declared
| resembled the pattern of the crimson
| stained garment which had been exhibit
ed to them by the detectives.
Told of Purchase of Collar.
The collar was then shown. The young
women said they remembered that early
| Thursday, after they had danced at one
of the matinee teas. Lewis. who per-
spired freely, discovered that his collar
was wiIted. He asked them to wait while
he sought haberdashery to replenish his
linen He returned soon. they said, wear
| ing turn-down collar.
| Later in the evening, when the trio re :
| turned to Germantown. Lewis, who had
been dancing considerably. again found
| that the collar which he purchased earlier
in the evening had become wilted. AS the
night air was chill he had turned up his
coat collar to protect himself against the
blasts.
When the Misses Kyle were shown the
discarded collar which had been found
lcrumpled in the apartments of Grace ROB-
erts they were unable positively to iden-
tify 1t as the one worn by their escort.
One of the young detectives. who was
about the size of Lewis, placed the col
lar about his neck. and when Miss Ethel
Kyle saw it she exclaimed:
| 'Mr. Lewis collar was wilted just like
that"
The detectives then. traced the collar.
The clerks at one store were ques-
toned as to a man who purchased such
collar on Thursday night and one of
them remembered that a patron had
bought a collar near closing time. He
described the man as well as he could.
and in general the details fitted a
description of Lewis. The clerk also
recollected that the man at this time
had declared that he had been dane
ing great deal. and that he was
death on collars"