Evening star., 1932-02-12
MYSTERY GUNMAN
FIRES INTO ROOM
OF STANLEY BELL
NeWsboy Sees Passenger in
TaXicab Lean Out and
Pull Trigger.
SLEEPER is MYSTIFIED
By ATTEMPT ON LIFE
Radio Announcer Says He Can't
Explain Shot, Unless 1t Was
"the Mad sniper."

"the Mad sniper."
The mysterious gunman who has killed
one man and wounded three other per-
sons in the last eight days IS believed
to have fired a shot early today into
the bed room of Stanley Bell, announcer
for radio Station WMAL.
Bell told police the bullet crashed
through a window of his second-fioor
apartment at 1890 Fourteenth street
shortly after O'Clock this morning.
Newsboy Sees Shot.
The gunplay was witnessed by only
one person, newsboy, who told po-
lice the shot was fired by a man in
taxicab The gunman leaned from the
cab window, the boy said, leveled his
gun at Bells apartment and pulled the
trigger. Then, the boy. added, the
gunman forced the driver to speed
away.
Neither the license number nor the
name of the cab were noticed by the
boy however,
Bell who was asleep when the bullet
tore through the window, said he has
no enemies and cannot even guess who
fired the shot unless it was the myS-
teriouS gunman."
Bullet Hits Windshield.
The gunplay was reported to police
while they were still investigating a
report that a bullet was fired through
the windshield of an automobile driven
by Mrs. Mamie T. Johnston. 1888
Clifton street, while she and two other
women were riding through Rock Creek
Park last Sunday. Mrs. Johnston was
unable to say whether the shot was
fired from another automobile or by
some ore concealed in the underbrush
along the road.
At the same time police also were
investigating a shooting and a reported
attempted shooting on the theory they.
too. may have been perpetrated by the
mysterious gunman.
Meanwhile, the three youths arrested
Wednesday night following an alleged
holdup have been cleared of any con-
nection with the series of shootings.
according to Inspector Frank S. w.
Burke, chief of detectives. They are
being held, however. for Interrogation
in connection with a number of other
crimes, mostly holdupS.
Washingtonian Shot.
Last nights shooting occurred near
Brooks Hill, Md, but the victim is a
resident Of Washington.
He is William H. Gehramann, 48, of
120 Adams street. He was walking on
Conduit road shortly before midnight,
he told police, when man suddenly
leaped from a parked automobile, and,
without any warning, fired at him.
Wounded in the left arm, Gehramann
went to Georgetown University Hos
pital. where he was treated. His con-
dition is not considered serious.
The attempted shooting" was re-
ported to police by Maurice Salkeld. 5
Pine avenue, Takoma Park, Md. He
said he and two other men-Jules
Pruitt and Benjamin Reins. both of
Takoma Park-were walking near
Carroll and Maple streets about 11:45
O'Clock when they we're fired upon
from large touring car. After firing
enc shot at him and his companions,
Salkeld added, the motorist sped away
Checking up on Salkeld's report, po-
lice were told that one of the men de-
Clared the shot was nothing more
than the backfre of the machine,
while the other asserted he had heard
no noise of any kind. Nevertheless,
police continued their investigation.
Trio Faces 45 Witnesses.
Approximately As witnesses failed last
night to identify any of the three young
men arrested Wednesday night after
chase through Rock Creek Park by
police cruiser. Previously one of the
trio had been said to answer the gen.
eral description of the slayer of Paul
Riedel. As, of 1909 Adams Mill road,
uh shot Saturday NIGHT in his
bakery at 321512 Mount Pleasant street.
One of the youths, who gave his
name as Willard Messick, "a, was iden-
titled, however, as Floyd Bennett, one
of three men arrested during the in
vestigation of the unsolved murder of
manuel Thorne. Marine private, whose
body was found buried in patch of
woods in Greater Capitol Heights, Md
last Winter
Bennett. according to Capt. Bernard
Thompson, assistant chief of detec-
tives, faces prosecution on a non-sup-
port charge filed by his wife, who lives
at 1246 Maryland avenue northeast.
When questioned by members of the
homicide squad, the youth declared he
was unable to remember anything that
had happened since last October. whsn
he fell off a freight train in Kansas
City, Mo.
Captured After Chase.
The two arrested with him were
William Mckinney. 18, Fitchburg.
Mass, and William G. Duffy. %, of
Macon, Ga The three were captured
after a chase in which several shots
were fired by police. Before surren-
dering however, one of them is said
to have attempted to shoot Detective
Sergt E. F. Lewis but the gun, .25
caliber automatic, jammed.
The mysterious gunman's other VIC
tins were Gordon T. Backus, 81, 3433
Mount Pleasant street; Helen Andrews,
18. of 5811 Sixth street. and Doris
Beall, 16, of 1411 G street southeast.
Both Backus and the girls were shot
last Thursday night while walking in
cao+inr, Of city,