The Washington times., 1929-10-25
SUSPENSION
Of CLERK
ASKED
Continued from First Page

there a few minutes, emerging
wearing his overcoat and holding
A. finger to his mouth ordering the
two other prisoners, who were
awake and watching him, to silence.
Hand walked through the station
house office and out the front door
ITO z Street Southeast, Medic Man
azzi, a second prisoner, said. rms
statement, however, is discounted.
Hand apparently left through side
door into Fifth Street, where he
threw q crudely constructed lead
KEY, sawed in two and held together
by two hack saws, into the automo-
bile of Policeman L. A. Craig, who
was the man to discover Hands es-
cape at 5:35 a. m. Wednesday.
There should have been four Of
fetal keys in the custody of the
station clerk at all times, and it Is
one Of these keys that is now miss
ing. Two of the keys open only the
celIroom door and the other two
open all doors in the cellroom. The
key that is missing is one of the
master keys.
Just how long that particular key
has been missing is a cause of con-
troversy. Michael Engel, recently
assigned to special work at the pre-
cinct. told Headley he had seen the
key, its handle broken off, about
three weeks ago. Sylvester Murphy,
who has been policeman in the pre-
ci..ct for II years, said he had never
seen the key in all that time.
Vanishes Completely
Will, the investigation into The
escape goes on, Hand is still at lib
erty and the police have absolutely
no idea as to where he went. Some
think he went back to Baltimore,
where he stayed for two months
before coming here, while others
think in terms of thousands OF
miles, many of them figuring him to
have gone to Los Angeles.
There is also the possibility that
hC remained in Washington. the
occupant of an apartment who
never goes out in the day time; who
lICver has visitors and who receives
no mail. Hand is believed to have
plenty of money and to be in posi-
ton to get more when that is gone.
When Hand was arrested, he was
taken to the First Precinct Station
House. There he was searched and
was found to have $175 in cash,
and a few pieces of jeyelry upon
his person. This was, Of course,
taken from him and placed in the
station house filing cabinet.
Later he was transferred to the
Fifth Precinct Station on orders Of
the Detective Bureau. His money
and valuables were not at that time
transferred.
After he had been at the Fifth
municated with Captain Frank
Burke, of the First Precinct, and
asked that some of his money be
sent to No. in order that he
might buy cigarettes and other
things. Burke sent over SO.
Saturday Hand announced that he
wanted to get his things straight
ened out and asked that all of his
property be sent over to the Fifth
precinct station in order that he
might turn it over to his brother.
Captain Burke sent the money and
:iewelry, together with the receipt
book of the First precinct. over to
No. 5. There it was turned over to
Hand and he signed for it. How
ever, only $45 was placed in the
files of the Fifth precinct, 800 be
ing kept out.
AS was the case in connection with
the automobile money, this 500 was
presumably turned over to the
brother. The prisoner said that he
kept out 50 for himself
1t was Hands automobile that
caused much excitement around the
First Precinct station house. The
car was purchased new in Baltimore
very recently and had gone but 2 500
miles when Hand was arrested here.
Hand had paid nearly 81, 500 for the
car, and everyone who looked at it
seemed to have an overwhelming
desire to own the machine.
Two men at police headquarters,
hearing of the bargain" staged
foot race to the station house to place
their bids with Captain Frank
Burke, custodian then of the ma
chine. Several other policemen in
Guiding a captain, were inclined to
buy the car, but gave up when it
was intimated by high police Off
cial that cops had no business buy
ing bandits automobiles.
Then too. several Fourteenth
Street used-car dealers began decker
ing for the car. Hand. then held in
the Fifth precinct, conducted his
business through Captain Burke.
but the actual sale of the car was
handled by the brother. A. J. Hand.
However. between the time Hand
was arrested and last Saturday.
when the car was actually sold. two
bills of sale were presented to
Captain Burke. both of which were
turned down.