The Washington times., 1922-12-26
KNOCKED DOWN
BY MYSTERY
MAN
Harry Hall a nd Young Wife
Find Home Haunted by
Masked Figure.

Mystery. the deep and dark kind.
that almost makes you shiver with
fright at the thought Of 1t. has
come over the home Of Harry Hall.
bridegroom of six months. who lives
at 704 C street southwest.
Somebody mystery man-is
making life disagreeable for young
Hall and his pretty fifteen-year-oid
wife, Mrs. Viola Alvey Hall.
All the trouble, or rather mys-
terv. began Saturday night a week
ago, Hall tells the police. Hall was
going home. 1t was dark. With
happy heart the boy climbed the
steps of his home,\ rushing little.
and thrilled at tho thought OF
wife awaiting him.
Struck ON Head.
Right here II might be explained.
Halls home sits on hign terrace
overlooking the railroad tracks. IL
Is the only house in the block that
is occupied. Lights are few and
far between. AS result the enure
block 10 almost shrouded with dark
ness when the sun sets In the
afternoon.
Hall reached the door. opened IT,
walked into the vestibulc. But ne
got no farther.
'Somelhlng. somebody. struck me
on tho head" Hall told police iater.
"It was a man. But ] didn't see MS
face. / wouldn't even know MIN IL
I was to bump into him..
Found Unconscious.
Hal, velled or screamed or some
thing like that. Anyhow, In . rev
seconds his pretty wife. his aunt.
his grandmother and roomers rushed
to the yestibule. They found him
unconscious. There was much ex-
A few minutes later a patrol from
the Fourth precinct drew UP In
front OF the house. Another minute
brought an Emergency Hospital am.
bulancc. Policemen In the patrol
searchcd the house from top TO DOT
tom. while others secured the nelSh.
borhood. A physician treated a bad
bruise on young Halls head. Police
found no one and left. The physi-
clan. his work done. departed.
And that's all of that.
Hall was puzzled. He says he
cant understand why anyone should
want to attack him. The more he
thought the more puzzled he got.
But nothing further happened that
night Nor the next, nor the next,
until
Gets Warning Note.
Last saturday night, the night
before Santa Claus came.
Hall was in the house. rap
came on the door. The boy went
to see who it was. He walked
cautiously through the Vesubule,
ready to thwart a second attempt TO
assault him. He opened the door:
No one was there. He looked
around and then. probably In the
same manner the movie men lead
up TO such scene. he looked down
at the vestibule step. A note! He
picked it up, found his name on
an envelope, opened and read:
I'VE didn't get you the first
time, but you won't be 30 lucky
again. Look out"
He obeyed the warning and hur-
ried into the house. He said moth
ing OF the note, fearing he would
alarm his relatives. Nothing hap
pened Saturday night.
Saw Masked Man.
Sunday night, Christmas eve,
Mrs Minnie Shelby. the boys aunt.
was walking through the house. In
the front hall she heard a noise.
The gas was lit. She peered into
the hall and saw the figure Of a
man, his face masked by a large
white handkerchief. And then she
screamed.
The man. discovered. remained
calm. He walked to the door,
opened 1t and was gone. Just as
the man walked out Of the door
young Hail and others in the house
came to Mrs. Shelby's assistance.
Another search, but no one was
found.
Then the family decided that no
one would get in the house again
that night. They bolted the doors.
Mrs. Shelby went to bolt the rear
door and windows. Just as she
was closing the last window she
saw someone in tho yard. She
called to Hall, but the man was
gone when he reached there.
Peers Into Windows.
Last night the same man. the
Halls say, appeared. He was mask
ed. The man didn't venture to
break into the bolted windows or
doors but, the Halls say, contented
himself with peering into the win.
dows. He would come to one win.
dow and be seen. then rush to anoth-
er window and SO on and so forth.
Some in the house say the man
gets in even when everything is
locked.
A Christmas party was planned
for last night. But the masked fig.
ure spoiled II. Worried and fright
ened, the family decided to call in
the police. Headquarters Detectives
Thomas Walsh and Ira Keck were
assigned to find the mystery man.
But when the detectives reached
the house the man apparently was
gone. They searched the neigh
borhood, with no luck.
Married Last August.
Police of the Fourth precinct
believe 1t Is a case of mistaken
identity with the nineteen.year-old
boy. They think that the masked
man, IL there is one, Is spying on
somebody, but not young Hall.
Young Hall Is employed in the
seed division, Department Of Agri.
culture. He is member of the
Linworth and Park Athletic CIub