Evening star., 1933-10-16
13-YEAR-0LD BOY
DR0WN|NGV|CT|M,
CORONER ASSERTS
Autopsy Reveals No Marks
of Violence on Body of
Francis Long.
PARENTS SCORE THEORY
SON COMMITTED SUICIDE
Mother Believes He Was Killed
by Colored Hoodlums Who
Beat Him Year Ago.

carrier boy. whose body was found float
ing in the Washington Channel yester-
day, was drowned. Deputy Coroner
Christopher ]. Murphy said today.
The statement was made after an
autopsy failed to reveal marks OF
violence on the body of the youngster
who disappeared from his home, 1913
Tenth street, last Tuesday night.
The only marks on the body" said
DR.. Murphy, were of the kind ordi-
>narily resulting from decomposition.
The boys death was due to asphyxia
caused by drowning
Belief Francis was murdered by the
same gang of colored hoodlums that
beat him into Inconsistencies nearly a
year ago was expressed by his mother,
Mrs. Marie Long, who declared she eX
perienced a strange feeling" that
something terrible was happening to
him" when he failed to return home
for dinner last Tuesday night.
Both Mrs. Long and her husband,
John j. Long, scoffed al the theory
advanced by some members of the
police homicide squad-that the boy
had killed himself
Murdered Says Mrs. Long.
1T was a murder" said Mrs. Long.
Nobody could ever convince me that
Francis committed suicide. and I'm
equally sure he wasn't the victim OF
an accident"
>Seated in the living room of her
home. Mrs. Long wept as she described
the strange feeling" that overcame her
the night of her sons disappearance.
Il was just sitting here, wondering
why he didn't come home" she said.
''All of a sudden, 1 had the most hor-
rible feeling-a feeling that something
terrible was happening to my boy
don't know why, but I kept saying to
myself. They've got him! They've got
him.
Il said it over and over again. 1
could almost hear him calling to me
to help him. I ran to the door and
looked up and down the street for him,
I was so sure I had actually heard his
voice. People think I'm crazy when I
tell them this, but every word of it is
true
Francis, an altar boy at Immaculate
Conception Church. left home with the
explanation that he was going to collect
on his newspaper route.
When he did not return. his father
and a cousin. George Prayer. who
boards at the Long residence. searched
streets and alleys in the area covered
by his route until midnight. Then,
having lOuIlu no IIdCe VI IlllIl, lllcy
called upon second precinct police for
assistance Accompanied by several Off
GERS. they continued the search until
about 3 am.
Check Over Route.
Next day the police checked over the
youngsters newspaper route, but found
he had covered only small portion OF
1t. The last seen of him, they were
told, was as he was entering store in
the vicinity of Eleventh and M streets.
No clues to his whereabouts were dis
covered until yesterday, when Frank
Nightingale, owner OF houSeboat
moored in Washington Channel, near
the foot of Twelfth street. saw his body
floating nearby. Nightingale notified the
harbor police station and Sergt. E. K.
Shelton and Policeman Carl Spring re-
covered the body.
When Francis left home. his mother
said. he had a dollar The fact his
pockets were empty when the body was
found caused Detective Sergts. George
Darnau and Jerry F'laherty, who are
working together on the case. to con-
slider the possibility he used the money
to hire the canoe. found floating in the
channel Thursday at about the same
point as the body was discovered.
parnall. the suicide theory is out
Either the boy was murdered, or eiss
he drowned accidentally. 1t may ne
that he fell overheard while In the
canoe"
Seek Owner of Canoe.
Harbor police were ordered to make
everv effort to trace the ownership Oh
the canoe, with view to ascertainlng
Iirp1 nv hOV answer
ing Francis description. -
The accident theory also was dis
credited by the boys parents. however.
"Francis was afraid of the water. MS
mother declared, land he couldn't
swim" :-,
Mrs. Long was informed by a neigh.
bor, she said. that one OF three coloreo
youths engaged in street-corner con-
versation Thursday night was hearo 10
remark: .:
and I'm glad of it"
No names were mentioned, and there
was nothing to indicate what kind OF
lob the youths were discussing, but
Mrs Long said:
I'm sure they were talking ABOUT
Francis
About IL months ago Francis was at
tackled and robbed OF his newspaper
route collections-a total OF about 81
by gang of colored youths. who left
him lying unconscious in an alley near
Eleventh and M streets
In addition to serving papers Francis
sold magazines after school, and sew
eral officials of the Department OF JUS
tice we're among his regular customers.
After his disappearance agents OF the
Division of Investigation, under j. Ed
gar Hoover, participated in the search
for him.
The Longs have two other sons and
q daughter-John, Is, who Is studying
for the priesthood; Joseph. II. and
Marie, g. Francis also planned to be-
hi Said