The Washington times., 1921-01-05
WOMAN SLAIN
SH|ELD|NGMAN
Mrs. Bessie Harris, 20, Shot at
Cabin John RoadhouSe.
Tried to Stop Fight.
SIX HELD IN TRAGEDY
Edward v. KilIeen Charged With
Crime-Wreck Of Auto
ThWarts Flight.

Stripped almost nude by drunken
companions, pretty twenty-yea--old
Bessie Harris. whose husband is in
the far west fighting consumption,
lies dead in a roadhouse at Cabin
John Bridge today, because she tried
to act as a peace-maker. She step
ped between Edward V. killeen, OF
the National Hotel, known in sport
ing circles as "pool shark" and
Barnett William Tanner, a chauffer,
who had taken her to the roadhouse,
Just as KiIleen drew a revolver.
An instant later she fell, shot
through the heart by a bullet in
tended for Tanner.
TANNER AGAINST WALL
As Mrs Harris fell, killecn. the
police say, still advanced, and backed
Tanner against the wall Then, COW
ering Tanner with his revolver. he
called to one OF his woman compan-
ions
Come on" he shouted I'm hold
the - while you beat him
up
And the woman obcyed Advancing.
face of Tanner, cutting his mouth.
and brptsiBg him. as he stood AFRAID
even to protect himself for fear he,
too. would be shot
Three other women were in the party,
one of these, Mrs Ruth Ludwig, the
chum and roommate Of the dead
| woman.
TEAR GOWN TO SHREDS
,r,Nty ~
for water, the others, dazed with
liquor, the police say. tore the deli
cate evening gown the slain woman
was wearing almost into shreds. The
police found her lying nearly nude.
And then Killeen. with two woman
companions-Mrs. j.. j. La Rue, who is
stopping at the National Hotel but
who gave the police several cities as her
home ard Mrs. j. w. Chapman. of the
Continental Hotel--1ed in killeen's
automobile.
They did not go far. A few hun
dred yards away Eilleen, under the
influence of liquor, the police say, ana
driving like one possessed, crashed
into the wall of the stone bridge
spanning the creek. The engine was
driven back under the cowl. and the
machine. vccring, plunged partly over
the bridge. Had it gone two feet far
ther. il would have hurled all three
of the occupants to death. But it
caught and hung, where it stlll
hovers, a wreck.
STAGGER BACK TO HOTEL.
cut on face and arms by glass from
the splintered windshield, Killeen and
the two women climbed out of the
machine and staggered back to the
~ al hA nf
tragedy. They were still there,
Killecn boasting he "shot any guy
that fooled with HIM" the police say,
when Detectives Scrivener and Kelley
arrived in "A high powered car and
arrested them.
Tanner, Mrs. Ludwig and a soldier
who says he is John Lormimcr, of
Fort Wood, y. Y, here on furlouEh,
were arrested on the road by De-
tectivc Lieutenant Guy BurlinEame.
The body of the woman was in
the car with the trio when Licuten-
ant Burlingame stopped them. They
had rushed it to Georgetown Hos
pital. Told the girl was dead, they
started back for the roadhouse with
tho body. Mrs. Ludwig was crying
softly. the police say. Tanner and
the soldier, the police charge, wcro
befuddled.
BurlinCamc accompanied them back
to the roadhouse, where the body
was left to await an inquest. Then
he brought them to Washington,
where for two hours they were
grilled. Later all were turned over
TO the Maryland authorities and taxi
en- to Rockville.
The quarrel that ended in the
killing of the pretty young woman
was of the most trivial nature. The
shooting followed Killeen's refusal
to play Tanner a game OF pool.
The tragedy came soon after mid
night. Tanner, the soldier, Mrs. Har-
ris and Ludwig. and Killcen and his
| two women friends had been in the
roadhouse the greater part of the
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