Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-27
HANDS BROTHER
SEES ESCAPE AS
ACT OF PROVIDENCE
Third Civilian Visited Man in
Cell, Inspector HeadIey
Finds.
AUTOMOBILE DEALER
TALKED WITH PRISONER
Stories About "Spiriting in Well
Known Racketeer" Are
Unsubstantiated.

Developments yesterday in the case
of the escape Of Wilbur William Hand
from fifth precinct cell last We'd
nesday were:
Receipt of a letter by Inspector AL
bert j. Headley, assigned to investigate
the case, from Arthur J. Hand, brother
of the escaped man, who wrote from
Toledo, Ohio.
Disclosure that third civilian, A. S.
Simmons, automobile dealer, of 1747
Thirteenth street, had visited Hand in
the cell. Previous reports stated that
only two persons other than those con-
nected with the department had been
admitted to see the man.
Night Inspector Hugh Grove assigned
to investigate the case, in addition to
Inspector Headley.
Brother Also Accused.
The letter, which arrived late yes
terday afternoon; was post-n1arked
thur j. Hand who gave his address as
1911 Adams street of that city. The
letter stated that William Hand volun-
tarily had gone to bank at Gallon,
Ohio, after he had heard that his name
had been drawn into the hold-up of
the bank by five unmasked bandits in
June, 1927.
Instead of the vidication that he ex-
pected, however, three of the banks
employees identified him as one of the
five, and he was arrested and tried
for the hold-up. The letter does not
state the outcome of the case, but states
that the writer sat at the trial table
with his brother during the four days
Of the trial, and that on the last day
he himself was arrested, identified by
. Nf Ia
hold-up men and brought to trial. He
said the jury in his case disagreed twice,
and that he Is now free on $1,000 bond,
although his original bond was $4,000.
The letter concludes:
These, Mr., Headley are the facts of
the case, and wish you would in your
report present It to Congress. that body
which is supposed to guard the personal
rights Of the people.
las to my brothers escape from the
Washington Jail, can only say that I
think that the hand of Providence in
tervened to stop the persecution of an
innocent man and to stop him from
| spending the rest of his life In prison
! for crime which he did not commit"
No Reference to Car Sale.
The letter contained no reference to
the writer's part in arranging the sale
OF the prisoners automobile, which has
caused so much comment According to
an earlier report by Inspector HeadIey
to Maj. Pratt yesterday the prisoners
car, which was practically new, was sold
by Arthur Hand to Ralph Stabler, an
automobile dealer of 908 Tenth street.
Stabler is said to have paid Hand $500
cash for the car. Thus far there is no
authority for any of the stories relating
to the supposed "spiriting in" of well
known racketeer" to the fifth precinct
by headquarters detective.
Detective Frank Alleged of the auto
mobile SQUAD said that he had known
Stabler for long time, and that
Stabler had turned over numerous "tips"
, TO the squad which had led to the re-
covery Of stolen cars and in one case TO
the solving of hold-up When Alligood
learned that the car was for sale he
said. he told Stabler about it. and went
to the fifth precinct with Stabler when.
In the presence of two fifth precinct
pollcemen, Stabler was making arrange
mentS with Hand for transfer of title to
| the car. Alligood said that he has never
seen Arthur Hand in his life, and did
not know that the deal>to purchase the
car had been consummated until some
days later, when he saw Stabler driving
the machine. He did not know how the
/ details Of the sale finally were arranged
HeadIey Checks Up Story.
The information that Simmons had
visited Hand in the precinct came to
police headquarters from a newspaper
man and Inspector Headlev was sent
out Yesterday afternoon to check up on
! it. Headley later reported to Mai. Pratt
that Simmons said his part In the af-
fair was confined to an attempt to ar
| range for the sale of the car to Albert
Mullins chauffeur for police head
| quarters
He said. according to the report. that
he had made Hand an offer. but that
Hand would not consider it unless Sim
mons would find some way for him to
get out of the cell and telegraph the
monev away. Simmons said that at
that he dropped out of the deal Sim
mons said his visit was made on Oc-
tober IS. The car finally was sold to
Stabler last Tuesday.
The case has so MANY confusing
angles to be run down that Mai. Pratt
Yesterday assigned Night Inspector
Hugh Grove to assist Inspector Head
ley.