The Washington times., 1924-02-22
ENIE NCY
ISDEN|ED.
SLAYER
State Attorney Says He Has
Not Asked Lunacy Test for
Young Mcdowell.
BY WILLIAM e. HALLBERG.
InternAtIanaI NeMa Service.

international Newo Service.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, Feb.
e2-No insanity plea can shield
Frank Mcdowell from trial for
the murder Of his mother, father
and two sisters, Judge NJ. A. Nc
Mullen, of the Pinellas circuit
court, told international News
Service today. The accused is a
former student of George Wash
ington University in Washington,
D. C.
No Action Until May.
The youthful slayer will remain
confined in the Pinellas county Jail
at Clearwater until the regular
grand jury conveneS in May, he
said. This body then will inVesti-
gate the staying of his mother and
father as they slept here early
Wednesday.
Furthermore, no lunacy commits
sion will be called to examine the
psycopathic status Of Franks mind,
insofar as he knows, Judge McMul.
len said, denying a report that ar
engagements already had been made
by the State to have alienistS in
quire into the dual personality
which the youth claims was respon-
Sibl for the Quadruple killing.
The self-confessed slayer slept
soundly last night, awakening
greatly refreshed today. In his re.
ligious arguments, he has displayed
u(w
his parents were slain. He ap.
peared willing to pay the penalty
for his four crimes, apparently
longing for death in one statement,
and at no time did he evince any
desire to evade punishment. He
was frank with his visitors, an.
swered every question, and guarded
none Of his remarks.
May Void Confession.
There doomed today the POSSIBLE
ity that the slayer's confession
might not stand up in court. This
possibility was brought into the FORE
ground by City Attorney F. ]. Mack
in letter to the chief Of police,
which read:
1T is my opinion that the COMES
sion Of Mcdowell. IL his attorney
should object to same, could not
be used at his trial"
The attorney pointed out provi.
sions Of Florida's laws which annuI
confessions when made through
fear, hope Of reward, or when made
without first being warned that 1t
would be used against him.
Repeatedly denying that any force
threats, or third degree" methods
had been employed in obtaining the
confession, the chief of police de-
clared that - had treated the boy
as he would his own son and that
Through kindness and kindness alone
Was to Drown Self.
Explaining for the first time tn,
heart.shaped letter found in his par
ents' bedroom the morning the,
were killed, Mcdowell declared tina
the letter was an allegorical rel
: erence to the destruction Of hi
family by fire, blood and water an
that the final step in the death prc
gram was to have been his ,suicid
, by drowning on February 10, 1925
, February 10 was a fatal day 70
|, the Mcdowell family, he said. Az
eording to Mcdowell, nine or te
years ago on that date a girl Of hi
. age came to visit his family Will
, he was living in Decatur, Ga. Fran
ran into his room, found that hi
clean shirts had come from the laur
dry without buttons and cursed til
Holy Ghost in his anger.
Mcdowell never realized tn
graveness Of his act, he said, unit
later when he heard a sermon d
, which It was brought out tina
blasphemy against the Holy Ghos
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