The Washington times., 1922-12-14
PRISONER
|SDR(JCS .
!. ADDICT
Mack Brown, Held for Capital
Offense, Suffers From
Excesses.

Twitching and walking his cell
with a peculiar shuffling gait,
Mack Brown, colored prisoner iden-
titled as the criminal assailant OF
Mrs. Florence Wilson on last Fri
day night, is in the District jail,
awaiting trial for his offense, the
penalty for which, in the District
Of Columbia, Is death.
Changed Appearance.
Once known as a happy. o-lucky.
carefree oyster shucker on the Wash
ington river front, Brown fell, In
with victims of narcotics and be-
came one Of them.
Dope" may have furnished the
motive for the crime charged 70
Brown. The habits effects on the
human body assisted materially In
Browns Identification by Mrs.
Wilson.
Browns former companions on
Water street say that he once was
chief among them In the gay songs
and fun of his race. They sensed.
some time ago, that a change had
come over him. He sat among them,
task. with glazed eyes and stupidity
hitherto hidden evil temper flared
up and passed.
Police who have traced Browns
movements on the night Of the crime
say that he staggered blindly, with
big. unseeing eyes. through the dim
streets to q strange house in Gull
names court southwest
Here. II is said. he collapsed in a
chair and remained in a stupor, with
out changing his position. for forty
eight hours.
Then the police took up the scent
and arrested him on Sunday morn
ing. He was locked up at the
Fourth precinct station house.
Accused by Woman.
On the following day, Mrs. Wilson
was asked to identify her assailant
She was taken before a large group
OF colored men. One of these was
Brown. who. the police claim, had
partially recovered from his drug
orgy.
Mrs. Wilson searched the faces be.
fore her. Then she told the police
she thought Brown was the man, in
dicating him by cautious gesture.
am not certain yet," said Mrs
Wilson. Let me go home and
think and I will look at him again
tomorrow" -. :
Brown was brought into the Of.
flee Of Inspector Clifford l.. Grant,
chief OF detectives, on Tuesday morn
ing. Mrs. Wilson was waiting there
she rose and minuteiy inspected
Browns features. At her request,
ne opened his mouth and showed his
teeth-one was of gold. He was
turned In every conceivable posi-.
ton and was asked to show various
facial expressions of emotion.
Then he was led out. Mrs. VIII.
son sat q moment, considering the
prisoner. Then she spoke to In.
spector grant.
That 10 the man." she said. posi.
lively. and. In response to a cues.
ton. said she realized that positive
identification might mean browns
death on the gallows.
How did you recognise him,
Mrs. Wilson," she was asked. later.
BY his eyes-his eyes were big
and round, with white showing at
the top and bottom. They were
big and protruding."
The condition Of the eyes, as de-
scribed By Mrs. Wilson, il induced
oy Indulgence in narcotics, the
police say. 1
The knife with which her. cloth
Ing was slashed and with which
she was slightly wounded on the
face, she said. had a peculiar,
curved blade. 'su s, y.
Such knives are used for shuck.
ing oysters.
Attorney c, .. Beckett. represent
Ing Brown, declared he would prove
an aiibi that would surely free his
client. He said that ne intended to
show the court Mrs. Wilson was at
tackled by either light-skinned ne.
gro or an Italian.