The Washington times., 1919-08-19

AS MD. CRIME
SUSPECT HERE
Cummings Denies knowledge
Killing of Farmer and Attack
on Daughter at BoWe.
fContinued from Page oneD

said to be known TO many RESIDENTS
! of that vicinity.
Immediately after being arrested
! Cummings was taken before Miss
Peters in the Emergency Hospital.
Miss Peters could not identify him
positively as her fathers slayer. She
also called attention to details in his
/ dress and appearance which were not
| co-incident with her impression of the
/ man who shot her father, and al
! though she failed to state positively
one way or the other her beliefs, de-
| tectives were led to think she did not
! believe he was the man.
He is being held on the technical
/ charge of investigation" and is
! locked up at the First precinct. So
far he has made no conflicting state
ments as to his whereabouts Sunday
| afternoon.
Cummings bears no wounds on his
! person, which lead many to believe
he is not guilty. One of the strong
| est clues along which detectives and
Maryland authorities have been work
\ is the trail of blood which was found
! in the woods near the Peters home
! yesterday by boys. The trail, led
| along small stream for nearly half
a mile, and then disappeared.
Clue May Free Man.
So far there has been nothing to
| account for the blood trail except the
| theory advanced that the murderer,
| after leaving the Peters home, either
| shot himself accidentally or attempt
| ed suicide with the revolver he used |
/ in shooting the farmer.
II the theory proves strong enough, |
II may be the means Of freeing Cum |
Minis, if he fails to establish an alibi |
With the discovery of the bloody |
trail. Deputy Sheriff Garrison, i'm |
mediately communicated with the |
District Reformatory, at Lorton. Va, |
in the hope of getting bloodhounds |
Garrison declares he was unable to /
get the dogs yesterday without the /
consent Of the District Commission
ers. This he was unable to do.
A negro suspect was arrested by |
Sheriff William L. Aud. Of Mont
gomery county. and his deputy, Hugh
O'Donnell. near Colesville, Md, yes
terday afternoon. He is locked up
at Rockville jail.
Closely Resembles AEsaiIant.
Aud declares the negro bears a
close resemblance to the man de-
scribed by Miss Peters. with the ex-
ception OF his hat and shoes Miss
Peters described her assailant as
wearing a sloUch hat and black shoes.
The negro, when arrested, wore d
derby and white tennis shoes.
Deputy Sheriff Garrison will go to
Rockville this morning to question
the negro.
Posses are still beating the woods
in search Of George Cummings, negro,
who is said TO have been seen in the
neighborhood of the crime Sunday
morning.
According to Deputy Garrison. Cum
mings was formerly a trackwalker
on the section of the railroad that
passes the Peters farm. and had done
odd jobs for Peters on several occa-
sions.
AS far as the authorities are able
to ascertain, Cummings came to
Washington to work about four
months ago. He was employed in a
dairy when last heard from.
Negro Tramp Freed.
Garrison has practically eliminated
John Nickel, a negro tramp who was
arrested yesterday by a posse while
walking along the Pennsylvania
railroad tracks. Nickel was closely
questioned, but was unable to fur
nish the authorities any information.
1t developed yesterday that more
than twenty mounted men from Camp
Meade. and several soldiers on foot
made a careful search through the
woods early yesterday morning with
out finding a trace of the negro
slayer
Deputy Garrison believes the negro
slayer either has committed suicide
in the woods or was wounded by one
OF his own bullets and is in Wash
ington.
Lookouts for the negro have been
given police both Of Washington and
Baltimore
Girl Will Recover.
Physicians at Emergency Hospital
here, where Miss Peters was brought
following the shooting Sunday after
noon, today expressed their confidence
that the girl would recover
Feeling in the Bowie-J ericho Park
Arundel section is still running high,
and there is free talk of Iynching
among several Of the posses The
sheriff and other officials, however,
insist the law will take it's course.
William Thirles. justice of the peace
at Bowie, is one OF those most active
in the search for the slayer. Mr.
Thirles has shown decided initiative
since the crimes, and has been comb
ing the section for suspects.
Charles G. Pritchett, chief Of police
at Camp Meade, who, with his dep
uty, l. l. Watts, is cooperating with
the Prince Georges authorities, is
also taking an actiVS part in tracking
down the SLAYER