Evening star., 1925-11-02
EVIDENCE DIFFERS
IN DEEGAN KILLING
Divergent Lines of Testimony
in Coroner's Inquest-Case
Is Continued.

The inquest into the death of
Charles c. Deegan. Il. of 1874 Colum-
bia road. who was killed at the steer
ing wheel of his automobile near Flor
ida avenue and L street Saturday
night while two police liquor raiders
and Francis Deegan and Raymond
Beavers were in the car, attained sen
sational proportions today before the
attorneys for Francis Deegan asked
for continuance until tomorrow. The
inquest was recessed until 11:30 to-
morrow morning.
Two divergent lines of testimony
were adduced. One tended to evidence
that the police had no cause to board
the automobile of Deegan with pistols
drawn. The other tended TO show
they had ample cause 10 attempt cap
ture of the machine and its occupants.
Testimony at Variance.
The testimony at variance prin-
cipally is this:
Police claim that Deegan was shot
under the right shoulder blade, The
autopsy by DIR. Martyr and DR..
Rogers. deputy coroners, showed tina
the bullet entered about one-half inch
to the left of the spine. According
to the police version of the method
of entry the shot would have gone
through Deegan's body in an almost
straight line. The autopsy shows the
path of the bullet TO have been trans
versely, from slightly to the left of
the spine to the right side of the chest
where ii came out.
Second. Police and prohibition
agents testified that they had seen
glass jars with corn liquor in them
thrown from the car before Policemen
Rinke and Langdon rushed it on
Seaton street near Seventeenth street
Other witneSses-Elizabet Haley
colored, of I'LL Seaton street. and her
husband F'rank-testified that no
bottles or jars were seen by them to
have been thrown from the car. They
were standing on the door step and
the automobile of Deegan at one time
Srazed their front StOop, running up
on the sidewalk IN an apparent eff
fort TO escape the police.
Revolvers Not Out.
Third. Policeman Langdon, one of
those boarding the Deegan car, testi
fed that neither he nor Rinke had his
revolver out when they rushed TO the
machine.
Rinke's statement Saturday was
mat the reNOlNer with winch DeeCa n
was killed was taken from his holster
by Francis and discharged while in
Francis Deegan's hand during the
scuff1e.) WitneSses-again the Haley
man and his wife-aS we'll as Ray.
mond Beavers, who was in the car
with Deegan at the time-testitied
that the two policemen had pistols in
their hands when they rushed the
Deegan machine
Fourth. Police-including Capt.
Burlingame, Policeman Langdon and
Prohibition Agent Hartman-testi
fled as to incidents indicating a
fight between Francis Deegan and
the policemen in the rear of the
Deegan car. Beavers declared that
Francis Deegan had been so beaten
up as to be unable to fight Strenu-
ously at the time the shot flashed by
his face and entered the back of
Charles Deecan.
Deegan May Testify.
These, then, were the divergent
lines of testimony developed by ques.
tioning witnesses by Coroner hewitt,
Assistant United States Attorney E.
Russell Kelly, Assistant Corporation
Counsel Robert L. Williams, Attorney
Harry Whalen for Rinke and Attor-
neys William 3. Rayner and j. NJ.
Kenyon for Francis Deegan, when the
inquest was recessed until tomorrow.
Whether Francis Deegan will take
the stand or not will be decided in
(Gontinued on PAGE 2, Column ~