Evening star., 1925-03-06
F|NGER-PR| CLUE
IN MURDER FAILS
Wrench in Pappas Case Use
less to Police in SoIv-
ing Mystery.

Checked in their investigation along
ingerprint lines. and with one suspect
now detained, telling such convincing
story that his reeasc is Already being
contempa ated, police today had failed to
make headway in pi' ling the mystery
surrounding the murder of Tom Pappas.
proprietor of the Marathone lunchroom.
l2u2 Seventh street, whose body was
round there yesterday with the skull
crushed in by an automobile wrench.
This wrench and stained clothing are
the on'y tangible starting places for the
police In so far as cues are concerned.
hopes that flngerprints m'-ht aid in
Identifying the murder,r ware blasted
when Fred Sandberg identification ex-
pert of the Police Department, found
that dirt and grease. found in quantities
IN the kitchen, had covered and rendered
inoec!pherab'e whatever marks might
otherwlse have been avai'abie.
Colored Man Sought.
widespread search meanwhile is
going on for a colored man who ap-
nAared in the lunchroom at l o'clock
w Nednesday afternoon. the day prior
10 the murder. and appeared deeply
Interested In the arrangement OF the
nnchroom and kitchen William J.
Tappy, dishwasher for Pappas told
police that this Individual is pre-
sumably the same one who appeared
in his room after the time the mur-
der is believe to have been committed
ana told Tappy that his employer
ala not want him to get up as early
as usual
Inc suspect taken into custody is
Jesse Green, colored % whose
address was recorded as lee n
street southeast. Detectives waldron,
sweeney, Cullinane and jackson ar
rested MIN at his place of employ
,leht on Fifth street, near O. He
pears the same name as person
complained against for alleged theft
OF conee urn from Pappas, and this
was what led to his arrest.
story Straightforward.
The prisoher told A. straiahttorwara
story. He had never been in the
Marst lunchroom. he said. He had
worked as bus boy in Ninth street
ana Fourteenth street lunehrooms,
out ne declared ne was working in a
new oullding near Park road and
fourteenth street yesterday. In the
latter statement he was supported bv
his employer
Iappy went TO the second precinct
10 see II this was the same man who
had spoken to him shortly after the
q.
as mentioned above. He definitely
declared the prisoner was not the in
dlvidual seen yesterday or the day
netore, and added he had never before
seen Green. Accordingly, detectives
admitted they were convinced that
the prisoner Green is not the same
Jesse Green for whom the warrant
had been sworn out for the theft Of
the coffee urn.
Eforf. h.i.
the automobile wrench used bv the
slayer. While its identity may mean
nothing. police believe it will be an
interesting link in chain OF evidence
tney are anxious to establish Ii is
believed by the police that the
wrench was stolen from a garage or
automobile, and they also realize II
may be the property OF the slayer
One suggestion Is that the slayer
may De bootlekser, owner of a car,
and that the wrench was one OF the
tools carried in his car. No person
has been found who saw suspicious
looking individual leave the lunch
room yesterday, nor did any car
parked nearby attract unusual atten-
ton.
Identity OF the bloody shirt LETT
near the body of the slain man is
another problem for police. Its
ing the mystery, although police
realize it may have come from a rum
mage sale or passed through several
hands after being discarded by it's
original purchaser.
Detectives this afternoon are look.
ing up the records OF certain prison.
ers recently released from the Dis
trict prison at Occoquan, and 1t Is
probable that several prisoners still
there will be questioned. 1t is real
lied by the police that crimes SINH
lar to the one committed yesterday
are plotted By persons behind the
bars, and in some such instances their
plans have been laid bare by persons
taken into their confidence
1t is reasonably certain that the
man who appeared and gave Tappy
the message purporting to come from
Pappas left blood stain in the room
on the upper floor, but the stain was
not such a one that the police were
able to utilize in the investiga ton.
Detective Sandberg found stains on
the drainboard in the kitchen. The
board was displaced, but the stains
failed to be of assistance.
The condition of Pappas' body sus-
gests to Coroner J. Ramsey Neyitt
that the lunchroom proprietor put
up stiff fight for his life There
are IL distinct cuts in the skull. sew
eral OF them having gone through
to the brain. Pappas' left hand was
badly crushed, probably while he was
trying to ward off the blows his
slayer was inf1icting and his night