Evening star., 1926-04-27
SHOOTING REVEALS
GUN BUYING EASE
EIgin Held After Wounding of
Woman, Says He Purchased
Weapon While Drunk.

surrou nding the shooting and serious
wounding Of Mrs. Mary G.. May, 4"
years old. of Wilmington, Del, ~
front Of the Raleigh Hotel yeSterday
afternoon by a stray shot from a. pis
tol in the hands of Carroll Elgfn,
24-year-old elevator starter at The
Star Building, there arose an illustra
ton of the result of the easy access
bility which Iquor-craZed men In
Washington have to rcvolvers and am
munitiOn.
Tho bullet, which entered tho heaH
OF Mrs. May, is lodged at the base
Of her brain. Her condition continues
critical at Emergency Hospital.
Behind cell bars at the first pre-
cinct, Elgin, just emerging from tho
stupitication produced by three ptnts
Of corn liquor, attempted 10 piecs 70
gether the events leading up to the
shooting.
Like q Bad Dream.
IT'S all like bad dream, H..
said "I don't know why / got tha'
pistol came on duty at about
o'clock in the morning, and had
been drinking on an empty stomach
I suppose / took about pint o.
that liquor in less than an hour.
don't have any good recollection about
time. / remember that j went out
and got the pistol and then went
across the street and got the car
tridgeS because the man who SOLO
me the pistol didn't have any.
had probably drunk a pint OF liquor
when ! made those purchaSes. 1 had
the pay roll for the elevator OPERATOR
that I had gotten from the cashier
earlier in the day, but l didn't IT?
to get away with 1t. That's tn
truth. / even went back and gave
the pay roll to William Holander.
the elevator operator in the rear OF
the building.
Then I went out OH the street.
wanted taxicab. Everything
blurred. I remember an argument
with the taxicab man. l remember
the explosion. I didn't even see any
woman around. I don't even recall
pulling the trigger, but I must hav"
done it.
"Then / got into another taxicdn
and got caught"
Drunk When He Got Gun.
Outstanding in his reminiscences
was the fact that he was under the
influence of a pint of corn liquor when
he bought the revolver and cartridges.
NJ. Bernan, tailor and pawn sales
shop proprietor, at 1907 r street, said
today that he knew Elgin. and had
done tailoring work for him. Berman
said Elgin came into the store earl%
yesterday morning TO purchase
pistol, but asked that IL be put aside
for him and held until he could pay
for It later in the day. Around noon,
Berman said, Elgin returned ana paid
for the pistol. Berman declared he
detected no evidence Of liquor aDout
the customer. At GrOce'S. across the
street, at the corner of Eleventh ana
f streets, where the cartridges wer"
purchased, the same statement as l"
the condition Of Elgin was made.
The motives for the purchase OF tnH
go caliber pistol are forgotten by III
gin, according to his statement. Bu,
to friends and witnesses 10 wnoH! y.
spoke Yesterday prior TO the shooting
statements are alleged to have been
made by him indicating that oreak
,,p" with his sweetheart was respons-
ible. Elgin denied this at the first pre-
cinct today, stating that the estrange
rnent from f'fiis girl was or three
rnonths standing and that 1t had noth
ing TO do with it.
Story Of Affair.
From, police and witnesses, the storZ
emily is as fonoWS: ,
Elgin appeared at the cashier 9 VII
dow early in the day and coilecleu.
as usual, the $125 pay roil OF IN
elevator operators. At this time therc
was nothing to indicate he had beeh
drinking. Then he left the buholns'
he saws, TO purchase a. cap, when ~
ia now wearing. He returned. NJ
says, of his own volition to distr1ouuH
the pay envelopes.
Later it was discovered that ap
proximately $33 was misslns, o.ea
and above Elgin'S own pay, from the
envelopes. From one of the envelopes
turned over SIS had been TAKEN
ISron, another SIS had been taken
investigators state that he retur1lesi
only after being warned thAt q sea- III
Gov. him was getting under way In the
h.aIiaf that he was attempting to make
off with the pay roll. He was seer
In front of the Harrington Hotel' az
cortiing to investigators. by a trucaS rue,
driver employed by The star anu
warned to return. Then ne e, I<hII.o
hack and handed over the envelopes
~ an elevator operator and went 10
the front of the building. When ON
cials of the building learned ne We
hack. police of Nc. l precinct "eLe
notified to come and arrest him. pu'
by the time they arrived he nad soi'e'
Tried to Get in Taxi.
Elgin eventually arrived AT tne
Twelfth street entrance 10 tne tNdAeSH -
Hotel. He endeavored to get INTO tne
taxicab of C. A. Pepper or lo1o 70
nImbia. road. When Pepper appeareo
unwilling to take him the pistol we
whipped out and discharged
The bullet missed Pepper. But u
whizzed by his head and struck Mrs.
Nav. who was awaiting her husband
outside the hotel. She was rushed 10
Emergency Hospital, while Elglh,
covering another taxicab driver
Henry G. Bahr. with the pistol, or
dered him to drive away fast. Bahf
obeyed. &.
The cab was rushing along until II
reached Fourteenth street and fenf-
sylvania avenue, by which time an
other taxicab, operated by Charles W.
Galloway of 81 K street northeas''
crowded the fugitive cab, with the
result that Traffic Policeman CarI u
PauI at the intersection, was able 10
arrest and disarm Elgin, taking nm
to police headquarters.
Elgin at this time was in no con
dition to make a statement, III the
opinion of the police, but later gave
police the name of the man from
whom the liquor was purchased.
AS a result Precinct Detective Mes
ser of the first precinct, with Police
man Stepp, arrested Gustav A. Gersh-
er. AZ, of 416 Tenth street, who. az
cording to police, signed a VOLUNTARY
statement admitting the sale OF liquor
to Elgin. Elgin also is saiu to nav"
signed such a statement as TO puf
chase from Gersher Gersher was
charged with sale and Illegal posses
sion of liuuOr,