Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-25

/ &t1tiiiutt bitIli TASt dES'F
graphs of Jack and Bill Merrill, of
| Garfield. Wash, who were in Hick-
mans automobile when he was cap
tured near here last Thursday. The
| boys had been held by police for QueS.
| tioning by the Los Angeles officers.
Thoughts of Hickman turned today
| to means of escape the death penalty
as the hour approached for his return
| to California.
| The 20-year-old youth continued to
insist that he was not guilty of the
actual Staying of the child or the dis
! memberment of her body.
May BE Own Counsel.
! Hickman suggested that when he
faces trial in Los Angeles he might be
able to conduct his own defense In
court. as did George Remus. former
bootleg king. who acted as his own
attorney in his recent trial at Cincin-
natl for the murder of his wife ana
won acQuittal on the grounds OF in
sanity Hickman had read newspaper
accounts of the Remus trial.
Told that under the California law
! he already had placed himself within
the shadow of the hangman's moose
by confessing implication in the STAY
! ing, Hickman declared:
II can't help it. l have told the
/ truth. l will feel better to go that
| way than to tell lie."
| To another prisoner in the city Jail
here. where he has been held since
| his capture Thursday, Hickman vol
| unteered:
Maybe they'll let me plead guilty
Ii. M nv f.a
sentence"
The young prisoners invariable re-
ply when told of developments in Los
Angeles which WoVe the web of evi.
! dence tighter about him was. TITS
! not true
Denies Buying Soap.
. He denied that he had purchased
/ ten bars of soap and two cans of
! cleaning powder in Los Angeles.
/ which police there asserted he prob
. ably used to remove evidences of the
ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the Parker girls
! body in the Bellevue Arms Apart.
/ ment, where he lived under an as
/ Sumed name.
/ Hickman gave no further informa-
ton concerning the identity Of the
! Andrew Cramer who. he declares
+ was his accomplice in the kidnapping
! and the actual slayer.
Il don't know much about him." he
said. Il only associated with him in
! crimes. He used to go on parties with
! women, but / wouldn't do that kind
/ of thing. i don't like women or girls"
Hickman displayed much interest
| in the makeup of the party of Los
| Angeles officials due here today to
| question him and take him in charge.
| He said he had heard about District
/ Attorney Asa Keyes and Chief Of De.
tectives Herman Cline. who head the
| party. He seemed apprehensive about
! facing the officials.
Hickman was restless in his cell last
night in contrast with the sound sleep
! he got on the first night after his
capture. He slept fitfuliy until s
o'clock this morning, when he was
given breakfast
May Be Taken by Plane.
Extradition papers obtained yester.
/ day in California and rushed north by
alrplane were expected to be in Pendle.
! ton by midnight. Hickman may be
] taken part of the way to Los Angeles
| by plane.
! I've got the worst of it ahead OF
me, the prisoner said as he con-
templated his return TO the California
city
They are trying to hang me before |
they get me.
They won't give me a chance to |
tell my story and get cleared. I'm |
away up here and / haven't got a |
friend. They're right down there, |
where they can have everything fixed
up by the time / get back.
Talked Too Much.
oh. well. l guess they're pretty |
wei wrought up" he concluded, and |
turned back TO his cot. where his food |
had hardly been touched. /
he swung back To the cell door with |
jerk as. some one asked If he did not |
think the people Of Los Angeles had |
right to be wrought UP. Then. not |
raising his eyes, he turned 10 the cot |
! again and fastened his eyes on an egg |
sandwich which lay on the blanket. |
He kicked the skin of grapefruit and |
sat down.
When asked IL he wanted to send |
q message TO any one, he replied:
oh, what's the use? The best thing |
for me TO do is keep my mouth shut. |
I've talked too much already" And !
he reached for the egg sandwich.
Explains About Soap.
/ Inc report ABOUT the soap IN his
rooms WAS accounted for by Hick.
man by saying that he had one bar
about half used. which he had been
using daily. and that he had several
bars which he had picked up at
/ hotels on his recent travels He said
! he had one can of cleaning powder,
not two. as Los Angeles reports
stated He used this. he said, in
/ ciea ming the bathtub
j There were not bloodstains I'm his
/ apartment he definitely stated. There
might have been some spots of blood
/ on Il towel from cuts while shaving
Denies Mitten Charge.
He denied that there was a pair Of
homemade mittens in the place. He
said that while In Kansas City he
had made a holster for his revolver
from "A sleeve of shirt. and he de
ciaTsd he had made casing Of oil.
cloth for his gun. These, he believed.
we're what has been considered by
the police an homemade mittens.
III was some time after left be.
/ fore the police made their search Of
! The place and J am not responsible
for what might have been put there
after left" he said.
/ hickman bore the brunt Of q bat.
Terry Df motion. picture cameras In
JAN today. The cameramen who had
b@en waiting for permission from the
j chirf 81 police to take movies Of
!tlcknan finally were allowed to train
( ih"F lenses on the prisoner today,
/ Yesterday the chief would allow moth.
ing bat still pictures 10 be taken.
hI"f GurdhHe and State Officer Lieu.
ai!en, who captured Hickman on the
pid - ~eDn Trail near here Thursday
aihr pphsd for the moving picture
/ men.
Await Exfraditt0n.