The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-06-14

to kill and rob Duvall," declared
Charles Ross Webster, the Trinity
College farm overseer, when confess
ing today as to events which led up
to the brutal murder of 15-year-old
Richard H. Duvall, employe of the
college.
at was my idea, and when con-
fided in Hawkins, he agreed to as
sist me. 1 needed money, and believ-
ing that Duvall had in the neighbor-
hood Of $50. decided to rob him.
Hawkins said he would kill him IL l
robbed him"
With this admission by Webster,
the police are now more firmly con-
WINGED than ever that he alone COM
mitted the crime, robbing the youth
after firing two shots in the lads
body in a clump OF bushes near Cath
Ollie University.
Confident of Guilt.
with Webster's admission of rob-
bling the dead boy, and his admissions
that he had the revolver used In the
killing before and after the shooting
and that he threw away the two
empty shells of the cartridges used
in killing the boy" said a police Of
fetal this morning. 81 am certain that
Webster alone shot. killed, and rob
bed the youth after Turing him to the
woods on some preteTt"
Webster IL being closely questioned
at police headquarters by Inspector
Grant and the detectives who have
wound about him a chain OF evidence
which convinces them he alone Is
guilty OF the murder. The only miss
ing link, they say, is Webster's ad-
mission that he shot and killed the
boy.
Detectives discredit the story of
Webster that the shooting OF Duvall
occurred about 10 o'clock Saturday
night They base this theory on the
fact that Biacie Bucci, an Italian, and
his younger daughter, who live on a
farm Of Marist College, heard the re-
port Of two revolver shots ring out
between @ and Z o'clock Saturday.
The Italian and his daughter are posi-
tive OF the time.
Place No CPedenee.
The police place no credence in
Webster's statement that Hawkins
and DuvaIl met at Ninth and G
streets northwest at o'clock Satur-
day night and then went back TO
Brookland, and to the woods where
the murder occurred.
The police point out that IL has
been established that Webster left
the college grounds around 6 o'clock,
five minutes before Duvall on Satur-
day night They say that Webster's
attempted alibi that he was in his
room from g to Z o'clock, after Du-
vail had left ostensibly for Balti-
more, has been shattered. From 6
o'clock till 7:20, when Hawkins says
he saw the accused murderer washing
his hands and face in his room, no
one has been found who saw Web
ster in the interval.
webster acted strange when l saw
him, but he said nothing about the
pistol which he told me he was going
to carry to the city to protect him
against the threatened attack OF a
rival" said Hawkins. at was not
until Sunday morning that Webster
returned the revolver. minus the
cartridges. l asked him about the
cartridges, and he said he had been
drinking while in the home of his
girl, and that she took out the cart
ridges for fear he would shoot and
kill someone.
webster lies when he tries TO i'm
plicate me In this case"
Sticks To Statement.
Hawkins stubbornIy persists in
sticking to this statement. The police
believe that Hawkins is telling the
truth-st least they were OF that
opinion up to noon.
Hawkins declared he left Webster
about 1870 at the car stop in front
of Trinity College. He said he asked
Webster to go along with him to the
city.
But Webster did not get on the car
he walked in the other direction.
toward Brookland, in a quick walk"
said Hawkins. 81 did not see him
any more that night"
Hawkins, however, was supposed to
be at the college from S to 1920. or
thereabouts. when ne says he finally
saw Webster.
The police say they believe the
murder was committed during that
time because Of the statement of the
Italian farmer who heard the revolver
shots. In their investigation the po-
lice say they found several persons al
the college who saw Hawkins be
tween and 7:20 at the college, and
this fact they feel in a way eliui-
mates him from having been in the
woods when the shots were heard.
Daniel Joseph Betz. the sixteen
year-old youth, employed at Marist
College, who confessed numbering the
boy and then repudiAted the cOnfes-
sion. has been eliminated from the
case. He will probably be released
this afternoon.
Coroner hewitt will hold an inquest
in the case at the District morgue
Monday afternoon.
That the cold-blOOded murder of
Richard n. DuvalI. fifteen-year-old
emplOye OF Trinity College, had been
cOolly and deliberately planned for no
other purpose than to rob the lad OF