The Washington herald., 1920-11-20
Says He Was Missing From
Home When Germantown
House Exploded.
JURY FAILS TO NDICT
Perpetrator Unknown, Ver-
dict-Farm Hands Tell Of
Seeing Bolton.


town. Nd, held by authorities In
connection with the dynamite out
rage which killed James Bolton,
Germantown farm hand. and the two
children of Mrs Hattie Shipley In
house on the Julian Waters farm
Thursday morning. was not at home
the night preceding the blast ac-
cording to a signed statement given
by Hester Mary Thompson. his wife,
to States Attorney Dawson in the
Rockville jail last night
That the death of Bolton and little
Harold Shipley. years old. and his
sister Helen, 5 years old. and the
injuries received by their mother,
Hattie Shipley, said to be Bottoms
housekeeper. was caused by violence
due to an explosion. the act of per-
sons unknown. was the verdict of
the coroner's jury which held an
inquest in the dynamiting case at
Rockville last night
Stories of Couple Conflict.
Mrs Thompson's statement given
after a gruelling session in which
she was closeted with States Attor-
ney Dawson and Sheriff Nicholson.
OF Montgomery County, ond Detec-
tive Peter Bradley, of Baltimore.
conflicts with previous statements
made by the woman and her hus-
band and is expected to lead to ad
ditional disclosure which will serve
to tighten the web of circumstantial
evidence which has led the authori-
ties and the people of Montgomery
County to believe that Thompson Is
the guilty man
According to his wife's statement
Thompson left home about supper
time Wednesday, the night preced-
ing the morning of the tragedy.
He returned about 3 o'clock, accord
ing to Nm. Thompson. and re-
mained at home until 1 o'clock,
when he again left the house and
did not reappear until about 3
o'clock Thursday morning. \
This statement conflicts with the
story Mrs Thompson is reported to
have told the authorities on Thurs
day to the effect that she and her
husband had retired at 8 o'clock on
Wednesday night 1t also conflicts
with the statement Thompson Is re-
ported to have made the same day
to the county authorities to the
effect that they went to bed at 10
o'clock
FSur Farm Hands Testify.
According to the testimony given
by the four farm hands employed
on the Julian Waters farm at the
coroners inquest last night the ex-
plosion took place at 4 o'clock in
the morning. 1t is believed thai
Mrs- Thompson may not have known
the exact hour Of her husbands re-
tmn, since 1t was stated Thursda,
that the woman could not read, anc
that, moreover, the only time piec,
in the house was said to be a watch
with one hand missing. This woulC
possibly account for the discrepancy
in time between the reported houl
of the explosion and the time tha1
Thompson is said to have returned
as fixed in his wife's statement
Mrs. Thompson further declared
that after Thompson's return at
three o'clock they lay awake and
talked until morning. She dis.
claimed all knowledge of the ex.
plosion and declared that she had
not received the slightest intimate
tion of what had happened until in.
formed the following day by her
mother.
At the inquest last night under
direction of Coroner James E. Gar
rett in the undertaking parlors of
W r. Pumphery andSons at Rock
Vile, IL was shown that four hours
had elapsed between the time of
the explosion an dthe arrival of the
farm hands who assisted Bolton by
building a fire and covering him
with clothes to protect him from the
intense cold.
Said Bolton Was Silent
The four men. two of whom wers
coiored. testified that they had NOT
reached the scene of the accident
until eight o'clock, although thew
mad heard the blast at 4:30. Ths
four were employed as farm hands
on tne waters farm They declared
tnat BOLTON had made no remark
TO them as to the cause of the ex-
piston and that they had NOT cn,ss.
TONED him concerning it.
Dr. j. w. Bird. chief surgeon O,
Sandy Springs Hospital. and Dr
Barber. of Gaithersburg, Nd. wbc
atteded Bolton the day OF his
death. testified that nothing could
have saved Bolton, even had medical
aid reached him promptly. DIR. Rird
declared that the body exhihited
every sign OF havig been in perfect
physical condition up to the time OF
the accident and that the deaths OF
Bolton and the two children had
been undoubtedly due to violece.
Another effort was made yester.
day to identify the finger-prints on
the powder boxes at the Waters a
Thrift store in Germantown, by De-
tective Fred A. Sanborn. finger
print expert of police headauarter.
ad Detective Peter B. Bradley, OF
Baltimore. -.-.-
Saderson took a finger-print OF
Thompson and went to Germantown
to compare II with prints taken al
the store from which so pounds OF
dynamite were stolen several days
before the blast. but it was found
that dust had so obscured the inn
preston that comparison was i'm
possible
Family story serdid.
The background of the TRACED,
Is a sordid one. according to resi-.
dents of Germantown. The AFFAIR."
Of the Shipley family are said tc
have long been notorious through
out the county. 1t Is the story of Z
family that for the last several year,
has had some member in the Mary
land State Penitentiary, according
70 Perry z. Waters. whose brother
owns the.farm on which the blaxl