Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-10
Police Doubt Noise Heard by
Mcpherson Case Witness
Was From Gun.
JOY-RIDERS ARE BLAMED
FOR SEVEN EXPLOSIONS
Street Car in Which Conductor Was
Riding Fails to Reveal
Bullet Marks.

Police officers attached to the tenth
precinct placed little credence today
In reports that Joseph H. Lewark, q
street railway conductor, whose testi-
mony figured prominently in the Nc
Pherson case, was shot at several times
before daylight Sunday while on duty
in the Soldiers Home section.
LeWark reported to the tenth pre-
clnct station at lis o'clock am. yes
terday that while aboard his car of
the Washington Railway g. Electric Co.
ne heard explosions at New Hampshire
ana Georgia avenues and again at
Georgia avenue and Rock Greek Church
road that sounded like pistol shots.
Lewark also made a report when he
turned the car in at the car barn. The
police were told later by employees at
the car barn that Lewark's car showed
no bullet holes. In his report to the
prec1nt the conductor said he wasn't
certain he had been fired on
LeWark's version of the experience, in
effect, was that he noticed a big
cream-colored touring car" on Georgia
avenue near New Hampshire avenue as
his car approached the intersection.
Two shots" were fired and the automo-
bile proceeded along New Hampshire
avenue. Thinking the noise was back
IRE, Lewark gave the incident no
further thought until he arrived at
Rock Creek Church road on Georgia
avenue and prepared to make the re-
turn trip to town. The cream colored
car had followed him, he observed, and
| as he stepped from the street car to
swing the trolley pole about he heard
five explosions-two, and then three.
The automobile again speeded away.
Officer Also Heard Reports.
That being too much for Lewark he
made his report to the police. Aside
from the fact that the street car APP
parently was unmarked, two other cir
cumStanceS tended to lessen official in
terest in the report. One was that
Lieut.. j. M. Walsh, temporarily in COM
mand Of the precinct, CHANGED to be in
| the vicinity of Georgia and New Hamp-
| shire avenues when Lewark was first
disturbed. Walsh also heard the noise.
Several cars were proceeding along
! Georgia avenue" the lieutenant said
| today, land stopped for moment to
following the sound, nobody seemed
| concerned and went on, thinking 1t
was back-fire."
| The other circumstance was that q
| cream-colored automobile was located
at Eighth and Randolph streets later,
| about six blocks from Georgia and
New Hampshire avenues. At l:40
O'Clock, about 20 minutes after Lewark
made his report, the identical car had
been reported stolen. Rufus r. Hewey
| OF 1928 Nineteenth street, owned the
machine.
Search Of the car revealed nothing
OF a suspicious nature. Meanwhile
Lieut.. Walsh had assigned Policemen
l.. q. Parker and L. G. Arion to in
vestigate, and the reports of the Of
ficers confirmed his opinion that no
shots were fired. Parker and Arion
/, questioned several persons in the neigh
borhood of Georgia and New Hamp-
shire avenues, but failed to locate any
one who heard shots.
Back-firing Motor Blamed.
Lieut.. Walsh advised George Darnell
OF the homicide squad this morning
that policemen would question Melvin
G. Sanders of 535 Fourth street south
east, Lewarks motorman, but that he
thought there was nothing in the
case" That anybody might fire seven
times at person near a street car
and not hit the car was doubted bv
Walsh. Some skylarkers in the stolen
car oack-fred the motor and maybe
followed the street car, or Just CHANGED
to meet 1t twice." Walsh ventured.
AT Lewark's residence, 22l4 Minne-
sofa avenue southeast, there was no
disposition to minimize the supposed
danger confronting him. The police
might doubt, but Mrs. Lewark was con-
Vlnced that her husband was shot at.
He was off duty today until O'Clock
tomorrow, and Mrs. Lewark denied en-
trance to the house until her husband
finished his sleep. What with news
paper reporters frightening her by call
ing to tlnd out what time he leaves for
work, the hour of his return and where
ne went last Thursday week, she was
taking no chances.
LeWark figured in the Mcpherson case
when he reported that young Robert a,
MCPHERSON. jr., on the night his wife
Virginia, died in the Park Lane apart
ments, rode on his car to New York
avenue and Ninth street.