The Washington herald., 1920-11-22
SUSPECT HOLDS
TO BLAST STORY
Thompson Still Denies He
Blew Up House After
Severe Grilling.
TO ASK JURY ACTION
Indictment on Murder
Charge Will Be Sought,
Says State S Attorney.
TO ASK JURY ACTION

Despite nOurs OIL Brllllng Dy MOut-
gomery County authorities, Guy
Vernon Thompson. of Germantown,
Nd, doggedly maintains that he is
not the man who dynamited the
Bolton house Thursday morning
mortally injuring James Bolton and
killing instantly two sleeping babes.
The web of circumstantial evil
dence. according to the authorities,
is fast closing around the suspected
man as each admission by him and
his wife strengthen the case being
established by States Attorney
Dawson.
The most important evidence so
far, according to Detective Peter
Bradley, of Baltimore, is the admis-
sion by Thompson and his wife that
the suspected man was not at home
on the morning of the tragedy and
the further admission by Thompson
that he entered the Germantown
store from which fifty pounds of
dynamite was stolen the night be-
fore the explosion.
VIII Ask Grand Jury Action.
States Attorney Dawson declares
that there is now SUFFICIENT evil
dence on hand to indict Thompson
of murder and that he will ask
Judge Peters Monday to call a
special session of the grand jury.
Dawson will ask to have the case
placed ON the docket at this session
of the court and tried before 1t ad-
journs.
Thompson yesterday afternoon
was taken to Germantown and con-
fronted with finger prints on the
red handled plow and on the win
dow sill of the wareroom of Waters
and Thrift from which the dyna-
mite was stolen. He declared that
the finger prints were his, accord
ing to Detective Bradley who has
been conducting the investigation
with Sheriff Nicholson Of Mont
gomery County and Detective Ser
geant Fred Sandberg, finger print
expert of the Washington police de-
partment
Thompson Denies Guilt.
Thompson pleads guilty to at
tempted burglary the night of the
murder" Detective Bradley declared
Yesterday, "but he maintains that
he had nothing to do with the ex-
plosion."
Late Friday night Thompson was
taken to the undertaking parlors OF
w. r. Pumphrey and Sons, Rock
willie. Nd, where he was confronted
with the corpses of the children and
the body of Bolton. He underwent
the ordeal without betraying trace
Of emotion and denied any knowi-
edge Of how they had met their
death.
Early yesterday morning both he
and his wife were questioned closely,
| but the latter clung to her original
story that she had had no knowledge
of the explosion. Thompson con-
lfessed his wife was correct in saying
that he was absent from the house
Wednesday night and early Thurs
day morning. but refused to divulge
| his whereabouts. Later. however,
when taken to the store in German
town he admitted attempting bur-
glary.
I'VE told Thompson that we had
evidence that he left his house the
night before the blast, at IL o'clock" :"
| said Detective Bradley: that he re-
turned at and then went out
gain and returned about morning.
He admits all this and accounts for
his movements by saying that he
went to store Of Waters and Thrift
about IL o'clock Wednesday night
with the intention of taking some
canned goods and soap from the
wareroom.
Yesterday afternoon when We
took him out there he showed us
how he had attempted to get in by
forcing the window. Some days be-
fore, he declared, he had loosened
the nails which held the window.
Failing to make an entrance. how
ever, he returned to his house at
o'clock, he says, for a bunch or
keys. In this way he accounts for
his return at 1 o'clock
He declares that he then re-
turned to the store with the keys,
effected an entrance, but failing to
find either canned goods or soap,
left without removing anything. He
denies stealing the dynamite.
He returned to his home about
morning, he says, and did not learn
of the explosion until his mother
came down the next day and told
! him of It. Well, 1 guess you will
/ be arrested for this was her COM
ment. Yes, 1 guess l will he de-
clares he replied. Then his wife
advised him to dispose of the keys"
When Thompson was taken to his
own house yesterday afternoon, he
tshowed the detectives where he had
buried the bunch of keys. He also
showed them a small package of
dynamite caps which had been con-
cealed in the house.
Dynamite Caps Found.
The authorities declare that there
were not quite a dozen of the caps
and that they were rusty and show
ed other evidence of having been
exposed TO the elements. 1t is not
believed that these were the caps
stolen from the wareroom of Waters
and Thrift.
| The eternal triangle entered into
the case yesterday. Thompson ad-
mits that he had a grudge against
Bolton and alleges that he had been
badly treated by him. HE tried to
take away my wife some time ago."
he told Detective Bradley yesterday,
and then he related how he had been
shot by Bolton on election day.
J Thanks to the generosity of resi-
dents of Rockville and German
town the bodies of the two chill
dren will not be buried in the pot
ter's field. Under direction of Sheriff
Nicholson Miss Minnie. Yearley, of
Rock willie, collected approximately
$3.50. Several persons offered space
in their own family plots rather
than see the children buried in the
potter's field. q
More than 500 people visited the
undertaking parlors yesterday to
see the bodies OF Evelyn and Harold
Shipley and Bolton. The children