Bogalusa enterprise and American. (Bogalusa, La.) 1918-19??, 1919-06-19
Sensational Murder
Trial at Covington

Covington, La, June 1.-THE
trial of Leroy Reed on the charge
of numbering his wife here three
months ago begun here Monday
in the Criminal District Court.
The defendant has been confined in
the parish Jail since his arrest on
the day the crime was committed.
He has talked but little, the few
words spoken by him being flat de-
NAL that he is guilty.
The evidence to be introduced by
the state will be circumstantial and
built about the movements Of Reed
on the night of the murder. Two inn
portant pieces of evidence upon
which the state was relying have, it
is understood, failed to materialize.
One was the finger prints on the au-
tomobile hammer found in the muir
dered woman's room were those of
Reed, and the other that the red
spotches on a pair of overalls were
made by blood.
Reed operated a taxicab, much of
his business being the Transporting of
passengers between Covington and
the shipyards at Madisonville. He and
his wife had resided in Covington
only few months before her death.
Reed reported to the authorities
early one morning that he had just
returned home and found his wife
murdered. Investigation revealed
the Woman's body lying across a bed
clad in silk underwear. The room
also contained large amount of silk
lingerie and fine hats and shoes. Her
head had been crushed by repeated
blows from the automobile hammer
found in the room.
The killing happened just at the
time when New Orleans was visited
by attacks from an ak murderer and
the people of Covington became ex-
cited over the fear the axman had
com to their town.
On the night of the killing Reed
was out all night and made several
trips with passengers in his taxicab.
| He was at his house about o'clock
at night and told the officers he did
not return until after daybreak the
following morning, when he found
his wife dead.
In an effort to trace the murderer
q finger print expert from the New
0rlans police department went TO
Covington at the request of the au-
thOrities there, to make an irvestiga-
ton. 1t is understood his report
failed to implicate Reed as the man
who handled the hammer.
Exceptional efforts were made by
Sheriff Brewster and Coroner Bull
loch to identify the murderer The
coroner's inquest extended over sew
eral days.
Reed, It Is said by the officers,
adn1Stted that be had BYed With the
woman for some time before marry
ing her, and that ne had been con-
victed Of violating the Mann act IN
California for his relations with her.
A pair of overalls were found in
the automobile operated by Reed
which We're covered with red
splotehes which the officers believed
might be blood Reed recently had
painted the machine red color. The
oyeralls were turned over to a chem
list for analysis and he made about
twenty-five tests Of the splotcses.
The microscope revealed globules
of fat and pollen of plants, but no
red corpuscles. The spectroscope
was used to search the red ABSORB
ton bands, which are a result of de-
composed red corpuscles. Gum qua
iacum and hydrogen peroxide brought
forth deep blue colors, as is deveI-
oped when Haematin, a Characters
tic property Of blood, is present.
However, not being able to get crys-
tails, though number of trials at
crystalizing were made, it became
necessary to account for Haematin
tests with gum guaiacum. Chemical
tests showed iron was present in the
cloth. Dye was extracted and showed
an iron base, possibly a modified
type of Prussian blue. Pure SAM
pies of the dye and the gum gave
blue spots Stimulating the Maematin
test.
Several times the chemist thought
he had the proofs of blood, but when
he tried to confirm it he proved that
his belief was wrong. Hence he was
forced to the following lines Of con-
elusion: Absence Of Maematin crys-
tails indicates no Haematin; positive
tests of gum g1aiacum was due to
iron in the dye stuff.
The finds of the chemists seem to
be conclusive that there was no blood
on the overalls, but nothing indicates
that Reed wore those overalls that
fatal night.
o.