Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-02
HOWAfD N. LACEY,
TAX|tAb DRIVER,
KILLED BY THIEVES
Answering False Call, Body Later
Was Found in Ditch
MAJ Shellpot.
CAR. A BUICK, WAS STOLEN

,r.ua Al Lacey of 2lo5 Carter
s,raat taxicab driver for the
W,ln;rrton Taxi Co, 30 West ienth
street was murdered last night hy thieves
who evidently stole the car he was driV-
~ .,d ,nnE il away with them. going
IN IN, direction of Philadelphia
.,oI5 q clock last night telephone
call was received at the taxi company
Office. asking that a taxi be sent - once
~ tol Nest Eighth street. teif Is an
ansrtInent house at that addns-@' ihe
round floor being occupied by the icwelry
s,ore oi George n. RudCrt ae S'oic
was closed and nobody was thcI.
The car arrived promptly an me ~
two men got IN and were uiN, -
Trom what can be learned they did not
,.,. asu'a' ,'',t ~ IN, apartmcnt house or any
Other building there, but were cVld'''H
w,,,in, on the street at that point, Whi'h
j. darl. The police are mClmed 70 he-
be,,o that II was i false call ana that
n,hodv NJ Iol West Eighth street had
ANYTHING 20 do with sending Il IN
1'hr result was 'ha; nobody paid any
attention TO the incident, ana although
fh,. car did not return tc the garage,
Lacey hcing one OF the most rcilani'
drivers. il was thought he Was oui with
II (or business reasons and tho company
=
after 4 O'Clock tins morning. when the
body OF Lacey. who had hccu murdered,
was found m i ditch along the Philadelphia
pike. between Shellpn' Park and She'll
pot quarry. Ii was reported that the
discovery had been made hy Morris
Weaver. driver of a truck for the Huber
Baking Co, on his trip to Chester at
) q clock this morning, hut this could
not be verified AT the Huhcr offices.
II Is also SAID that the message was sent
20 the police hy schoolboy, shortly
after ! o'clock. who IL IS believed made
tie discovery
IsCEY UEtTES To DEATH
Lacey had been beaten 10 death HIS
head was crushed IN, which could have
been done With heavy stone or any
other blunt instrument. The weapon
was not, however, found, which leads 70
the belief that the murder va committed
while the taxi Was IN the cifv. the body
being taken to the place Wherc Il Was
found and there thrown from the car.
\ baseball bat vas found on he road,
which may have been the weapon u>c
Robbery Was not rhc motive tor Sl3
in money and gold watch were found
in Lacey's pockets, nothing IN the pockets,
apparently, having been disturbed The
Of the deceased. John Lacey, of Twenty
second and Jessup streets.
The motive for the murder undoubtedly
was to steal the car, for it was missing and
no trace Of ], ha, vet hccn found. IL
evidently was driven of IL the direction
q PHILADELPHIA - the bcdl was found
along the Phlladelphia pike
The car was a 81 800 Buck, with open
top. II was not I.accy's regular car. hut
was being used ~ substitute while the
latter was undergoing repairs II doubt
less proved particularly attractive 10 the
thieves
Lacey was not known 10 have any
enemies: in fact. all q. the evidence OBJ
tainable Is that ne had none Ills father,
a retired grocer, living Al Twenty-Second
and JesSup streets. SAID ms son whowas
Of small build. weighing about l25 pounds,
Was q quIci Young man who attended To
his business and this was borne out by
statements made by the taxi people, who
held him IN high regard. lie lived with his
vVife and lS-ntonths-old daughter al 2io5
Carter street He was about 3 wears old
In addition - the watch and money re-
fcrred 20 above. Lacey Wore Two valuable
rings. which have also been turned over
to the father.
Young L. cev had formeriv worked for
the tas COMPANY. but durIng h war
rush At the shipyards be was employed -
Harans, having gone back Wit the tax
compa,,, recently ST Harlan he was
employed n the st.re room.
MYSTERIOUS TELEPHONE call
According % GIlpn J. Woodward
wh, has one Of the apar- ment, ii he
ba;Iding II I0l West Fight street from
winch the persons sending Tor The tan
aC, ged over the phoHS hey We're "a 'ilng
lnj George n. Rudert, the icWelcr on
the ground floor, who have the only
telephones IL the building, ~ call was
mede from that building last mgh' A.
the time 3 L. the store. as = st4tod
above was osed and nobody was about,
whl'e ia Mr. WOODWARD apGi tment hc
and Mls Woodward were alone and
neither Of hem made the coll neither did
any person lsc thcr phone
IT, occupants OF the other apartments
are Mr. and Mrs Charlie j. GroOndyke
and Mr.. and Airs Gco'ge " IWeedN,
Ir.. and none Of them know anything
about the call OF the lnciden'
Il Is evident therefore that the person
calling used telephone ~ some other
location. flMng that address a. ruse
and making II convenient 10 be there
when the taxi arrived There is pay
station in A. Rommcl's cigar store
AZ lob West Eighth street. but the csll
va, not made from there for the store
wa closed
The stolen car aor, Delaware hccnsc
No. 5jjb