The Washington times., 1931-05-13
BITES
FINGER Of
Stimson Orders Probe OF
the Ell Salvador Incident;
Police Hit by Attaches

CONTINUED From First Page)
Mahon, zoos M St. N. E. He wa:
taken into custody by Sergt. Larry
O'Dea for questioning In cOnnec
tiOn with the assault. Two Othel
men were arrested with him, bu
they were released after queS
tiOning.
Mcmahon has a long police
record, with FL charges on it dat
ing back to 1909 police revealed
He was first arrested in thai
year on a charge of assault anc
placed on probation.
In December, 1918, he was
placed on probation for the theft
Of an automobile.
Given Two Years
July 8, 1919, Mcmahon was in
dicted on a charge Of assault
with dangerous weapon. His
prior probation was revoked and
he was sentenced to two years in
Atlanta on that charge and 13
years on the assault.
The sentence was commuted in
October, 1925, and he was re
leased. A number of minor
charges followed, and in January
1925, he was sentenced to 5000
fine or 100 days in Jail for trans.
portation of liquor.
A sentence of $50 or 80 days
was inflicted in the following
December for the same charge
Since that time a number of
charges Of disorderly conduct and
assault have been placed against
him. In practically every instance
the records show that bond was
forfeited.
The assault on the diplomat
came early this morning as he
was returning from a social func-
tion. DR.. Leiva has been living
alone in the legation while his
wife and other members of the
family are in FL Salvador. He
but recently returned from there.
Discovered Four Men
All the legation servants were
off duty. Roberto Melendez, sec
+ ond secretary of the lagtion, and
Miss Conchita Marmol- -Esquival
member of the staff, reside else.
where.
As DR.. Leiva entered the build.
ing he found the four men, and
despite the fact that they we're
armed and he was not, he hurled
himself at the intruderS.
A number of shots were fired,
but fortunately he escaped them.
The bandits however, flung them
selves on him. AS he fell under
the blows, they fled.
Made Way to Street
DR.. Leiva, a large, powerful
man, managed to make his way
to the street and stagger across
Connecticut Ave. to the ShOreham
DelicateSsen.
A trail of blod marked his
passage. AS he staggered in and
told of the attack, Achilles Or
pianos, night manager who was
just closing up, telephoned for
police.
An ambulance was rushed to
the place, and DR.. Leiva was
taken to Emergency Hospital.
At the hospital today DR.. Levia
made light Of the assault. He
said:
81 will not report the matter
to the State Department. It's
a joke. I do not want to make
long story out Of a short one.
It is well to let the matter
drop. It might have happened
to anybody
He laughed at his experience,
but said he left his mark on one
Of the robbers.
Despite the statement Of DIR.
Leiva that he will not make a
formal complaint to the State
Department about the attack,
Secretary of State Stimson de.
Clared that it is of such serious
nature that he will order a
thorough investigation to deter.
mine IL the diplomatic corps Is
being afforded adequate police
protection. .
The Secretary also started pre-.
pairing messages to both the Gov.
ernment Of Ell Salvador and to
DR.. Leiva offering his personal
regret over the attack on the
diplomat.
RapS Police Force
Turnini to some Of his fellow
Latin-American friends at his bed
side, D.. Leiva remarked:
But the Washington police
force is the worst / have ever
seen-take the unsOlved Baker
murder, the girl whose body
was found in a culvert over in
Virginia more than a year ago,
and the murder of other girls in
their homes, which in recent
months have remained un.
solved
At this point, Don Roberto
Melendez, second secretary of the
legation, standing by his chiefs
cot. disclosed that during last
Holy Week a similar raid was
made on the legations liquor sup
ply and with some success.
He believes the men who as
saulted DR.. Leiva today were the
same who committed the first
raid. He said:
During Holy Week they en-
tered nv emitting a niece of glass