Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-02-21
TRAGEDY To BRING
ANOTHER INQUIRY
INTO DECATUR FIRE
Frank McDoweII'S Mother
Said to Have Objected to
Officers Questioning Him,
Fire Thought l'Inside' Job

Information that MIR. and Mrs.
John M. Mcdowell, formerly of De
catur and the parents Of two girls
who were mysteriously burned to
death there on February 10, 1923,
had been murdered in their bed at
st. Petersburg, Fla, on the ami
versary of the other double tragedy
in the family, and that frank Nc
Dowell, their 22-year-old son, is held
on a charge of being their slayer,
was expected Wednesday to cause a
new investigation of the Decatur
fire mystery.
1t was said Wednesday that mem
bers of the Mcdowell family had re-
quested that the investigation of the
fire be stopped when the officials
reached the conclusion that it had
been IAN inside job" and that there
was special objection to questioning
Frank Mcdowell in the case, be-
cause of his alleged abnormal men
tai condition.
Similar Circumstances
"Mrs Mcdowell objected to our
questioning Frank, and insisted on
staying in the room during his ex
animation" Robert c.. w. Ram
speck, solicitor of the Decatur city
court, declared Wednesday. 'How
ever, we did question the boy, and
l am going over his testimony now"
Mr. RaInspeck added that young
Mcdowell was a close student of
Robert W. Ingersolps works and
was regarded as an infidel He also
pointed out that Mcdowell, telling
of his awakening, made practically
the same statement in st. Peters
burg as he made in connection with
the Decatur fire, declaring that he
was awakened by ''swishins
soundr'
The Decatur Fire
Trapped in their room by a door
said by authorities to have been
locked from the outside, Marion Nc
Dowell, eighteen years of age, and
Willamatee Mcdowell, sixteen years
old, were burned to death in the
Mcdowell home on Ponce de Leon
avenue, Decatur, on February 10,
1928. The fire was discovered by
a neighbOr who was returning home
shortly after midnight, and although /
rescuers saved the parents,
falling rafters prevented them from
reaching the girls. Just how Frank
Mcdowell got out of the house was
never brought out.
Neighbors saw the girls through
the window thrown in brilliant sill
houette by the flames, trying fran
tically to open the window, Then
they disappeared. In the morning
their charred bodies were found ~
ing near the door.
Mrs Mcdowell was overcome by
the heat and smoke and her hus-
band was burned badly about the
feet in helping rescuers to carry her
out of the blazing building.
Suspects Released
Rescuers were struck by a strong
odor of kerosene in the room of the
girls, and bits of cotton from the
mattress were saturated with oil, 1t
was said This led to an investiga-
ton by The police of Decatur and De-
Kalb county and by the state fire
marshal.
The first arrest was of former
cock Of the family, who had been dis
charged 9 few days previously for
incompetency. She was released aft
er being held in the Fulton county
tower for several days, and her nus |
band. and another negro man and
woman were arrested and held on
charge of suspicion After close
questioning, they were released.
Both the Unfortunate girls were
students at the Decatur High school,
and Marian was to have been grad |
uated III q few months. She was very
popular, and had received the highest
mark of the entire class in her
studies.