Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-21
HISTORY OF EVENTS FOLLOWING
DEATH OF VIRGINIA MCPHERSON

District Attorney Rover, took the prose-
cution from Rover and placed 1t on the
shoulders of John e. LasSey. former
District attorney, who was designated
as a special assistant to the Attorney
General. At the same time the Attor-
ney General instructed the Bureau of
Investigation of the Department of JUS
tice to make a thorough investigation
of the Park Lane tragedy, with a view
to preparing the Governments evidence.
j. Edgar Hoover. director of the bu-
reau. announced the inquiry would be
made with an open mind" toward all
theories concerning Mrs. McPherson's
case, with view to determining first
whether she was murdered or commit
ted suicide. If a murder was commit
ted. he explained, then an effort would
be made to find the murderer.
The investigation was placed in
charge of Thomas F. Cullen, youthful
inspector and one of the Governments
crack investigators. A corps of trained
agents was placed at his disposal. Spe-
cial Offices were opened at the Depart
ment of Justice. There began one of
the most intensive and colorful death
probes ever undertaken by Federal au-
thorities. More than 600 witnesses
were questioned and thousands of words
of testimony were taken down in short
hand.
Second Autopsy Held.
The agents worked with utmost Sc
crecy, but some of their activities could
not be concealed. Among the moves
which became public was the exhuma-
ton of Mrs. McPherson's body, at China
Grove, N. c., after local physician
had limited that a skull fracture might
have contributed to the nurses death
The second autopsy was performed by
a group of eminent North Carolina ply
sicians, headed by DR.. James I. bullitt,
pathologist of the University of North
Carolina.
No skull fracture was found, nor were
any other marks of violence found. eX-
cspt those produced by the pajama belt.
A complete X-ray examination of the
body was made, and certain tissues
were removed for chemical and micro
scopic examination. The negative re-
p of the surgeons was made public
by the Department of Justice, but the
findings of the roentgenologists and
chemists never were disclosed.
After six weeks of investigation It was
the inquiry was about ended,
and 1t became known that insufficient
evidence had been secured to warrant
the Government in proceeding with the
prosecution of Mcpherson. 1t was
plainly indicated that unless something
turned up at the last minute McPher-
son would have to be released from Jail.
But something did happen at the very
last minute.
Car Men Questioned.
Agents who had been questioning con-
ductors and motormen of all owl"
street cars and operators of all late
buses running from Petworth to the
downtown section on the night of Sep
TENDER IL came to one of the last men
on their list. He was Conductor
Joseph H. Lewark of the Georgia ave-
nue. street car line.
Conductor Lewark made statements
that threw investigating circles into an
uproar. He said he knew Mcpherson
and that he had taken him downtown
after midnight on September H. some
time before a taxicab driver said he
picked the husband UP at Fifteenth
street and New York avenue and car
ried him to the Park Lane. The taxi
drivers story had been wholly unsup-
ported prior to the appearance of Lee
wark. The statements OF the conductor
and taxi man conflicted sharply with
those of friends and relatives of Nc
PherSon, who claimed he was in Pet
worth at that hour of the night.
AS a result of Lewark's belated testi-
mony Prosecutor Laskey announced he
felt justified in pressing the charge of
murder against the husband.
With this sudden decision reached
there came the disturbing disclosure
that the indictment preferred against
was "voidable" because of
the presence on the grand jury of an
ineligible member, Mrs. Dolores Mar
micn, who was receiving a pension from
the Government. The discovery led
District Attorney Rover to resubmit to
the new grand jury several cases acted
upon by the illegal" body Prosecutor
Laskey. handing the Mcpherson case,
Rover's example and the Sec
ond grand jury probe of the Park Lane
tragedy ensued.
Indictment VOidabIe.
The new grand jury hearing was
instituted 10 days ago, after the dis
closure that indictments handed down
by the previous grand jury were "voida-
ble," because a member of that body
was ineligible to serve. The member
was Mrs. Dolores Marmion, widow or
a naval officer, who was receiving
pension from the Government. The
courts have held in similar instances
that this disqualifies a person from
grand jury duty and renders voidable
acts of jury with such an ineligibl
member.