Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-17
Secret Conference Held as
Investigation Comes to
StandstiII-Lead Outside
District Still Followed.
INSPECTOR is SILENT
ON SUCCESS OF HUNT
Young Woman's Papers and Photo
graphs Have Furnished Only In
formation So Far to Aid Probers
-
in Tracking Down Slayer
Government Clerk.

Indications that the investiga-
ton of the brutal murder of Mary
Baker had come to a standstill,
at least for the present, were
manifest today as Inspector Will
liam S. Shelby, chief of detectives,
and members of the homicide
squad gathered behind closed
doors in the Office of Superinten-
dent of Police Pratt and again
went over the collection of cor
respondence and personal belong
ings of the slain woman in an
effort to uncover some clue they
may have overlooked in the first
examination.
Inspector Shelby also announced
that there had been no new de-
velopments in the case, and inti-
mated that, unless the lead which
carried the investigators outside
the District yesterday proved Of
value, the solution of the crime
would be difficult. These inveSti-
gators have not returned and
Shelby declined to reveal whether
they had located the suspect they
left to trail.
The secret conference in Maj Pratt's
Office was attended by two operatives
of the Department of Justice, Lieut.. Ed
ward j. Kelly, head of the homicide
squad, and Headquarters Detectives
Charles Weber, Joseph Waldron, George
| Darnell, Clarence Talley and Thomas
| Sweeney. When the detectives left,
Lieut.. Kelly and the Department Of
Justice agents conferred with DR.. VIII
liam G. Fowler, District health officer,
| and j. B. Reed, District chemist.
Shelby and Kelly carried into tina
conference large manila envelope con-
tanning photographs and letters. The
collection was gathered from Miss
Bakers desk in the file room Of the
Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy De-
partment and $50 at her home in Lyon
Park. Va. THIS far the names men
toned in the correspondence and the
photographs have furnished the only
tangible leads upon which the tnvestt-
gators have had to work.
Interview Girls Today.
The investigators are hopeful Of OBJ
tanning some additional information
from Miss Olga Skinner and Miss Mil
dred Sperry, housemates of Miss Baker
which will aid them. The two girls, it
was definitely announced, would be ques-
toned again this afternoon upon their
return from suburb of Richmond, Va,
where they have been since the funeral
of their slain friend.
Miss Skinner and Miss Sperry went
to the Richmond suburb, it was said
at police headquarters, for the twofold
purpose of recovering from the shock
of the death of Miss Baker and also
to avoid harraSsment by newspaper re-
pcrters. Inspector Shelby said he has
known the whereabouts of the girls and
had an arrangement for them to come
back to Washington whenever they
were wanted for further questioning.
BY requeStioning Miss Sperry and
Miss Skinner, the investigators believe
they may be able to obtain the names
of all of the guests of the three girls
at housewarming at their Lyon Park
home March 81, together with the cir
cumstances of the event. Some of the
persons who attended the affair ale
ready have been INTERCEPTED, but were
unable to throw any light on the crime.
There were others, however, whose
names are yet unknown, and the in
vestigators believe there is remote pos
sibility that some of them may be able
to furnish new lead on which they
could work,
Look for Weapon.
The police were also definitely to de-
termine through interrogation of Miss
Sperry and Miss Skinner whether Miss
Baker ever owned a pistol and whether
she carried it in her machine. This
information is wanted in view of q