The Washington times., 1924-11-01
v "
N sentry
DEATH .
Shores Shot Himself While
Handling Revolver, Police
Conclusion

arrived ct today By the quartet
Of detectives working on the
theory that twenty-two-yea
Russell Shores was not MUIR
dered but shot himself accident
ally while handling his revolver
on the night Of October 10 III
Walter Reed Hospital, Inspector
Clifford Z. Grant today launched
an offensive to change the ver-
dict Of the coroner's Jury which
decided that the sentry was shot
ttby,.a person or persons unknown
to this jury"
Tests Made On Clothes.
The speedy solution Of the Shorea
case-and Inspector Grant frankly
relieves that it Is completely
solved came with tests made on the
sentry's clothing. which was only
turned over .o.thc police day before
yesterday.
r. the clothing Of the dead sentry
had been presented to the coronar's
jury the accidental verdict would
lave.been rendered, !" Inspector Grant
contends. III the clothing had been
turned over to us Immediately after
the tragedy happened we would have
teen able to clean this case up in
q few hours"
Following a conference between
Inspector Grant and Coroner J.
Ramsay hewitt II was learned that
the tests made on the clothes and
the clothes themselves regarded a.
evidence contradictory Of the coroner
jury's verdict, will be presented TO
the grand jury and that probably
the death by accident" verdict will
be officially given. IL the grand jury
should do this II would wipe the
case from the books of the District
az an unsolved murder mystery.
why Case Was Bungled.
Conflict between the military and
local authorities Is cites az the rea.
son for the bupgling Of the Shores
case.
why the clothing. Of shores,
which bear out expert tests that
the sentry shot himself while
sitting down has just been turned
over to the police at this late
hour Is unexplained.
Following Is the present police
version Of the shooting Of the
young sentry on his post:
Shores was known to have been
inexperienced an sentry. He had
secluded post. He was looking
for something to while away the
time 50 he started examining his
gun while he sat on the ledge OF
the scale house on his post.
Was Playing with Gun.
1--WE feel certain that Shores
was playing with his revolver be.
cause the shot which killed him
came from the second chamber
after the empty chamber which
could never had been the case
unless he had tempered with It.
1T is true that Shores lay dead
for four hours after he shot hin.
self but we have determined pretty
well from the three Walter Reed
hospital sentries we detaind and
others, at the, reservation that q
very desultory search was made for
him. e & E
..arhe men who searched for
Shores thought that he had gone
over the hilT' Just as his brother
did. They did not imagine he lay
dead on the post or there. was any
chance OF their finding him.
Calne From Own Gun.
eve know positively that the bull.
let which killed Shores came from
his own gun because Sergeant g. w.
Cornwall, OF the sub-precinct station,
the gun expert or the department,
proved that all bullets fired from
Shores pistol leave q certain rifling
due to a defect in his revclver's
barrel.
1--WE know that Shores was sit
ting down because the bullet went
through two folds Of his coat and
overcoat as 10. he was hunched
over. And after we had Darnell
sit mi q chair and re.enact the
tragedy we found that the course
or the bullet II sent In this man
ner would be exactly the same az
the course Of the bullet was in
Shores body.
There Is not q scintiila OF evil
dence that Shores was murdered.
There Il not 4 scintilla OF evidences
that he committed suicide but
there is all the evidence In. the
world that he met his death in