Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-21
GIRL AND TWO BOYS
F FOUND MURDERED;
PARENTS ARRESTED
Children Believed Slain and
Then Thrown in Aban-
doned Quarry Hole.
CLOTH STRIPS THROTTLE
THREE VICTIMS THROATS.
Mother Says Father of Youngsters
Took Them for Walk Yester-
day and Left Them.
epecial DISPATCH to The star.

BpcCldl DlSpdtCn W 1Alt DbhI
MARTINSBURG, w. Va, July 2l.-
The bodies of three small children, ap-
parently the victims of violent deaths,
were taken from the waters in the
bottom of an abandoned stone quarry
just outside of this town today follow
ing their discovery by four small boys.
They were identified as the children
of Mr.. and Mrs. Taylor Hott residents
Of the suburbs of this town, and were:
Gertrude Virginia, years old
Calvin W., years old.
Boyd Preston, 5 years old
The parents are being held by the
Martinsburg police and were being
questioned in an effort to develop the
responsibility for the deaths. Mrs.
Holt, after she had been taken to the
morgue to identify the children, told the
officers that her husband took the chill
dren for walk last night, and when he
returned, without the children, he eX-
planned that he had left them with a
family by the name of Kidwell who
lived in the mountain section of the
county He added, she told the police.
that they would remain there for sew
ersl days and would be returned home.
Police said that they were unable to
identify the Kidwen family.
Cause Not Determined.
While no autopsy has as yet been
held, the belief was expressed that the
children had died as a result of a
beating administered by some one. The
medical authorities expressed the belief
that the white strips Of cloth or hand
kerchiefs found around the Threats OF
each of the three were not responsible
for the deaths. Blood spots were found
around the spot where the body of the
girl was found.
The police at first believed that the
children were not residents of the
community, but soon after their bodies
were removed from the quarry waters
people of the town partially Identified
them as the Holt children, and the
mother was taken to the morgue and
told the police that they we're her
children
At the time of the discovery was made
1t was estimated that they had been
in the water about eight hours.
The girl was reportedeto have wound
IN the skull, which appeared to have
been inflicted with knife.
The body of the girl was only partly
submerged, while the bodies of the two
boys could be plainly seen in about
eight feet of the clear water, which fills
the bottom of the hole. Rescuers stood
by while awaiting the coroner, but eff
forts to revive one of the victims by
artificial respiration failed.
A coroner's jury was being empaneled
today to attempt to fix the cause of
death and the responsibility therefor,
while the sheriff's Office instituted an
investigation of the horror. Soon after
the report spread of the discovery OF
the children's bodies, crowds of people
from the countryside assembled at the
side of the big pit. and traffic on the
State highway was damned.
Other Marks on Bodies.
In addition to the throttled thfoats
of the children, and the apparent stab
wound in the girl, the rescuers report
ed that the bodies bore other marks of
violence, which, perhaps, might have
been received as the bodies struck after
being thrown into the chasm.