Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13
Autopsy and Tree in Valley
Give Strength to SurmlSe
Plunge Killed Morrow.
INQUEST IS ORDERED
FOR 1890 TOMORROW
Probers Discard Footprint as Clue,
Disclosing Auto Accident and
Alleged Drinking.

Gay Deneath The Plney branCn valley
Bridge at Sixteenth street and Spring
road, III the rear of his home, under
circumstances pointing strongly to foul
play, was the victim of an accidental
plunge down the precipitous hill there
it appeared Lass night after a 12-hour
police inquiry, bolstered by the findings
O. an autopsy.
Early in the afternoon Dr.. A. Ma
gTuder Macdonald, deputy coroner,
who performed the autopsy, reported
that death had resulted from violent
shock, such as a fall, which ruptured
both lungs and the liver, producing
internal hemO.Thages he added that
marks about the face. which were be-
lleved to have been received in ply
steal encounter, were only superficial
and could have come from the fall.
Last night Detective Sergt. James A.
Epringmann, head of the homicide squad
announced that INSPECTION of a gulley
running down the steep embankment
back of the Morrow apartment at l445
Spring read had disclosed deep foot
prints such as would be made by
man who had lost his balance and was
going headlOng down the slope.
fallen tree near the bottom of the hill,
which is about IS feet long and on
an angle OF about 60 degrees, showed
evidence Of having been struck by
falling object Springmann said. Low
branches were newly broken, according
to Springmann. who said also that
traces of the green moss from the tree
trunk were found on MorroWS clothing.
Footprint Called Own.
Investigation also brought out that
Morrow had been drinking Friday night,
Springmanu said. It was assumed that
after parking his car III front Of his
home, the policeman, who was regarded
as a model officer, had gone around to
the rear of his apartment and in some
way walked over the edge Of the en-
bankment just a few feet away.
The probe also diSSpated another
clue when it was determined that a
footprint in the back of MorroW's shirt,
thought to have been made by an
aSsailant. was the print Of his own shoe.
1t is presumed that he stepped on the
shirt before he put it on. The heel
mark was particularly clear, and &C
cOrding to Springmann, comparison
with the shoes worn by Morrow eStab-
lished the source Of the print. There
was no mark on the body beneath the
print on the shirt.
Morrow : body was discovered at
9.05 O'Clock. six hours after his auto
mobile had been found parked in front
OF the apartment by his wife, Mrs
Harriet L. Morrow, who. alarmed by
the fact that he had not reported at
NO. 3 precinct at midnight, when he
was to go on duty, went outside TO
see if she could find him. She noticed
that the engine was warm. as though
the car had just been stopped. and
then. expecting Morrow TO come III i'm
mcdiatcly, returned to their apartment
to wait, She has been in a state of
hysteria since the body was found.
Accident Is Disclosed.
Morrow had been dead for several
hours when his body was found, lending
support to the theory that he was killed
just after he had left his car.
Investigators have succeeded in trac-
ing his movements up to 1875 Friday
night according to Detective SPRING
mann. They are now attempting to
locate a companion who was with him
during the evening. 1t was from per-
sons whom he had seen during the eve
ming that the detectives uncovered the
drinking angle, it was said. He also
had been involved III a minor automo-
bile collision during the night, accord
ing to Springmann, who said that Nor
rows car had been damaged. The other
car was only dented. and the name of
the driver vas not learned.
MorroW's body first was seen by Mrs
Ruth Richardson of the Pershing Apart
ments. 3701 Sixteenth street, whose
windows command a view of the val
ley.
When he had not moved for half
hour she trained glasses on him. and
realized that he was not a sleeper.
She sent her son Billy. 10. to the
bridge. and when he informed her that
the man appeared to have been beaten
about the face she sent him to notify
police.
Morrow's body lay face upward. about
IS feet from the foot of the bridge,
which is Sc feet above the valley His
arms and legs were crossed. The upper
part of the body was in a depression in
the earth, partly filled with under
growth.
Face StreSked by Blood.
His face was bruised, the left eye
was black and there was a small cash
at the top of the nose. Blood streaked
his face.
His identity was established almost
Immediately, and police investigation
was launched. 1t was Immediately de-
teymncd that he had not in any way
bcen implicated in the third-degree
probe.
The first conclusion of police was
that Morrow had been slIgged and
thrown from the bridge, but after an
examination Coroner j. r. hewitt said
the surmise was erroneous He ordered
the body to the Morgue for the au-
topsy.
Inspector Thaddeus Bean immedi-
ately got in touch with Mrs. Morrow
and learned that she had last heard
from her husband at 7:30 O'Clock last
night, when he phoned that he was i'll
rO6 did not intend to tn work at
midnight. She also was informed of
the accident
Coroner Holds Fall Possible.
Shortly after l o'clock, when Nor
rows absence from duty became known,
Lieut. j. w McGinnis of No. called
at the officers home and was advised
Of the phone call At that time Mrs
Morrow looked outside, but saw moth
ing of the car. 1t was on her second
trip outside, at 2:30 o'clock, that she
found it.
Dr.. Macdonald performed the au-
topsy at noon. He discovered that none
OF Morrow's bones had been broken,
and that there were no marks about
the head other than the superficial
bruises and laceration of the nose. Five
runctures in the lungs were disclosed,
and the right lobe of the liver was
found ruptured. There was also a
bruise on the chest.
A fall in which he had struck a
tree. such as was uncovered by the de-
foet{--eS, 4t0voctiCa ti0Y7 world Iova raro-