Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-30
MOTIVE OF Staying
OF MANAGER OF GAS
STATION Is MYSTERY
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Continued From First Page)
companions, and which was abandoned
about 10 minutes after the shooting by
two colored men, and the bullet which
passed through Bitner'S body and was
found lying on the floor of the filling
station Office after crashing through the
glass of the door. The bullet, copper
jacketed, is sufficiently marked by the
bore of the gun to enable an expert to
| identify the pistol from which it was
| fired, police think.
The shooting occurred as Bitner was
checking up on the amount of gasoline
in his tanks, preparatory to closing. He
told police that car containing four
colored men drove up to the curb on
the Rhode Island avenue side of the
station and stopped. All got out, but
one stayed beside the car. The other
three approached him and without
warning, the tallest whipped out pis-
tol and fired twice. One shot went
wild.
Witnesses Stories Vary.
AS Bitner collapsed they turned and
ran for their car. Here the story told
by numerous witnesses vary. Some say
| two of the men got in the car and
started away before the others could
reach it and that the two left behind
scurried away on foot, and others say
that all four got in the car and drove
east on Rhode Island avenue.
A car resembling the one used by
the colored men was found abandoned
10 minutes later ON the 1900 block of
Third street. A pasSerby reported to
| police that he saw two colored men
| alight, carrying a blanket and iron
| pipe in their hands One of them is
| said to have remarked to his fellow
I'VE better get away from here quick y
| The car was later discovered to have
been stolen from Thirteenth and .
| streets about an hour earlier. 1t be-
longs to Wesley Johnson of Gil Ninth
street northeast.
Bitner was taken to Garfield Hospital
| by a passing motorist, but physicians
| there saw at once that his wound would
| prove fatal. He died at o'clock this
morning.
The only motive members of the head.
| quarters homicide squad could sugges
today was robbery. They think tn:
murderer and his companions probably
| intended to hold up and rob the sta.
| ton and that in the excitement one o.
them lost his head and fired.
| New L1gnt on case.
A different light was thrown on the
case, however. by Edward M. Payne o.
233 Kentucky avenue southeast, WHIT
works at the filling station during tbs
| day. He said today that Bitner re.
| Gently bought a blackjack. Bitner tolc
him, Payne declared, that about 6
month ago he had trouble with soma
colored men and purchased the weapon
| for protection.
Capt. Guy E. Burlingame of the Sec
ond precinct and detail had just ar.
rived at the station house following q
! raid when the news of the shooting
reached them. In speeding to the
scene they barely escaped collision
with large bus, which refused to give
them the right of way despite the open
siren on the police car
Mrs. Hazel M. Bitner, young widow
of the dead man, was Frustrated today
but declared that she would not be
satisfied until her husbands murderer
is caught. She said she knew of no
one with grudge against him. The
couple had been married three years
Mrs. Bitner is a supervisor in the Main
exchange of the Chesapeake & Potomac
Telephone Co.