Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-04
CONDUCTOR GIVES
PROBERS NEW CLUE
IN MCPHERSON CASE
Decision to Hold Husband of
Dead Nurse Believed Result
of LeWark'S Evidence.
GEORGIA AVENUE LINE
OPERATIVES QUlZZED
Check Is Made on Story Jailed Man
Spent Night at Home
of Father.

A street car conductor on the Georgia
avenue line is one of the new witnesses
whose visit to the Department Of Jus
tice Saturday Immediately preceded q
sudden announcement by Prosecutor
John E. Laskey that new evidence had
been received to warrant the prosecu-
ton of Robert A. Mcpherson, jr.,
charged with numbering his wife.
The conductor who was questioned at
length by Government agents is j. H.
Lewark. employed by the Washington
Railway & Electric Co., and said to have
been working on the Georgia avenue line
late on the night Mrs. Mcpherson was
strangled to death with a pajama belt.
The Star has learned that Lewark
was not the only street car company
employe interrogated by Justice opera
tives in their check-up of McPhersons
alibi that he was in bed at his parents
home in Petworth after midnight of
September IL, night of the tragedy.
May Have Ridden on Car.
In pursuing this line of inquiry the
agents were proceeding on the theory
that If testimony given by a taxicab
driver. to the effect that he carried q
passenger from Fifteenth and New York
avenue to the Park Lane Apartments
about o'clock that night Is of value
In the case, the passenger might have
gotten downtown on a street car or
his ff0F1 the peftITnpft F1AtrhkortaAAl
The taxicab driver, Garnett Melvin
Frye, has sworn that he identified Nc.
Pherson as his passenger.
Agents also have questioned the mo-
torn1an on Lewark'S street car. He Is
]. I. Green. His car left the Soldiers
Home terminus o few minutes after
midnight on the night of the tragedy
and arrived in the downtown section
about 1880 o'clock. The car traverses
the congested district by way of Ninth
street en- route to the War College.
Information Is Withheld.
The Star obtained this information
today from sources outside the Depart
ment of Justice. where it was an
nounced this morning no further in
formation would be given the press
about the Mcpherson Investigation. The
decision was reached, it is understood,
as result of conflicting stories car
ried in the afternoon papers of Satur-
DAY, when reporters first were led TO
announce Mcpherson would not be
prosecuted, and later to carry Laskey's
decision to 60 to trial
Laskey today said his announcement,
putting the Department of Justice in
the position Of making a complete
change OF mind from one hour to the
next, resulted from evidence from new
witnesses questioned during the day"
Justice agents made every effort to
prevent reporters from seeing these
witness Saturday, because of the fact
that one or more of them were in street
car uniform and would have been
recognized as such.
one OF the witnesses is said to be Q
Declines to Discuss Evidence.
j, Edgar Hoover. director of the Bu-
[eau OF investigation, and Thomas F.
Culien, IN charge of the group of agents
TO discuss the new evidence, or ever To
comment on the Mcpherson investira-
ton IN any way. Both officials referred
newspaper men to LaSkey, who as spe.
claI assistant to the Attorney General.
mas the task of prosecuting Mcpherson.
No official explanation of the new nol-
ICY OF absolute silence at the DEPART
WuS AOA II WAS lflgl1@
Gated. however, officials felt IL would
be better that the press should have
cne Official source to which to 90 in
quest of information.
IL is known offcials in charge of the
investigation were chagrined over pub
licity given the fact that evidence to
warrant prosecution of Mcpherson was
lacking. IN view OF the wholly unex-
pected developments which put a COM
pletely new aspect on the case.
IL Is said, however, that until the
new evidence was obtained SATURDAY.
the investigation had failed to disclose
facts justifying bringing the young hus-
band to trial on the grand jury indict-
ment, which charges willful and pre-
meditated murder.
Probe Is Continued.
Laskey said he "deplored" publication
Of the first stories, but admitted his de-
cision to go to trial was reached as the
result OF the developments inmediat tely
publication of the articles.
Laskey made his announcement be-
lore completion of the Federal investi-
CATION and. consequently, prior to re-
ceipt OF the report by the Department
Of Justice.
The Governments probe was contin-
llng with renewed activity today. due
10 the new line of inquiry opened by the
clcFeIIGtl-uOur witnesses. How rnuCh
longer it will take to complete this
phase of the investigation could not be
Preparation of the oficial
'eport to Laskey necessarily has been
1eIayed, just as 1t was thought the sum-
nary of facts was about completed.
The Star has learned that Justice
agents have spent much time in ques-
'ioning conductors and motormen of
'treet cars operating on the Georgia
avenue line late on the night of the
ragedy, and that bus drivers, both OF
he Washington Rapid Transit Co,
whose busSes operate from Grant Circle
o the downtown section. and the
Washington Railway 81 Electric Co.,
which also operate buses down Georgia
venue, were interviewed by Federal
gents
There is reason to believe the de.
ense may have anticipated the new
Inc Of inquiry by the Government and
rave taken steps to prepare to meet
he new testimony. There was q report
hat william E. Leahy, counsel for
questioned certain of tha