Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-05

Tipped - he was stepping from the van
ID photograph was snapped.
star Staff Photo.
her neck. "choke and strange" her to
death.
Mcpherson looked intently at the
clerk during the reading Of the charges.
His eyelids did not CULVER. A smile still
fingered about his mouth.
How do you plead?" asked the
mot guilty" the prisoner replied In
an even, firm tone.
That was all.
AS the court proceeded with other
business Mcpherson was escorted from
the room and to the basement cell.
While there Attorney Leahy visited him
for a few minutes. The attorney had
little to say except to explain that it
had been agreed to delay asking for
trial date until the Department OF Jus
tice was ready to proceed.
Photographers Disappointed.
Outside the building q corps Of news
paper photographers frenziedly endea-
vored to learn from which exit Nc
Pherson would emerge. OmcialS were
noncommittal. The big black van pulled
building and the photographers dashed
up to q door at the east end OF the
around there, only to be disappointed.
Eight or ten other prisoners were loaded
into the car and 1t moved OH without
Mcpherson. The van drove completely
around the building and pulled UP at
the west basement entrance. Deputy
Marshal Callahan instructed the driver
to back the machine close against the
entrance and he placed deputy marshals
on each side Of the van 50 that photo
graphers could not see Mcpherson as he
came out.
At O signal from the marshal, Deputy
the cell and allowed several pairs of
handcuffed colored prisoners to enter
the van. Then came Mcpherson. debon-
air as ever, handcuffed to another white
As Mcpherson and his companion
walked the short distance from the
cell to the wagon the prisoners in the
van shouted: Duck Maci Duck your
head. Lookout for the photographers"
his hat and shielded his face with the
headgear and part of his arm, but Nc
Pherson having no hat walked ahead,
laughing at the shouts of the prisoners.
Four other prisoners followed McPher.
son into the wagon, the rear door was
closed and locked and the packed
vehicle sped away toward the jail.
Allen Is First Witness.
Policeman Allen was the first
witness called by the Department
Of Justice in its investigation Of the
Mcpherson case. The oficer. whose
single handed investigation resulted not
only in the grand jury, verdict Of
P,aVrPflnr hart HhoP o00tnGf the V1nIfNA.
man himself for failing to report EVIL
dence, later had q second and longer
conference with officials, during which
it Is known he laid on the table" all
his evidence and arguments which, he
says, point to the strangling Of the
nurse.
Allen has not been taken on the pay
roll Of the Department Of Justice nor
has he been assigned as a detective to
operate under the department. as 1t was
explained the department has its own
investigators. But 1t was made plain
that the assistance of Policeman Allen
was sought in the first instance and his
testimony, both now and in the future,
is welcomed by the department. Besides
going into great detail on the case with
the investigators Of the department 1t
is known that Allen spent considerable
time with the director Of the Bureau Of
Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover.
The Department OF Justice is welcon1-
ing anything at all which will bear on
the solution Of the case. It Is known
that the department is proceeding to
gather all the facts possible and will
whether 1t be well founded or merely
q wild rumor. In addition TO Allen,
several other witnesses have given their
testimony and laid o mass Of evidence
before the department experts.
Building Case From Bottom.
In its work the Department of Justice,
1t is understood, will endeavor first
to establish all the facts possible to
obtain since Virginia Mcpherson was
strangled three weeks ago. The de-
partment Is building up its case from
the bottom.
Senators Overman of North Carolina
and BieaSe of South Carolina called
at the Department this morning for q
brief conference with Attorney General
Mitchell regarding the case. Senator
Oyerman said later he found the At
torney General had already taken the
step he was planning to suggest, in
GLIDING the appointment Of the spe-
cial prosecutor, and that he was salts
fed with the situation.
In the mass OF phySlcal eVloence
turned over to the Federal department
by the municipal authorities Is the pa
jana cord which strangled Mrs. Nc
Pherson to death. This cord still re-
tains the two different and separate
knots which were tied in 1t. When re-
moved from her neck the cord was cut
so as to preserve the knots, and 9
minute study and close examination Of
these knots will be made. The experts
have not yet reached the stage where
they have begun q study Of the much
disputed question as to whether the
knots were surgical knots" or whether
they were plain ordinary knots such Al
any one knows how to tie.
One Of the principal contenttons Of
the youthful husband, under tndict-
ment for murder of his wife, who was
nurse. Is that the knots were OF such
O nature that his wife could have tied
them herself about her neck.
The pajama cord, according TO ia
present condition, shows that 1t evi-
IDENTIFY was wrapped once around the
neck and tied In the first knot: 1t was
then wrapped around the neck sec
ond time and pulled tight and another
knot was tied on the side OF the neck
The Department OF Justice also IA
all of the clothing which figured IN tn
lsst moments Of Mrs. McPhersons LIE
a.