Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-21
WATCH CLUE BEST
/. IN BAKER MYSTERY
AIibis Offered by Sisson and
Gallagher Still Being
Checked.
Continued From First Page.)

out that a murder case Is exempt from
a habeas corpus proceeding. The lawyer
also issued a statement which declared
that Mrs. SiSson deplored the unfavora-
BILE newspaper publicity In connection
with the arrest of her husband.
NotOriety Is Deplored.
Mrs. Sisson most emphatically de-
ploreS what she considers unfavorable
newspaper notoriety in connection with
the charge placed against her husband,
Mervin SiSSon," the lawyer said.
Mrs. SiSSon Is person of culture
and high standing in her community,
as is her husband. She does not deny
that her husband knew Miss Baker, but
She is ready, able and willing TO pro-
duce witnesses i'll large numbers that
will corroborate the TACT that SiSSOn
was i'll his home continuously from
Thursday until Saturday during the
week OF the crime.
Mrs. Sisson feels that any investiga-
ton at all would have cOnclusively con-
WINGED the authorities of her husbands
innocence. Mrs. SiSSon, like every
other decent citizen, abhorS the arto-
ciouS murder OF Miss Baker and is anx-
ious that justice be done, but not at
the expense Of an innocent party
Architect Again Quizzed.
While the Arlington County authori-
ties were completing their check on the
alibiS of SiSSon and Gallagher, the
Washington investigators again ques-
toned Fred Wilson, the Government
architect who lives in Takoma Park.
He was cloSeted with detectives at
headquarters for move than an hour
yesterday.
Wilson, according to the police, fur
niShed but little additional informa-
ton to help them in their inveStlga
ton, although he did mention the
name, it was said, of a naval officer.
The police, however, are satisfied he
had no connection whatever with the
case. Miss Baker, it was explained,
at one time worked in an Office with
the officer, but his relations with her
were strictly Of a business nature. The
Navy Department today denied reports
that an inquiry had been ordered into
this angle.
After requeStioning Wilson he was
taken to Seventeenth and b streets and
put into an automobile in the position
three witnesses said they saw a man
struggling at that point with Miss Baker
a few hours before she is believed TO
have been murdered. One OF these
witnesses. Hugh r. Wood, a Govern
ment clerk, who accompanied the police
to Seventeenth and b streets, looked
closely at Wilson and said he was posi-
tive he was not the man who was in
the car.
Wood also went to the Arlington
County Jail, but could not identify
either Sisson or Gallagher as the man
in Miss Bakers car. w. H. Davies a
bus driver, who picked up a man near
the spot where the girls body was
found, also viewed the two prisoners,
but declared that neither was his pas
Senger,
Picked Among Four.
QuertermouS, who identified Sisson
as the man from whom he had pur-
chased an overcoat and watch on the
night OF the murder, picked out the
Warsaw salesman from a lineup of
four men in the Arlington County Jail.
second man in the lineup was Gal
lagher. The other two were a news
paper reporter and Wood.
Quertermous walked slowly in front
OF the four men, turned unhesitatingly
to and tapped SiSSon on the shoulder
This is the man." he said.
Later the dredge foreman related that
about 9:l5 o'clock on the night of April
1.-THE night Miss Baker was killed--a
man approached him walking from the
direction where the woman'S body was
found. The man requested him, he
said, to buy an overcoat and watch OH
the plea that he had been driving from
Florida and had run out OF gasoline and
had no funds.
Quertermous said he had no money,
but went TO his home in Alexandria and
returned with $15, which he gave the
man for the coat and watch. These
articles were turned over to the police
last week after the dredge foreman had
read i'll the newspapers OF the murder
case and thought that the man who
sold them might have had some con-
nection with the crime.
Conflict I'm Reports.
A story was circulated that Querter-
nous later had sold the watch to a
man who could not be located. Detec-
tiveS, however, insist they recovered the
watch, although Inspector Shelby de-
clared he had not seen it."
In view OF the failure of Lloyd, one
of the laborerS on the dredge with
QuertermouS, to support the foreman'S
identification of SiSSon, the Arlington
County authorities are plannin'. to
bring other men from the dredge to
the Jail to look at the prisoners. Querter-
nous insisted that about a dozen of
the dredge crew witnessed the trans
action. Lloyd, however stood and talk
ed with the man for sometime while he
waited for the foreman to go to Alex
andria and return with the money.
The fact that Lloyd, who talked with
the man, said SiSsonS positively was
not the one who sold QuertermouS the
coat and watch made the identifica-
ton unsatisfactory to the Arlington
County authorities. At the same time
the bus driver who failed to identify
SiSSon as his passenger revealed that
he had picked up the man between
9:04 and 9:06 O'Clock, whereas the fore
man placed the time of the transaction
at 9:l5 o'clock. The authorities are
certain, therefore. that the same man
could not have been involved in both
incidents.
Prints TO Be Checked.
While the Arlington County officials
were preparing to bring more witnesses
either to confirm or deny the identifica-
ton OF SiSSon, members of the homi-
eide squad Of the Detective Bureau were
in conference with Inspector Shelby
discussing their course of action. In
spector Shelby revealed that the finger
prints of SisSon and Gallagher would
be checked with those found on articles
belonging to the slain woman.
The Arlington County officials are
still trying to determine how Miss
Bakers coat hat and other personal
effects got into the sewer manhole in
the grounds of the Department of Agri-
culture farm in view of statements of
various investigators that they had
looked into this place last Tuesday and
found it to be empty. Cloth, together
with the Washington detectives, in
spected the sewer yesterday and said
afterward they were certain the articles
had not been there Tuesday. Cloth,
however, said he doubted the articles
were placed in the sewer by the man
who murdered Miss Baker.