Evening star., 1924-05-26
DR.. Louis Berman CoIIapses
After Blast Brings Police
to Jewelers. Place.
BLAZE OF INCENDIARY
ORIGIN, SAY EXPERTS
Reason for Being in F Street
Building Unexplained-Wife
Sure of Innocence.

Death from a deadly poison. inter
nally taken. and aggravated by car
bon monoxide inhaled from the fumes
in a fire of incendiary origin at
Lucios' Jewelry Store, 1913 F street.
early yesterday, was the conclusion
reached today after number of ex-
perts had examined the store and
the body of DIR. Louis Berman, thirty
six years old, found in the store, and
who lived at the Home apartments.
7th and K streets.
The conclusions reached after ex-
perts from the United States bureau
of mines had been called into con
ference, will end at the inquest al
the District morgue this afternoon
one of the most peculiar cases which
the police and fire departments have
had to handle for some time. There
were fire, explosion and death follow
ing closely in the order named
Experts Direct Inquiry.
Early today DR.. Charles f. Munroe,
chief of the explosives division of
the United States bureau of mines
DR.. r. r. Sayers, chief surgeon. and
J. E. Crawshaw, explosive engineer
of the same bureau, accompanied In
spector Grant, Capt. Emerson and
Detectives Scrivener and Kelley OF
the local police department to the
scene of the fire and explosion, where
they made thorough examination
of the store.
There was no evidence of tamper
ing with the safe, but DIR. Munroe
concluded that fire, which he believed
started in the small room in the east
side of the rear of the store, was of
that the building was tightly closed,
precluding any ventilation, and when
one of the windows broke the in
rush of air flashed off the unburned
structure had become filled. Fire
Marshal Seib also said that the fire
was of incendiary origin.
Body Is Examined.
After an examination of the build
ing the bureau of mines experts, ac-
companied by the police, went to the
District morgue, where they ex
amined the body of DR.. Berman, in
which an autopsy already had been
performed by DR. Herbert Z. Mar
tyn, deputy coroner. DIR. Sayers took
a number of samples of blood, and
made tests for carbon monoxidc
poisoning. while the specimens" he
said, were poor they showed "a
saturation of about 80 per cent"
Death occurs" he said, from
about so per cent upward, except,
he pointed out where the person was
under excitement, as in the cast of
Berman, during the time the police
were calling to him to come out of
the store, when 80 per cent may
cause death" The history of the
Berman case was that of many case.
in the mines with which he haS
dealt" he said. The person move
around in the fumes, but collapses
Immediately upon reaching fresh air.
However, examination of the
stomach, showed the contents to con
tain deadly poison used by jewellers
in their work.
One Unexplained Phase.
The only unexplained feature oi
the case so far is why DIR. Berman
remained in the store while the fire
was raging. The fire was discovered
by police on the beat, who saw a
man moving al ound in the smoke fill
ed interior. They called to him to
come out, but instead. they say, he
attempted to get under one of the
asses. After a policeman discharged
a pist ol the man came out.
At first he denied that he was iii
the store, according to the detec-
tives. then said If he was there he
went with the firemen, and then cor
rected this to say that he had a right
to be there. He then asked for medi
cal attention, and while prepa ratfons
were being made to send him to
hospital he collapsed and died.
On one of the counters was found
a large package wrapped with news
papers in which was large leather
case, containing watches and jewelry
from the store.
Key Found in Pocket.
Earl Parkinson. husband of the
proprietor of the store. told the
police. according to the latter, that
he left the store about 1890 o'clock
Saturday night Detective Scrivener
said that investigation showed that
DIR. Berman had gone to local Turk
ish bath about 9 o'clock and regis
tered, and then had left. 1t is not
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cEEKC AnTI0M T0nAV