The Washington times., 1924-05-26
l]P T|C|AN DEAD
d CYANIDE
POTION
Fire in Jewelry Store BE-
llsyed Accidental, Explosion
Caused BY Heat
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~ /. .l,
CONTINUED from First Page.)
he discovered policeman. IN front
OF the store. Berman IL said to
have ducxed to the floor when the
officers peered In the window.
Headquarters Detectives Arthur
Scrivener and Edward Kelly said
Today they felt sure that . robbery.
long. planned, was In progress when
the explosion came, the force OF
which shattered window panes In
the front and rear OF the store and
In show cases inside.
Fire Believed Accident.
The detectives believe some one
entered the store about o'clock and
the store. The accidental dropping
believed TO have started the fire.
The robber, leaving the back Of the
stoRe-there is some question as to
whether this person knew q fire
had started is believed TO have
gone to the safe and ATTEMPTED to
work the combination.
In the meantime, the fire gained
rapid Roadway. But Tor more than
half an hour it was confined to 4
hack room Of the store. The bIazS
Is believed to have finally reached
such proportions as to knock out
window panes In the rear. The In.
tense heat caused the explosion. II
shook the building, smashed win
dows. wrecked showcases and
Knocked q large amount Of jeWAlry
from one end OF the room 70 another.
At this point the person working
at the safe Is believed To have be.
come panic stricken. Knowing that
he could not work the combination
the man IL then believed to have run
behind the counter to loot the show.
cases.
Policemen Davis ana Helm wore
standing near the corner Of Four
teenth and r. street northwest,
They heard the explosion. COM
Wandered q passing alttonukile and
rushed TO the store, They saw
flames ;eaping from the building.
Helm ran to the corner to turn IN.
q fire alarm and Davis attempted
to enter the door. Davis said that
when he peered in he saw & man
running behind the counter. He
called out to him:
Come on out" Davis yelled.
Instead OF complying, Davis saws
the man ducked under the counter
Policeman Helm had turned IA the
alarm and WINS nearing the store
again. Davis, he. says, called out:
There's q burglar IN the store.
Go to the back and keep him from
getting away, Helm"
Man Rushes Past Them.
Helm did 30, and Davis. with
drawn revolver, entered the store.
As he did SO the fire engines ar.
rived. and as firef1en entered, Davis
asked them to Help him catch
that man." Just a. Davis and the
firemen got inside the door, some
one rushed past them. The MAN
was making such pace that he
knocked several ffremen over. He
only got q few feet outside when
other ftremen grabbed him.
II wasn't in there" the man said.
Davis retorted, he says:
Yes, you were, I saw you"
II I was. / went In with the
fireman." the man quickly replied.
mo. you didn't" Davis came
back again.
"Weil. I'm the proprietor, ana
I've a right to be in there" ne
You may be the proprietor all
right, but I'm going to hold you
anyhow" Davis said.
He then took the man TO the
patrol.
I'm a. sick man." he said.
Man ColIapses.
Policeman Davis then walked to-
war the patrol with the man, who
later was identified as Doctor Her.
man. Just as he put the man in
the patrol, he collapsed. Doctor
herman was dead before he reached
Emergency Hospital.
Police searched his pockets and
found in It a duplicate key to
LucioS' jewelry store. There were
only a few dollars in his pockets.
No trace Of any poison was found.
investigation has revealed that
Doctor Berman until last Wednes.
day leased q part Of the store Tor
his optical business. Owners Of the
store declare that Doctor BeKman
at no time during the three months
he was connected with the business
did he have q key to the building.
Further investigation showed that
q box Of matches which for several
weeks had been under the safe in
the rear Of the store had been re-
moved to the front.
Auction Sale IN Store.
An auction sale had been in prog.
ross at the store for q week or more.
When the auctioneers first came,
police learned. Befnan took q great
interest in signs they planned to put
UP. Berman is said TO have sGg.
gested that the signs be placed On
the windows and door, thus shutting
the inside Of the store Off from NIL
view from the street. Police con-
slider this incident as significant.
A fellow employee today shed some
light on the report that Doctor Ber.
man took cyanide poison.
IT was kidding with him the
other day." this man said, land I
told him that II he ever got tired
Of living, he should take a little
cyanide. There Is always cyanide
kept In jewelry stores"
The noise Of the explosion could
be heard for several blocks. The
big front plate glass window was
blown all over the street. and glass
cases In the store were shattered.
Fire caused some $1,000 damage to
the store, Marshal Seib estimates.
The damage to the jYwelry has not
Tapestries Ruined.
-Four tapestries worth about 81. 900
each were burned. Hundreds Of
dollars worth Of 1ewelry was ruined.