Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-27

or suicide>-wiH 60 down III
! one of the most interesAng and color
with melodtAmatic comedy
touches, that rivals the most lurid
true story" ever printed in the detec-
tive magazines.
The remark passed at the coroner's
inquest into the death by strangulatior
Of the young wife of Robert Mcpherson
bank employe. fell from the lips of Pvt
Robert j. Allen. well known figure be.
fore the Police Trial Board. tn whose
precinct Virginia Mcpherson came t.
her death.
Allen Makes Prophetic Statement.
Policeman Allen. since suspended be-
cause of his activities In conducting ar
independent investigation" of the case
directed his sensational statements tc
John Snura. a reporter assigned by The
Star to coser the inquest. Policeman
Allen maze other remarks to Snure
along more or less prophetic lines. Be-
sides predicting a "whitewash" by the
coroner's jury. he predicted that i'm
portant" witnesses who thought thI
pretty nurse had been murdered would
not be called to testify and hinted that
the detective bureau wanted suiciGe
verdict so as Ito keep its records clear
of unsolved murder cases"
Feeling this way, Policeman Allen
told the reporter he had notion tc
interrupt the proceedings IL things
went the way he was sure they would
and demand, "as a citizen" the right
to be heard. He said he would tell the
jury he had uncovered proof that Mrs
Mcpherson was murdered.
Snure, naturally. awaited develop
ments tensely. He sensed q whale" OF
story about to break. Allen was in
the hearing room and he glanced al
Snure significantly AS the brief session
proceeded, as though to convey the
thought II told you So" Aliens pre-
diction that certain witnesses" would
not be called turned out to be true
enough. His forecast that the jury
would render verdict of suicide also
was substantiated, His intimation that
he would blow up" the inquest by
making sensational charges to the jury
failed to materialize. however.
Il got cold feet" he explained after
ward. when saw how the case was
handled"
Continues TO Make Charges.
Policeman Allen continued to make
charges andtaSto amplify them. He
offered TO prove his murder theories
to The Star, and agreed to accompany
Snure to The Star Building and repeat
them to his superiors. Allen talked
with Herbert +. Corn, assistant city
editor of The Star, and, in view of the
serious nature of some of the police
mans statements, he agreed to Aliens
proposal that two reporters go with him
to the apartment in the Park Lane and
"see for themselves" whether 1t was
MURDER or suicide.
IN prove to you in minutes that
Mrs. Mcpherson was strangled to death
by some one-that she could not have
done 1t ilerselfl" Allen insisted.
Snure and Rex Collier, another re.
porter, went to the Park Lane Apart
ments with Allen. forthwith. Allen in
troduced the newspaper men to Manager
Ruff as friends" assisting him in the
investigation, and the manager obtained
key to the Mcpherson apartment and
escorted the trio to the death chamber
1t was a grueSome sight which met
the eyes of the visitors. Allen pointed
out bloodstains in two rooms of the
apartment.
II contend that Mrs. Mcpherson was
standing here in the bathroom" Allen
announced dramatically. land that some
one slipped up behind her and strangleo
her to death with pajama cord-likt
this" He demonstrated how he thought
1t was done.
Then she was dragged or carried into
the bedroom, placed against the door
to make 1t appear that she hao
strangled herself and fallen there, and
the murderer escaped through one OF
these windows"-indicating the double
windows of the bedroom, opening onto a
gravel-covered roof, one story above the
alley.
Stirs Reporters Interest.
IF she committed suicide" Allen con-
tinued excitedly. why is there Blood on
the bathroom floor? Could she have
then walked into the bedroom and
pulled out the light? And closed the
door before he could look in when
with Mcpherson, who had found
the body and called him. he en-.
tered the apartment? How about
these screams and groans heard on the
night OF the murder? Why didn't they
let Mr.. Ruff testify at the inQuest-ane
the ones who heard the screams? WIZ
weren't all these facts and the Other
things brought to the attention of til:
coroner's jury? Why"
But Allen need have said no more
Tne reporters were thoroughly inter-
ested by this time. And when Manager
Run corroborated the statements about
the position OF the body and added that
there are some mighty funny things
about this case I'm not satisfied about
the basis for a full-nedged mystery was
complete.
Snure and Collier hurried out of thu
apartment. climbed into Aliens cal
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