Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-07
Ardmorc. Md, Man Declares
Mrs. Virginia Mcpherson
Was at His Home Near
Midnight September II.
VICTOR P. GAUTHEY MADE
STATEMENT ONCE BEFORE
Department Of Justice Worker
Takes Over Assertion After 1t
Reaches Star Reporters-Testi-
mony Conflicts With Other Evi-
dence in Mysterious Case.

The Star today turned over to
the Department of Justice. which
Immediately took up it's own in
vestigation. information volun-
teered by a witness who declares
that he saw Mrs. Virginia McPher-
son alive and in his home near
Ardmore, Md. as late as midnight
of September II. the night she was
Strangled to death in her apart
ment at the Park Lane.
Mrs. Mcpherson. the witness
declares. was accompanied by a
blond man who. he is certain, was
not Robert A. Mcpherson. now un
der indictment and in the District
Jail awaiting trial on the grand
iury's charge that he murdered his
wife.
The witness is Victor p. Gsuthey
landscape gardener. of Ardmore. Md.
who was previously brought into the
ease by Policeman Robert A. Allen. who
was questioned at police headquarters
hut whose story was discarded in the
face Of what now appears to have been
q misunderstanding regarding his facts
Goes to Ardmore.
Today Department of Justice agents
were sent to Ardmore to interview
Gauthey and to obtain from him the
same information that he turned over
to two Star reporters yesterday.
Two operatives. with reporter from
The Star, located Gauthey shortly art
ernoon today and he told them suost ar
tiallv the same story he related to The
star with some additional information.
Later they will ask Gaufhey 10 come
to the Department of Justice and tell
The Star reporters went to'"Krdmore
Yesterday in response to telephone
call from Gauthev at 2 o'clock on Sun
dsv morning. At that time he said
that he had been thinking about the
case for so long that he had to tell
what he knew.
His story was substantially as fol-
lows:
IT found myself thinking about II
constantly and decided that I would
have to tell what know of the case.
am positive that the woman who sat
in nv home from 10 to IL o'clock on
the night of September IL was Mrs. Nc
rherson. She had been in my home on
rnsnv previous occasions since June IL
always with the blond man. did NOT
know his name but he called her Gin.
and when she first came to my nome
she was introduced to me as Miss NC
Pherson.
Then Gauthey. who came to the
United States in 1921. proudly pointed
10 a framed certificate of naturall2a-
tion. which bore date Of September
u. and continued:
Has Celebrat alton Party.
'I know that she was here on the
night of the 18th. for had invited my
friends to a party in celebration of my
naturalization. The papers were to be
dated Saturday. the l4th. and did not
want to have a party on Fr1day. the
18th. so ] asked them out on Thurs
day. the 18th.
Besides Mrs. Mcpherson and her
friend there were three others. One
was the taxicab driver who was ques-
toned at police headquarters In Wash
ington the day that Allen was sus-
pended, one a woman who was also
brought to headquarters for question:
ing and the third a man who accom-
ranied her and the taxicab driver to
my nome. All were my friends and
had been there on previous occasions,
but I do not think they paid any at
tention to Mrs. Mcpherson and her
friend.
Mrs. Mcpherson appeared to be ner-
vous. She and her friend apparently
had auarreled, I judged from some of
the remarks / overheard. They left
shortly after IL o'clock"
The taxicab driver referred to by
Gauthey, when questioned at police
Headquarters, disclosed the name of the
man and woman he had taken to
Gsuthey's home, and when they had
been identified, evidence in connection
with the case was entirely dropped.
Gauthey was not summoned to the
Ir---II-,,-I - pnoa . CoIvrop A.