Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-31
CLAIMING OF SUIT
ENDS CRIME CLUE
Police Arrest CoIored Man,
But Sure He Did Not CON-
NIT Assaults.
MISS LILLIAN HOOD DIES

| A light-skin colored >man called at
! the tailor shop of Harry Hoffman. sos
| 18th street northwest. this morning
| for the suit of clothes che owner OF
| which the police were seeking on the
| theory that he might have been the
man who shot two women and ehoked
| third in three homes in the north
west last Friday morning.
Although he was taken to police
headquarters and questioned. detee-
tives on the case are satisfied he had
no connection with the three assaults.
| Inquest Being Held.
/ An inquest is being held this after
noon at the undertaking establish
ment of Herbert B. Nevius. s2s New
| York avenue, over the body of Miss
Lillian Hood, one of the three women
| attacked, who died at Emergency
! Hospital last night
| Miss Hood was a war worker from
Brownsville, Tenn, and was asleep in
| her room at 1897 L Street early last
Friday morning, when her assaiiant
stole into the house and shot her after
q struggle.
District Attorney O'Leary and DR.. J.
| Ward Mankia, Miss Hood recalled
| having torn a piece of cloth from one
| of the intruder's trouser legs as she
struggled with him. Inspector c. l..
/ Grant chief of detectives. said a
! search of the room and the yard
| through which he escaped failed to
reveal this clue.
! Miss Hood could not say positively
that the man was white. but she was
under the Impression that he was.
/ When she awoke, she said. the man
began to pull her from the bed. warn
/ ing her IF you scream, I'll shoot"
Explains the Shooting.
When she screamed she said she was
hit twice on the head with revolver.
Miss Hood said she then jumped out
of bed and struggled with the intrud-
err His first shot did not take effect
| and he fired a second time. following
| it up with blows on the body.
Tried to Hold Assailant.
| The dying girl said she tried to hold
! on to the man until help would come
| In his efforts to get away he dragged
T.! her out of the window of the room
which was in the rear of the first floor
and into the yard. Escaping from
/ her grip. he left her lying in the yard
and disappeared.
/ The attention of the police was at
| tracted to the gray suit at Hoffman,
/ for two reasons. One WAS that Hoff
man said he found several bullets in a
| pocket of the suit of the same size as
| those with which Miss Hood and Miss
Martha h. Geagan, the other victim
| wera shot. The other reason was the
! statement of Hoffman that the man
wanted the suit pressed by last Fri
| day, the day of the attacks, and then
| did not call for it for several days
No Clergyman Is Involved.
| In regard to the published report
tody last Friday night and questioned
| in connection with the case, Inspector
Grant denied today a clergyman has
been in any way connected with the
| crimes.
He said the runlor probably started
| from the fact that Detective Scrivener
| took a man into custody last SATURDAY.
who resembled the description of the
/ fugitive and who was seen passing the
home of Miss Geagan, 1912 Connect
cut avenue, on the morning of the
| attacks.
| According to Inspector Grant, the
man quickly established his innocence.
explaining that he passed along Con-
inecticut avenue on his way to church
NEARLY every morning and that he fire.
quentiy carried his soft hat in his
hand, which aroused the suspicious of
Il policeman stationed at the British
lembassy.