Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-02
BOY HELD IN PROBE
OF RIVER TRAGEDY
Detained as Material Wit
ness as River Is Dragged for
Hotel Mans Body.

While police of the harbor precinct
fruitlessly dragged the Potomac today
for the body Of George B. Ashby, SO
years old, manager of the Capitol
Park Hotel, who was drowned when
his canoe capsiZed at the foot of Wis
consin avenue, Leslie E. Gross. II, son
of an auctioneer of Norfolk, Va, was
being held at the seventh precinct as
a material witness pending orders Of
Coroner J. Ramsay hewitt.
The accident itself, according to
eyewitnesses. took place when Ashby
and Gross, occupants of the formers
canoe, were changing position the bet
ter to battle the strong current, not
far distant from barges moored at the
wharves below K street. AS they
stood TO switch positions. a treacher-
GUS movement by the canoe threw
both of them into the water. Both
came up.
Hanging on to the canoe, Gross
cried out: Are you all right"
''All right" came back the last
words heard from Ashby.
Finds Ashby Missing.
Gross took a few strokes and reach
ed a barge. He turned to look for
So had the canoe. Shortly thereafter
the canoe came up close to the shore
as though it had passed under a
barge.
Gross. shedding his outer apparel.
dived for his friend. So strong and
vicious was the current that when
he came up he was between two
barges, feet to the right or left
would have put him under one or the
MI Of fI,a hnr
He continued his efforts at a rescue
until partial exhaustion forced him to
quit. The belief now Is that Ashby
was carried under by the current and
when he came up he struck his head
upon the bottom Of one of the bargeS.
Gross at first told police he was
Edgar E. Rawlins of Atlanta, Ga. He
later explained that he gave the
wrong name so that his mother, who
was i'll in Norfolk, would not be
affected by publicity of the tragedy.
Gross returned to the Capitol Park
Hotel last night, but later left there,
going to 1404 Harvard street.
Meanwhile Detectives Carroll and
Arlington of the seventh precinct had
been investigating the case. They
learned that a snarled mass of CO.
incidences surrounded the relations of
the two men. Ashby and Gross. They
then went to the Harvard street house
and took Gross into custody.
Learns Gross Identity.
Last Monday, police learned, Ashby
had complained against the alleged
attempt by Gross to pass an unau-
thorized draft on Baltimore, hotel
proprietor, to pay his hotel bill. At
that time Gross was known as
Consolvo, the name he used in regis
tering at the Capitol Park last week.
Investigation disclosed that the
draft was unauthorized, according to
the police. During these proceedings,
however, Ashby had discovered the
real name of Gross and had commu-
nicated with the boys parents. The
first prime coincidence was that the
father of Gross and Ashby were close
friends, both having met previously
in Norfolk. Ashby then procured
Gross release in his custody.
Yesterday, according to Milton u.
Smith. president of the Policemen's
Association of the District and
brother -in-law of Ashby, the hotel pro-
prietor, feeling the boys plight Keen
ly. arranged to take him up the river
to look at a canoe in a boathouse
there. Arriving on the Potomac, the
pair met Kenneth Ward of 1112 H
street, who accompanied them In an
other canoe during a trip to Anaios-
tan Island.
While on Analostan Island, Gross
told Inspector Grant during a quiz at
headquarters this morning, both
Ward and Ashby had had some corn
liquor, intimating that he had taken
bit himself, but he stoutly main
tanned that none was under the abso-
lutte influence of the whisky. On the
return trip, en- route to the boathouse,
Gross and Ashby. in the latter's canoe,
were far in advance of Ward. They
had just about reached the shoreline
near X street and Wisconsin avenue
when the tragedy took place. Ward
was far to the stern of the capsized
canoe, and Paul Ward Of 1912 Wiscon-
sin avenue, put out boat and as
sisted Kenneth Ward, namesake, but
not a relative, to the barge.
Gross, however, lost no time in at.
tempting to save Ashby. He took i'm
mediate action in diving and attempt
ing to recover the body.
Police were informed today that
Judge Day of Norfolk, friend of the
Gross family, was en- route to this
city to look after the interests of the
youth. He was expected to arrive this
afternoon.