Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-23
NURM| IN F|GHT,[
POLICE ARE TOLD
Man Reports He Saw Slain
Clerk In Quarrel With One
of Accused.

Reports that AarW Nurmi, Censui
Bureau clerk. had been seen quarrelint
with man before he was shot on the
lawn Of his Takoma Park home Wed.
nesday night and that several colorec
men in an automobile inquired the To-
cation of his home Of q neighbor about
an hour before his death was being in
vestigated by Montgomery County po-
lice last night. States Attorney Robert
B. Peter, IT.. meanwhile has ordered
two men who were with Nurmi the night
he was killed charged with man.
slaughter.
Sergt Burdine of the Montgomery
County police said he received a tip
over the telephone yesterday afternoon
that man in Washington had seen q
quarrel between Nurmi and one Of the
two men charged with his death. The
details he received were meager and he
could not say when the quarrel took
place. He said last night, however,
that he intends to request District po-
NeighbOrs Saw ColOred Men.
Joseph Wise of Ill Grant avenue, O
deighbor of Nurmi's, told Sergt. Bur
dine that a car containing more than
two colored men drew up in front OF
his house as he and his brother, Ed
ward Wise, were leaving home Wed
neSday night about o'clock. The
driver inquired the location of 102
Grant avenue, Nurmi's home, he de-
clared. When informed they had driven
past the address one of the men got out
and walked todward the house. Mr.
Wise said he did not see whether he
entered.
The men charged with manslaughter
IL
400 block of Columbia road, O clerk nj
the Census Bureau, and John ]. O'Brien
26 years old, 1400 block of Chaplin
street, companions of Nurmi at drink
ing party in his home the night of his
death. O'Brien was released under
$1,000 bond late yesterday afternoon
but MCGUIRE was still being held in the
Rockville jail last night.
Both were charged formally yester-
Nurmi was slain.
New Gun Theory PrObed.
Sergt. Burdine is seeking to develop
the case on the theory that Nurmi was
not killed with his own gun, which was
found lying beside his body. He said
he has heard that MCGUIRE possessed
q gun from which the bullet discovered
Embedded in Nurmi's skull could have
been fired. The dead mans weapon
was q as caaiber pearl-handle auto
matte pistol. The bullet which killed
him also was of rs caliber.
Extensive tests with Nurmi's gun are
planned to support this theory. sergt.
Burdine said he would attempt to have
scientific determination made whether
the death bullet was fired from Nurmi's
gun. An expert also is to be consulted
regarding marks made by the firing pin
on empty shells found In the house.
@ It was brought out at the inquest
Yesterday that indentations on two Of
the shells were Of varying size and that
the shells were OF different makes.
Mcclure told Burdine that Nurmi
fred two shots into the kitchen floor
and one In the cellar. He denied
knowledge Of the discharge OF o gun
outside the house.
Shells Found i'm Kitchen.
Two empty shells and one loaded one
were found In the kitchen by police
found on the floor Of the basement.
Another empty shell was found In the
basement yesterday afternoon.
The last found shell and one picked
mn from the kitchen door were manu-
factlred by Remington and bore similar
markings by the firing pin, Serst. Buzz
dine declared, while the other empty
shell bore the "Peters" trademark Ano
the irdentation on it Is smaller than on
the two others.
ATTORNEYS Joseph Cissel and Kenneth
Ivddane. representing MCGUIRE, SAC
ti1ey also expect to test the gun g 70
whether it would have caused powder
burns If held by Nurmi.
NurmIs Shoulder Scratched.
The inquest yesterday brought out
bal TlRny
shouider bore scratches which could
have been administered during strug-
Gle and that MCGUIRE Historically oe-
MED shooting Nurmi while at the
washington Sanitarium where the pooy
was fIrst taken. Constable Theodore
Raines testified that Mcclure shouted,
"I didn't shoot him, I didn't snoot
him." before he had been informed tnat
Nurmi died Of bullet WOUND. ooIn
to believe that Nurmi had fallen from .
second-story window. The autopsy
however, failed to show any bruises m
Dr. Wiiliam T. Pratt county health
oficer. testified that he found four
scratches on Nurmi's shoulder such as
could have been made by mans hano.
Mr.. Cissel said last night that
McGuires defense will be based on the
theory that Nurmi committed suicide.
He said his client probably would waive
preliminary hearing in Police Court. .
States Attorney Peter said he would
not hack the recently adjourned
Mon; County grand jury, but
that .se would be presented to the
grant .4.y which will convene the third
Monday in March.
Funeral services were held for Nurmi
yesterday afternoon at 8 o'clock in the
Fort Lincoln Cemetery, with Rev. O. e,
Lenski, pastor of the Grace Lutheran
Church, oficiating. The parents OF the
dead man attended the funeral.
The elder Nurmi is employed as a
carpenter in Rochester. N. Y, but ar
rived in Washington Friday with his
wife He probably will return home