Evening star., 1932-01-22
POLICE RELEASE
MURDER SUSPECT
CoIored Man Was Held in Old
Germantown
HoId-up.
BY a STAFF Correspondent of The Star

FLCSh LILLE, MQ., JaTu AIRY AZ.-Wllu
scant information on which to work
police of Montgomery County, assisted
by two detectives from Baltimore, are
running down every possible clue to
the identity of the three colored men
who Wednesday night shot and killed
Horace D. Waters, 79-year-old store
keeper of Old Germantown, Md, and
wounded his clerk, Richard A. Ben
nett, SO, in futile attempt at robbery.
Last night the officers took into Gus
tody Julius Beckwith, colored, Of WASH
ington, and after subjecting him to
questioning here took him to Old Ger
msntown to see If Mr.. Bennett could
identify him as one of the bandit trio.
The clerk told police that he was posi-
tive Beckwith was not one Of the mec
who entered the store, and he was re-
leased.
Colored Men Questioned.
The four colared men held in the
Rockville Jail were further questioned
last night by county officers and De-
tective Sergts. M. j. Dunn and William
j Flynn of Baltimore police, who were
assigned to the case by Gen. Gather,
police commissioner for Baltimore City,
at the request of States Attorney Sted-
man Prescott. Police claimed they re-
ceived little information of value.
Three of these men, Herman Moore, 35;
Milton Warren, AZ and Quaint Terry,
IS. all residents of the old German
town neighborhood, were in the store
when the murder took place.
The fourth man hold In the Rockville
Jail is Bud Prather, colored, of German
town and Washington, who, police say,
is the man three strange colored men
asked to see when they appeared in the
vicinity of the crime early in the day
Wednesday. He was arrested early yes
terday. No charges have been placed
against any of these men.
Interest in the case was expressed by
Gov. Albert C. Ritchie of Maryland
yesterday afternoon through Maj E.
Brooke Lee Gov Ritchie expressed his
sympathy and offered any assistance
needed in connection with the clearing
up of the cold-blooded murder and
assault.
Funeral Services Today.
Funeral services for Mr.. Waters will
be held at O'Clock this afternoon
at the family residence at Old Ger
mantown. with interment in the
Neelsville Cemetery. Canon Arthur B
Rudd recently called to be the rector
of Christ's Episcopal Church at Rock
vile, will have charge of the serv-
ices. The board of directors of the
Farmers Banking & Trust Co. of Rock
vile, of which Mr.. Waters was mem
Der at the time of his death. will act
as honorary pallbearers. Bowie F.,
Julian r, william and Eugene Waters,
Bache Albert and J, Hampton Jones
will be the active pallbearers.
Late yesterday afternoon State At
torney Prescott, who is conducting the
search for the murderers in conjunc-
ton with Chief Alvie A. Moxley of
county police, established the fact that
the automobile in which the three
bandits escaped was an old touring
car bearing District of Columbia
license tags. With this information
Sergt Guy L. Jones and Detective
Theodore Vollten visited Washington
and searched through colored settle
ments, with the cooperation OF Wash
ington police. without any definite re-
suits being obtained.
Mr.. Waters was shot through the
heart and in the hip by one of the
two bandits who entered his store,
while third bandit waited outside
in q machine.
Shot When He Resisted.
Police believe the bandits had re-
ceived information that Mr.. Waters
was in the habit of carrying consider
able money on his person, as they
made no attempt to rob the cash |
drawer, but made directly for the aged |
merchant and shot him down when |
he resisted their attempts to search |
his clothing for his wallet.
Mr.. Bennett. the clerk, was shot in |
the right arm as he came forward in |
the store, believing the bandits were
customers. The bullet which pierced |
his arm Is also believed to have been |
the one which entered Mr.. Waters |
hip, as those present stated that but |
two shots were fired. The bandits |
who did the shooting was armed with |
a .45-cabiler gun. the autopsy con- |
Quoted yesterday showed. A 32-caliber |
revolver with a skeleton handle, found |
on nearby bridge after the crime, |
may have been thrown away by the |
second bandits police believe. This
gun is being examined for finger
prints.