Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-21
PISTOL CLUE FAILS
|NHUMMER DEATH
Gun Taken From Prisoner
Not Weapon Used to
Kill Officer.

With their failure to show that the
gun taken from Thomas Vance. col
ored, after his arrest by ninth precinct
police Saturday was the same weapon
used In the Staying Saturday morning
of Sergt. Elton B. Hummer, Alexan-
dria policeman, officials of the Virginia
city were at a standstill today, without
single new clue to aid them in solv-
ing the murder.
Vance was absolved Of any connec-
ton with the killing today when Detec-
tive John Fowler of headquarters here
returned from New York and reported
that Mai. Calvin Goddard. firearms
expert, had found that Vance's gun
was not the one which fired the bullet
taken from Hummer's body.
Alexandria police are still holding
Carl Crockett, 20-year-old foot ball
star. and Graham White, colored. for
questioning. Crockett. who was ar
rested in Washington Sunday morning,
has not been questioned as yet, police
said.
Try to Locate Pistol.
Police Chief w. w. Campbell said
White would be held until efforts to
locate a 45-caliber automatic pistol
said to have belonged to him have been
successful
The police also are seeking a white
man. described as about 80 years of
age and wearing horn trimmed spec
tacles, who ran into the Alexandria
Hospital short time after the Hummer
shooting and shouted that a colored
woman had been shot. He left without
revealing his identity. and the Alexan-
dria authorities want to know why he
has not presented himself during the
investigation.
Police now have as their only clues
two bullets taken from Hummer'S body.
These bullets are OF little-used make
police say, and their only hope now is
to find the gun from which the cart
ridges were fired.
new element was injected into the
case today as police worked on the
possibility that the slayer of Hummer
is the same man who fatally wounded
State Traffic Officer Neville Hatcher at
Warrenton several days ago.
Frank Ludlow, who saw the slayer
of Sergt. Hummer run from the scene
of the murder last Saturday morning
at o'clock. says he believes the man
he saw Is Charles Henry Shepherd, the
tolored man sought for the shooting of
Hatcher
Called Same Man.
II have studied the description of
Hatcher'S slayer and am positive he
is the same man / saw running from
the spot where Hummer'S bullet-ridden
hOHv WaS f0tDd - IudiaW said frnIou
He was colored man, wearing dark
clothes and light cap. and his size
tallies with the description of Shepherd.
His coat was especially long. and he
wore metal heel plates that clicked
loudly as he ran gun was claSped
close to his right side"
Capt. Leo McKenney. 1916 King
street, told representative of The Star
today that the man he saw sneaking
around his garage 20 minutes before
the shooting is the same one described
His description of the man corresponds
with that of the slayer of the traffic
officer.
II had closed my garage for the night
and was preparing to so to bed when
l heard some one walking around out
side" he said II went to the window
and saw he reSembled in all details the
description given ME later of Hummer'S
slayer.
Called Policeman.
"He circled my garage Ave times and
then disappeared. I called a special |
policeman, gave him description of
the man and cautioned him to keep q |
lookout. Twenty minutes later the |
officer returned and told me Hummer |
had been killed. My description of the |
prowler. he said. Tailed with that of !
the murderer"
The man who killed Hummer also |
was holding his side as he ran from
the scene, and showed a perceptible |
limp, according to witnesses, and 1t Is |
considered significant that HatcherS |
slayer also had limp, and was thought !
to have been wounded in the side by his /
victim. These last two angles are brought !
out In the lookout" for the Hatcher |
slayer, issued in Warrenton, copies of ,
which were received by Alexandria /
police today
Both killings also we're with a AS
ealiber revolver,
A bullet mark, believed to have been |
made by the only shot fred from Sergt. /
Hummer'S gun before he fell. was found |
on fence about 25 feet from the |
scene of the shooting today by James !
r. Pearson, 90 South Alfred street. /
The bullet apparently had hit the
fence a glancing blow, and could not
be found.
About 500 persons attended funeral
services for the murdered policeman
yesterday at the home of his parents
a06 Duke street, Those In attendance
included members of traternal orders
- AL AaiaxNENaA tyts ada