The Alaska daily empire., 1923-09-24
WOMEN OF UNDER
WORLD VICTIMS
OF FOUL C R|ME
Hilda Weiss and Billy Mason
Shot to Death In Ket-
chikan Cigar Store.

Hilda Wcles, 81. and BILLY" Ma
son, 22, were shot to death in their
rooms in the Kctchikan Cigar Store
on lower Front Street. early this
morning, their bodies being found
shortly after l a. m. still warm,
lying in pools OF blood. BY a. m.,
officials had picked up Harry Bat
tling" Johnson, boxer and athletic
instructor at the Parochial School,
and Capt. Ivor r. Jenkins, of the
sasbaat Superior, and four members
of his crew, for detention pending
investigation. Robbery Is said to
have been the motive.
Capt. jenkins, who appeared this
morning before a coroners inquest,
F, was released from custody and it
was expected that the crew would
also be set free after they had been
examined.
The bodies were discovered by
Bones Bennett, negro porter, who
looked after the Ketchikan Cigar
Store which was operatde by the two
women Bennett heard several shots
coming from the place and went
there to investigate them. He at
once called Patrolman V. l.. Tib-
belts
Rooms Smeared with Blood.
The crime is described by City
and Federal officials as being ono
of the most brutal in local criminal
annals. The Weiss woman. was CIV
on terrific manhandling according
to marks borne by her body. She
was shot four times, choked and
beaten about the face and head and
otherwise maltreated. The Mason
woman's body bore two wounds, one
In the head, the bullet entering
about two inches above the right
eye, ranging backward and upward.
to the left, emerging two and one
half inches above the left ear. This
wound, said DR.. w. A. Borland, who
made the examination OF the bodies.
caused instant death. The second
wound was In the right. the bullet
entering the back of the hand which
was heavily power burned and en-
crying from the palm. 1t is not
improbable, said Dr. Borland, that
this wound was inflicted by the bull
let which pierced the woman's head,
as there were no powder burma
about the head
Either of two of the wounds ON
the Weiss woman were fatal. One
entered just above the left ear,
ranging downward and inward and
lodged in the neck. The second en-
tered the head one-half inch above
the inner canthus of the left eye,
ranging downward and back and
lodged in the head A third pierced
the left arm and a fourth inflicted
Il severe scalp wound.
Woman Was Ch0ked.
That the woman was choked and
badly beaten was apparent from the
marks and bruises on her body. The
neck and chest were bruised. and
discolored showing unmistakable
signs OF choking. A ragged. cres-
cent-shaped, deep cut. almost two
inches long was inflicted on the
chin. A gold bridge on the upper
lett jaw had been broken as by a
severe blow, and another blow re-
suited in depressed fracture two
inches above the canthus of the
right eye.
Powder burns and marks of q
bullet were found on the first finger
and thumb OF the left hand looking,
said DR.. Borland, as though it had
becn held in front OF the face in a
vain effort to ward OF the bullets.
All OF the bullet wounds on both
bodies were inflicted by a .3S cali
ber revolver.
Rooms Are Shambles.
The rooms in which the shOotinss
were committed, one in the rear
most and the other in the second
r0pm from the street, were literally
covered with blood. On the floor
in both rooms were pools OF 1t, the
walls and ceiling and inner face
of the door in the rear room, the
carpet and one wall in the middle
room and stair case wall leading
from IT to the bedroom above were
sprinkled and smeared with blood.
Two bullet holes, in one leaden
slug, were found in the wall of the
middle room. and third hole near
the top OF the stairs From the last
point, one OF the victims had ap-
parently been pulled back down
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