Evening star., 1933-09-19
POLICE ROUND Up
GANG SUSPECTS IN
BOOTLEG Staying
Several Men Questioned After
Charles w. Jones, Jr., Is
Shot in Blind Alley.
GUNMEN CORNER VICTIM
BEFORE OPENING FIRE
Father of Two Small Children Is
Killed Near Government
Printing Office.

All the known haunts Of underworld
characters were being watched today
as police sought the slayers Of Charles
w. Jones, jr., 32-year-old bootlegger,
who fell before fusillade OF shots fired
from one of two automobiles that cor
nered him and three friends in blind
allev in the rear of the Government
Printing Office late yesterday.
Working under direction OF Capt.
Bernard w. Thompson, the detectives
began a general roundup, in the nope
that somewhere they would unearth
some bit of information that might
give them a clue as to the identity OF
the gunmen.
During the morning several men were
picked up for questioning by thompson
and Detective Sergt. George Darnali,
acting chief of the homicide squad.
What connection, if any, the men had
with the shooting neither thompson
nor Darnall would reveal. All tney
would say was simply that the men
were witnesses
Questioned As Witness.
Shortly before the roundup. Wliliam
Quirk, 20, described as one OF Tue wv
missing witnesses to the shooting'
was taken to headquarters by pro1es,
sional bondsman. He. too, was suo]ecteo
to an intensive grllllng.
ZONES father of two small chlldren
uas shot down as he and Two othel
men stood in the alley, drinking oee.
and talking. Another man, also Irleiiu
of Jones. stood nearby. So far as the
investigators could learn, none OF Tie
men was armed. ~.
Suddenly two cars drove INTO tlie
tt,n
other from the south. AS tney GREW
onnosite Jones and his companions, a
nan seated beside the driver OF one OF
them ouened fire. How many snots
were fired, none of the witnesses was
anle to saw definitely. With the nrSt
rpport of the revolver, believed to nave
been a As caliber, Jones and MS COM
panions ran for cover. Before Jones
could get out of the way. however ne
went down, bullet in the top OF ms
head His companions codged pehlno
line of marked cars and Scurried for
safety.
Another Reported Shot.
Some OF the witnesses declared one
of Jones. companions was shot IN the
hand. but others were equally inslstent
the bootlegger was the only Vlctlin VI
the fusillade.
Without pausing after the shooting.
the cars sped through the alley and
disappeared at opposite ends. Jones
was taken to Sibley Hospital. where he
died less than an hour later without
regaining consciousness.
The police at once started search
for both Jones' companions and thelr
assailants Although there was no posi-
tive evidence both machines were oc-
cupied by gunmen, investigators were
inclined to believe that two automo-
biles were used in carefully laid plot
to trap Jones and his companions in
the alley. The point at which the
shooting occurred, known as jackson
alley and Smith row, was perfect
death trap, it was pointed out.
Less than half an hour before the
shooting. the detectives were told.
Jones and his companions were threat
ened by members of a rival bootleg
gang.
Denies Being Present.
At first the detectives thought Jones'
brother, George, %. was one OF the
men who escaped death in the hail
of bullets. He was picked up snort
time later, however, and denied having
been in the alley. He was released
bitter questioning.
The slain man, investigators asserted,
headed small gang of bootleggers Re
Gently, they said, the group had been
ht odds with several other gangs.
Possibility that the shooting may
have been the work of a gang of hood
iums from Philadelphia or New Jersey
was scoffed at by the slain mans father.
Charles w. Jones, ST., proprietor OF
lunch room at South Capitol and K
streets
Il know the Boo-Boo Huff mobsters
In Philly and jersey" said the father,
former prize fighter, "and I know
none of them would have any reason
to kill my boy. I used to run an ath-
letic club in Philadelphia, and got to
know practically all the big shots IN
that section"
Describes Assailants.
Shortly after midnight Myer Belasco,
25, of the 800 block of I street, walked
into headquarters and said he was one
of the men with Jones at the time OF
the shooting. He was booked for in
vestigation and locked up at the EleV-
enth precinct Like most of the other
witnesses he was able to describe two
men in the machine from which the
shots were fired, but declared he had
not seen them before.
Altogether. nine witnesses were
rounded up and taken to headquarters.
Most of them were scheduled to be re-
leased after questioning, however.
A partial autopsy performed on
Jones body by Acting Coroner A. Nc
Gruder Macdonald and Deputy Cor
oner Christopher j. Murphy indicated
the bootlegger was trying to duck" at
the time he was shot. The bullet en-
tered the top of his head, DR.. Mac
Donald said, adding he must have
been crouched at the time. The bull
let will be turned over to Lieut.. John
Fowler, police ballistics expert, If it is
recovered
About an hour after the shooting. in
Vestigators were told, three men in a
large sedan bearing three sets OF license
plates tossed a package into the Ana
costa River Those who witnessed the
episode said two guns were lying on
the back seat of the car.
Both Jones and his brother were ar
rested about month ago in Federal
drive against the illicit alcohol racket.
Both were released on bond. Several
months earlier, George Jones and three
other men we're arrested in connection
with the death of colored man. who
was killed in a street fight. A coroners
fury held them for grand jury action.
but no indictments were returned
Jones is survived by his widow. Mrs.
Edna Jones' and their two children,
Dorothy. 4, and Charles. 2: Thelr ao-
dress was given as the 5000 block OF
Fourteenth street. but they were not
known at the exact address gwen.
Weatherman Poetical.