Evening star., 1932-02-16
Charges Are Filed in Connec-
tion With Stanley
Bell Case.
ARRAIGNMENT OF PAIR
TO BE DISPENSED WITH
Grand Jury to Begin Probe for In.
dictments Immediately-New
Arrests Expected.

Charges Of conspiracy" were lodged
today against John c. Price and Ernest
Meile, discharged firemen, and man
whose name was withheld by police, In
connection with the firing OF a shot
into the bed room of Stanley Bell,
WMAL announcer, who lives next door
to Fire Chief George Watson at 1928
Fourteenth street.
The case will be brought before the
grand jury without an arralgnment IN
Police Court, and it was understood IN
dictments will be sought charging
conspiracy to commit an assault with
a dangerous weapon"
Decision to take the case before the
grand jury without delay was said by
the District attorneys office to have
been reached following threats made
against witnesses against the flremen.
Can't Remember Shooting.
Price has admitted, according to
police. that he "dislikes" Chief Watson,
who, he claims, helped to fire" him.
He told police after his arrest that he
was drunk on the night of the shooting
and couldn't remember" whether he
fired the shot or not. detectives said.
Arrest of the third man named in
the warrants, issued yesterday afternoon
by Assistant United States Attorney
Michael Keogh. is expected shortly.
Meanwhile Detective Sergt. H. K.
Wilson. head of the homicide squad,
announced things look bright toward
solution of the mysterious shooting, two
weeks ago Of Helen Andrews and Doris
Beall, two high school students.
Expects Arrests Soon.
He said he expected to have some
thing definite" within "a hours and in
dicated two or mere persons might be
taken into custody in connection with
the shootings, the first Of series that
eliminated in the murder of Paul Riedel,
bakery proprietor. of 321512 Mount
Pleasant street. creating reign Of ter
ror in the northwest residential dis
trict.
Both Miss Andrews, who Is ID and
lives at 58lI Sixth street, and her
chum, Miss Beall, 16, of 1411 G street
southeast, virtually have recovered from
their wounds. Gordon T. Backus, ST.
vear-old Agriculture Department for
ester, Of 3433 Mount Pleasant street,
who was shot the same evening, also Is
recovering
Denies Two Shot Girls.
Detective Sergt Wilson announced he
was convinced the discharged flremen
had no connection with the shooting OF
Riedel. Backus and the two girls.
Lieut.. John Fowler, police ballistics
expert, has maintained from the be-
ginning that the bullet fired into Bells
apartment was of an entirely different
type and not fired from the same gun
| from which the others were fired, either
at the two men or two girls.
He emphasized today that he had
made only one examination Of the bull
let taken from the wall in Bells home.
Then he found it to be a copper
jacketed bullet" whereas the other bull
lets used in the shootings of the men
and girls were copper dipped" There
is a wide difference between the two
varieties, he said.
The two firemen were discharged from
the department within three months of
each other, Meile being the first to go.
He was appointed December II, 1926.
and was discharged last May 81 for
absence without permission" Three
months later Price was discharged for
"tardiness and unfitness" He had been
on the force about seven years.