The Washington herald., 1918-08-15
MAY
Be MURDERER
OF MISS ROY
Officers Find Clue in
Scratched Face of Hum
phreys Soldier.
BY RILLA ENGLE.

A deserting soldier from Camp
Humphreys now Is thought by the
authorities to be the murderer Of little
Eva Roy, the 14-year-old girl found
dead in a wood near Burk station
last Wednesday morning.
The discovery OF a clue that seems
to point directly to the murderer
came just seven days after the child
was found tied to a tree a few yards
from the spring where she had eaten
her lunch.
A soldier was .captsred near
Charlottesville, Va. early this week.
A Fairfax county boy in the camp
at Charlottesville, after hearing Of the
brutal murder of the little girl in his
home country. wrote to his father, c.
NJ. Money at Vienna. Va, and told
him OF the capture. He declared that
the man was covered with deep
scratches and blood. The condition
OF his clothing showed that he had
walked from Camp Humphreys.
VIII Go to Humphreys.
Sheriff Allison of Fairfax county
pointed out yesterday that a man
travelling on foot and keeping from
the beaten track could have Just
about made Charlottesville in the
time that has elapsed since the
crime was committed. He will go
to Camp Humphreys this morning
to see the man. who Is scheduled to
arrive at the camp early today.
II the marks found on the cap
tured deserter bear any resemblance
to those made by human finger
nails, the body of the child will be
at once exhumed and her nails ex-
amined. Attorney Farr, assistant
prosecutor for the commonwealth.
stated a few days ago that, as the
child was accustomed to biting her
nails, ii would be useless to examine
them. 1t is believed, however, by
those knowing the child that the
nails were LONG enough to have
made lasting scratches on the GRIM
inaPs hands and face.
Points for Lou Hall.
1t is the belief of the authorities
that a man escaping from Camp
Humphreys would have followed the
railroad track to Burke Station. The
wood in which the body was found
Is about a mile or three quarters
of from the track. An old deserted
house on a hill over the spring
where little Eva ate her lunch
would have afforded an excellent
shelter to the fugitive. Tracks
from the old ruins down the hill to
the spring were found when the
body was discovered.
One of the strongest points in
favor of Lou Hall. the woodcutter,
held for the crime, is that he seems
to bear no marks of the struggle.
"Find a man whose face and hands
have been torn by human nails,
and you will have the criminal"
was a statement made recently by
local police detectives.
other Favorable Evidence.
Other evidence of the mans in
nocence has been brought forward
by Fred Davis and others who claim
to have seen Hall in Davis store
at Barkers Crossing, some distance
from the woods, at 1890 on the day
of the murder.
Statements made by Hall that he
had secured work with man
named Joe Magner. and had left
MS nome TO take the work have
been corroborated by Magner him
self. Magner stated that he had en-
ployed Hall on the Sunday before
the criae to drive one of his teams
doing government work at Camp
Humphreys.
The whereabouts of Hall between
the hours Of IL and 12 o'clock Tues
day are Important in his defence.
II he can establish an alibi for the
sixty minutes between IL and II,
he will practically be cleared of the
charge.
Feeling against Hall is bitter in
the vicinity OF Burke Station. In
case the man is not cleared of the
crime shortly, it may become nee.
essary to take him either to the
Jail at Alexandria Court House. or
even To Richmapd