Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-15
States Attorney Plans to
Continue Inquiry After
Body Adiourns.
OF FELT HAT
TO BE INTERCEPTED
Constable Says He Got Impression
Jury Wanted to Hurry Him
Out of Room"

Although the matter was called to
extraordinary order of the Prince
Georges County Commissioners, the
October Circuit Court grand jury will
take no action in the death of Thomas
Franklin Burroughs, and a further in
vestigation into the much-discussed cir
cumstaEceS of the case will be posi-
poned until after the grand jury has
adjourned.
This was indicated yesterday by
States Attorney j. Frank Parran when
he declared he had been too busy
while the grand jury was in session
to tnterrogate the owner of felt hat
turned over to him by a brother of
the dead man as an important clue.
The prosecutor said this would be done
after the grand jury adjourned.
Died in Emergency Hospital.
Burroughs died in Emergency Hos
pital four days after being brought
there from ar automobile accident near
Silver Hill. His death was directly
due to pneumonia, but this in turn was
induced by bodily injuries which his
family believes could not have been
caused by the automobile mishap.
It was learned Burroughs had at
tended roadhouse where fight was
staged just prior to the automobile ac-
cident. One of the men in the car adj
mits being in the fight, according to
county officials, but claims Burroughs
was not involved
Constable A. G. Thompson, In whose
district the roadhouse is located, con-
Quoted an independent investigation of
the case and presented his findings to
the county commissioners Tuesday. He
was told to take the matter up with
the sheriff, the States attorney and, if
necessary, the grand jury.
Goes Before Grand Jury.
After a conference with the States
attorney, Thompson went before the
grand jury last week. The constable
said he got the impression the jury
wanted to hurry him out of the room"
No other witnesses have been called by
the grand jury to testify in the case,
as far as can be learned.
John Stephens, SIS years old, of the
800 block of F street southwest, owner
of the felt hat reported to have been
worn by. Burroughs when he was
brought to Emergency Hospital Septem-
Der II and later died under circum-
stances unsatisfactory explained to his
family, told reporter for The Star he
lost the hat through a mistake at the
hospital.
Stephens was brought to the hospital
on the afternoon following Burroughs
admittance to the institution. He was
removed from the front yard of his
home by doctors and taken to the hos
pital in the ambulance, where he in
formed DR.. John Baber he suffered his
injuries when he was struck down by
an automobile after alighting from a
street car in Georgetown. He was treat
ed for a possible rib fracture and con-
tuSionS and released.
Hat Found by Family.
He declares that upon arriving home
he missed his hat and asked Dr. Baber
to locate it. The physician made an I'M
successful effort to find it, and the hat
was later found by members of the Bur-
roughs family in Thomas Burroughs
clothes bundle. They turned the hat
over to Parran in hopes that the right
full owner might shed new light in the
mysterious death of their relative
The hat contained tag such as is
sued to employees on construction Jobs.
The number. given by Stephens CORE
spends with the tag number found In
the hat now in Parran'S possession.
Police and street car company records
disclosed no report of an accident In
which Stephens claims he was injured.
although the index report at Emergency
gives report of the accident. Hospital
officials say this card is made up entire
ly from the patients statement of the
affair.