The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-01-25
VICIOUS MOVIE WAS
CAUSE Of MURDERS
Ten Year Old John Stewart Took Part
In Murders and Tells How IL
Game About.
WITNESSED LURID PICTURE
Then He and little Herman Lewis
Proceeded TO Follow Example Set by
Movie Actors-Now Under Detcn-
ton.

How a moving picture full of lurid
scenes OF murder and violence sug-
gested to him the murder of Ida. May
Lewis and James Edward Lewis. the
colored children. aged one and two
years, who were killed Monday after
noon in their home, 207 East Duval
Street, was told yesterday by John
Stewart, the ten-year-old nero boy,
who had previously claimed that he
had attempted to prevent the brother
of the dead children, Herman Lewis.
FIVE years old. from committing the
crime The boy declared TO Sergeant
willy in his confession that he had
recently made a trip to a moving pic
ture house In the nelghborhood OF his
home, and there viewed the film that
suggested the crime.
Following his narrative OF the murder
of the children, the boy, with Herman
Lewis. and a stu younger brother.
were arrested by Sergeant willy, and
placed in the Juvenile Detention
Home. They will be heard this morn
ing before Judge Kicks, the charge
against them being that of neglected
children The two Lewis children
have on a previous occasion been in
the Juvenile Court on the same charge
The ten-year- old Stewart boy Ii Ia
sHtrf was recently brought to the city
from North Carolina and placed in
the Lewis home.
Yesterday morning II. D. Coghill
OF the State Department Of Charities
and Corrections. made a visit to the
home OF the children and examined
them. He found that the tenyear-
old boy. while not OF the brightest
mentality usually observed in the col
ored race at his age, possesses suffi-
Client intelligence to guide him in the
murderous work. The boy. however,
was looked upon as very stupid. and
It was not thought that he was con-
Bectes' with the crime. which had
been placed at the door Of the younger
negro. Herman. FIVE years old.
According 70 the story told Ser
geant Willy by the boy, on Monday
afternoon, he and Herman decided
TO enact motion picture such as
was recently shown in a film thcater
they attended For the scene they
equipped themselves with hatchct and
sticks, and began general rampage
through the house, breaking and
smashing things with abandon. Fur
niture was broken and small articles
about tho place demolished. When
this was done, the boys started on the
walls. which with Ratchet and stick
they gashed and marred. Plastering
was knocked from the walls. and In
many places II was broken through
the lath work to the outside wall
When damage had been sufficiently
wrought in this direction, Il appears
that the boys then turned their at
tention to the children, both infants.
too small to get about. and helpless
in their condition. With their weap-
ons the boys attacked the infants, and
az nh IN M
duced them to insensibiltty. which
was later their death.
Why the boys should then drench
the house in water is a puzzle, but
with the aid of tin basin they first
poured water on the senseless forms
of tho children, which were In the bed.
throwing balm after basin full until
tho mattress on which they were lying
WAS wet through, They then threw
the water about the rooms In every,
direction. in every corner. and COW
ering every spot In the house.
The boys were discovered while they
were making a large hole In the wall
supposedly to put the bodies OF the
In. Yesterday the older hoy
denied that they had any intention OF
placing the infants in the hole. but It
10 believed that they entertained some
such idea
1t Was the opinion of Sergeant Wiley
that the infants had not died from
drowning. but were dead when tho
boys started the flow Of water of
them. Both OF the boys yesterday ac-
cused the other OF nrst suggesting that
fl moving picture be played but It
would seem that they conceived the
idea in play, and even YESTERDAY APP
peared 10 have no realization of the
gravity OF the crime OF which they
were guilty.