Evening star., 1924-02-21
TELLS OF FOUR MURDERS.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, February
21.-Frank Mcdowell, nineteen-year-
old youth. former George Washing
ton University student. held in jail
here for the murders Of his mother
and father Tuesday night, also has
confessed he burned to death his two
sisters.
His sisters. Williamateen. sixteen.
and Marion. eighteen. were burned,
to atone for "blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost" committed when he
was twelve years old. and the MUIR
ders of his mother and father were
as a sacrificial penance for killing
the girls. The deaths of the girls
had remained a mystery until Nc
Dowell's confession.
The girls were burned to death in
their bedroom at Decatur, Ga. where
the family then lived. Authorities
was suspected, but that the investi-
cation was dropped at the behest Of
Mrs. Mcdowell.
THE officers engaged in the inves-
tigation concluded that the family
knew a great deal more about the
tragedy than they cared to divulge,"'
said Robert c. RamSpeck, solicitor of
the Decatur city court.
Mr.. and Mrs. Mcdowell were killed
by bullets through their right tenn
Piles as they lay asleep. Frank then
bruised his head and summoned as
sistance. saying that a stranger had
killed his mother and father and had
knocked him unconscious.
That action was explained by his
statement that his mind again ra-
tional, he realized his crime would
incur consequences.
Jury Charges Murder.
A jury last night returned YER
dict that Mr.. and Mrs. Mcdowell had
come to their death from bullet
wounds inflicted by their son. The
jury recommended that the youth be
held without bail on charge of mur-
der.
Placed between the bodies of Mr..
and Mrs Mcdowell authorities found
a note typewriter on paper cut out
in the form of a heart, containing
the Lords Prayer and excerpts OF
Bible phrases. which young Mcdowell
told officers were intended to refer to
his sins.
"It was the end of the first year of
sin with me and the end Of mine sin
before the spirit; and now in the
mouth of the father of the house OF
mine heavenly Father writ on the
likeness of mine heart" the note read.
ut is the end of the second year
Of sin in me and the end OF mine
sin before Thee and, likewise, in the
watery sepulchers of the son of the
l
this prayer" was another phrase.
Tells of Starting Fire.
Describing the origin of the fire in
Decatur, Ga, Mcdowell said that he
crept into the room in which his Sis
ters were sleeping. saturated the bed
clothing with gasoline and set fire
to the material, fleeing from the
house after first locking the door to
the bedroom and the entrance door to
the house behind him. The bodies of
the two girls were found near the
door to their room
DeKalb county, Georgia, authorities
revealed when the ST Petersburg
tragedy was made known there that
burns on the feet of the elder Mellow
ell. who they said. had insisted he
had not entered the room in which the
daughters died. had never been ex-
planned. and that he gave evasive an
swers when questioned. The blaze. Of
ficers said, had been confined to the
girls room.
Young Mcdowell, according 10 Solici-
tor Ramspeck at Decatur. had been re-
garded as an infidel, and was close
student of the works of Robert c. In
gerSoli.