Evening star., 1918-05-18

| tSOntlnueQ from F1FSC rage
the detectives a story of what 1nspec-
tor Grant, chief Of detectives, charac-
terized as being the coolest blooded
murder that has been perpetrated In
this section for many years.
1T is almost inconceivable that such
young rlen could have plotted and
perpetrated such a crime" he remark
! ed. but the confession received from
| Richmond and the statement of tie
| young woman from Laurel seem to
make, it certain that such was the
| Alexandria and Washington detec-
tives at 10 o'clock this morning start
ed securing the woods between
Hume and St. Elmo with hope OF
finding the body.
Sergt. w. ]. Wilkerson Of the Alex
andria police force learned from ]. R.
Harmon, machinist at the Southern
railway roundhouse. that on Friday
night a week ago, between S:3C
and 10 o'clock. when he and his wife
they saw car standing on Russell
road with a woman walking up and
down and the occupants absent.
Find No Trace Of Body.
| He suspected that this was the spot
where the body was hidden and today
he notified police headquarters. Sergt.
Wilkinson. accompanied by Mr.. Har-
mon and E. C. Rand, the latter special
agent for the Southern Railway Com
pany. motored to the point in ques-
| tion and were met at this place by
Commonwealth Attorney Frank L.
Ball of Alexandria county, and De-
tectives Kelly, Cornwell and Hugh
lett. All participated in a thorough
search of the woods. but up to noon
today had not found any trace Of the
body.
Mrs. Werres. wife of the man who
was murdered. has listened to no
| other solution of hts disappearance
since he left home a week ago yes
terday to keep an engagement he
made to take the soldiers and their
companion on an automobile ride. The
very first report she made to the
police of his disappearance contained
the suggestion that he had been mur-
dered. and when her attention was
arrest of two soldiers in Richmond
she expressed the belief that they
were the slayers of her husband.
Wife on Verge Of Collapse.
The distressed VIE visited Inspec-
tor Grant several times during the
week. Yesterday morning a brother
in-law, who accompanied her to police
headquarters. said he felt certain that
l.
Virginia: that they had knocked him
in the head. robbed him and thrown
his body in the woods. and news OF
the confession Of murder made in
Richmond today was communicated
to the distressed wife. who is on the
verge of a nervous collapse.
When Mrs. Werres visited police
Headquarters the first time to seek
police assis :ance she declared her
belief that her husband had been
murdered.
..He wouldn't have remained away
happened to him." she told Inspector
Grant This Is the first time he has re-
mained away from home this way dur
ing all our married life. He was not in
the habit Of going away. except to attend
to his work"
Mrs Werres said her husband was de-
cidedly home man. That he was popu-
lar among a host OF friends at the gov
ernment printing office. where he was
employed, was told the police, and
they received from him while he was
operating a titney on the line between
18th and H streets northeast and the
Treasury Department.
Attention Called to Arrest.
It was only by having his attention
called to a newspaper publication Of the
arrest Of the men in an automobile in
Richmond that Inspector Grant obtained
a clue to the solution Of the mysterious
disappearance Of the government en-
ploye and jitney driver.
He communicated with the Rich
mond police. and, for a while, believ-
ed the recovered car was not that OF
the missing man. a mistake having
been made in reporting the engine
number.
"will you examine the car and see
II 1t has three yellow and one red
wheelT' the police official at the Rich
mord end of the telephone line was
asked. and in a few minutes came the
reply: ut has"
"Then." said the inspector. that's
the car"
Detectives Grant and Armstrong
were hurried OF to Richmond Thurs
day night. and yesterday morning
they teiephoned what they had been
able to learn of the arrest and where
abouts of the alleged deserters. First
of all. they reported. they had fully
Identified the automobile as being that