Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-04
SHELBY ASSA|LS
ALIENS ACTION IN
MCPHERSON CASE
Inspector Tells Trial Board
of Efforts to Get Data
From Policeman.
VICTIMS HUSBAND
QUESTIONED AT HOME
Parents Present During Quizzing.
but Warned Not to Interfere,
He Says.

A bitter attack was made on former
Policeman Robert j. Allen TODAY by
Inspector William S. Shelby when he
took the witness stand in his own de-
tense before the extraordinary police
trial board which is sitting the charges
that he and Lieut.. Edward j. Kelly
bungled the police investigation of the
death Of Mrs. Virginia Mcpherson.
The attack came while Shelby was
relating the details of his check-up on
Aliens claim that he had seen a man
escape from the rear of the Park Lane
Apartment prior to the finding there
OF the garroted body of Mrs. McPher-
son.
Shelby said when he was first in
formed of Aliens statement that he
had witness who had seen a man
on the roof OF the Park Lane res
taurant he was shocked and amazed
to learn that the Police Department
had on its rolls a man so base and
SO low as to retain, locked in his heart
information which, If true, was vital to
the public justice" Considering its
L
did not give any credence to the state
ment."
Shelby occupied the witness stand
throughout the entire morning session
OF the trial board and gave a complete
and chronological account of the part
he played in the investigation of the
Mcpherson case.
Outlines Long Career.
Shelby began his testimony by giving
an outline of his long career on the
police force back to 1902, recounting,
step by step. the various promotions
which carried him from a private to
his present rank of assistant superin-
tendent. He then turned to a detailed
review of the part he played in the now
famous Mcpherson case,
Shelby started with his first inter-
view with Lieut.. Kelly relative to his
preliminary investigation of Mrs. Nc
PherSon's death when the deposed head
OF the homicide squad of the Detective
Bureau reported to him that it was
"a bad-looking case, but had the ele-
ments of suicide 4"
Net Present at Autopsy.
Shelby said he was not present when
the autopsy was performed on the body
of Mrs. Mcpherson, but while at the
District morgue he heard Dr. joseph
D. Rogers, deputy coroner. telephone to
the third precinct and direct release of
Robert A. Mcpherson, who was being
held there for investigation, and ordered
That he and his father, Robert A. Me-
PherSon, Sr., be summoned to attend
the inquest at the morgue.
Returning to headquarters, Shelby
said he was advised of long distance
telephone call from A. A. Hurley, father
OF Mrs. Mcpherson, who lives in Ches-
ter, S. c., reporting that he had letters
from his daughter indicating domestic
difficulties. On the basis of this in
formation he declared he issued an
order Tor thorough Investigation of
this angle of the case.
Call Six Weeks Before.
On returning to police headquarters,
inspector Shelby said, Sergt Guy EN-
brey told him of a telephone call he
had received about six weeks before
from Mrs. McPherson's father, who
complained that his daughter was being
mlstreated by Mcpherson and requested
the police to look into the matter. An
investigation was made, the witness
said, but no condition was found at
mat time to justify police interference.
Shelby said that he and Kelly then
began detailed discussion of the case,
Kelly informed him he had received in
formation that girl named Dorothy
Ringer had been to the Mcpherson
apartment on Thursday night. He said
that he and Kelly went to this girls
apartment in Trinity Towers, but that
she was not at home He then told
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