Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-27
Continued From First Pase9

what Allen claimed. The latter Stoou
by with a triumphant smile on his face.
There was a discussion as to what
course to take. Allen warned against
consulting the Detective Bureau and
gave some pretty startling reasons.
call was put in for District AT.
torney Rover. Mr.. Rover was out Of
his Office, so Assistant District Attorney
Collins was advised of the developments.
Collins also was told that 1t would be
wise to issue orders that the apartment
remained undisturbed. The prosecutor
said he would issue such an order and
invited the newspaper men to come to
his Office and tell him all about Il.
The quartet-three newspapermen and
policeman-went at once to Collins
Office at the courthouse. There Allen
repeated his charges and claims and
statements. and the two reporters veri-
fed such of his statements as related
to the blood stains. position of the body,
etc. The assistant district attorney said
he would go with them to the Park
Lane and look into the situation.
Party Divided Into Groups.
| The party now had grown so large
/ that 1t was divided into two groups,
Allen and the two reporters going in the
policeman's car and Collins and the
city editor in the assistant district at
torney's machine.
Arrived at the apartment, Allen went
over the ground previously covered and
made some more demonstrations. In
his enthusiasm he sought to tie pajama
cord around the neck of Collins or Corn
or Collier or Snure or Manager Run or
| almost any one-to let them decide Tor
themselves whether Mrs. Mcpherson
could have strangled herself. Collins
and the newspaper men reneged. so
Inol To hi al ryff h tvytn
the cord around his own neck. He thus
demonstrated that even this could not
stop him from talking.
There were some other circumstances
tending to bear out Aliens murder
theories that do not bear publication.
The prosecutor studied the death scene
carefully. examined articles in the
apartment, heard Manager Ruff repeat
his story about the body against the
door and tell of his doubt as to suicide.
and. finally. questioned Miss Conway.
blonde telephone operator; youth
named Templeton, employed in the
Park Lane drug store. and colored
elevator operator. q
i Miss Conway failed to mention to de-
tectives when first they had talked
with her that she had visited the
Mcpherson apartment on the night the
murder. or suicide. is presumed to have
about this, however and also added
/ her own doubts about the suicide
theory She said she had listened in
when Mrs. Mcpherson had hung up,
sobbing on a girl friend who had called
up. and was so impressed that she rang
the Mcpherson apartment several times.
but got no answer. Worried over the
incident. she got pass key when she
was relieved from duty 20 minutes
/ lNk ovaI toll m RI q fnSn0nSa
her knock. entered and found the apart
ment dark. She snapped on the light
in the living room. A black evening
gown Law in the middle of the floor.
The door to the bedroom was closed.
and no light was apparent under the
door. She supposed Mrs. Mcpherson
had gone to sleep, or had left the apart
ment. She left the apartment, still
somewhat curious.
Cigarettes Taken 10 Apartment.
The Templeton boy said he had
taken two packages of cigarettes to
Mrs. Mcpherson in her apartment
around o'clock that Thursday night.
and had found her in good spirits and
ready to "step out" Templeton had
known Mrs Mcpherson in North
Carolina. He said she was wearing
black evening dress and told him she
was going u OdiSc WIN DOD' AiSA
husband.
The elevator man gave no informa-
ton worth while.
! Assistant District Attorney Collins
! plainly was impressed by what he had
| seen and heard He said the case had
! some angles that would have to be
| cleared up and he laid particular stress
! on the blood in the bathroom. He an
nounced ne would have the blood
| analysed.
| It is we'll to point out that one Of
the important claims-possibly the most
! important claim-made by Policeman
| Allen was kept q dark secret by him
| during The Stars preliminary inquiry
The claim referred to is the one that
Allen personally, saw man emerge
| from a window of the Mcpherson apart
ment that tragic Thursday night. Allen
announced this just prior to the grand
jury probe.
to take a hand in the investigation, and
to reopen the case. But the situation
changed materially overnight. Collins
had q long conference at police head
.. quarters with Lieut.. Edward j. Kelly,
head of the homicide squad, and MS
doubts as to suicide began to disSipate.
In the morning the prosecutor said he
had learned the detectives had con-
sidered the murder possibilities, had
run down many clues Of which Allen
knew nothing and had failed to mo
any definite evidence of murder. Col
Inns said he was satisfied the Detective
Bureau had conducted a thorough in
vestigation. and he was inclined to
agree with Lieut.. Kelly that the murder
theory could not be supported. Collins
said there were only two things that he
didn't quite understand, viz, why the
lights in the apartment were out II
Mrs. Mcpherson committed suicide at
night and why there were stains on the
bathroom floor. He said he would ask
Inspector Shelby, head Of the Detective
Bureau, to have the blood Analysed
Situation Changes Again.
With that information on which to
base a. story. the reporters returned to
their Office and aborated in prepar-
ing an article for publication. In the
meantime The Stars police reporter at
the District Building was asked to check
up on the blood analysis developments.
With the story completed, word came
back from detective headquarters that
Inspector Shelby said he had just re-
turned from Collins office and no re-
quest had been made of him to have the
blood analysed. That changed the sit
uation again. Collins was called back
and he said that while he had not for
mally requested" the analysis, he had
suggested" 1t might be a good thing.
The story was withheld, as there was
nothing to subStantiate 1t. Nobody, 1t
seemed, was going to do anything.
The Star, III view of conflicting de-
velopments. decided to interview In
spector Shelby. Snure and Collier went
n - y