Evening star., 1933-08-23
IBODY OF MISSING
| D. c, MAN IS FOUND
| IN POTOMAC RIVER
Washington Electrician Was
Beaten to Death With
Blunt instrument.
DISCOVERY IS MADE
NEAR MARSHALL HALL
Coroner's Inquest Declares Victim
Died as Result of Blow
on the Head.

Beaten to death by a blunt instru-
ment, the body of Orlando Ross, jr.,
21-year-old electrician employed on
the new EXtensible Building of the
Agriculture Department, was washed
up last night on the shore near Mar
shall Hall Park, Nd
Its discovery by three youths on a
fishing party resulted today in the
launching of two murder Investigations,
one by police of Charles County. the
other by metropolitan police of Wash
ington, who had been on the lookout
for the young man since his distraught
family reported MIN missing from a
moonlight excursion boat Sunday
night
Possibility that Ross death may be
another gang killing" was Intimated
by the youths father. Orlando Ross,
ST., who said his son had been run
| ming around with a pretty swift gang"
| of which neither Of the parents ap-
proved. However, neither could the
| father or the mother find a motive for
the murder, asserting that, so far as
they know, he never had any
enemies
Inquest Is Held.
A coroner's inquest. convened over
| the body in the gathering dusk of last
evening on the Potomac River bank,
attributed the death to "a blow in the
head by a party or parties unknown"
DR.. E. B. Owens, Pomonkey physl-
| clan and surgeon. who examined the
| body on instruction of Acting Coroner
| F. E. Mattingly of Indian Head, an
| nounced there was a deep gaon in the
back of Ross head which caused
! skull fracture Absence Of water in the
l I,,,,rr eHo I,a1
| before he was thrown into the water
| Ross, former Central High School
student, who lived with his parents a.
1914 ! street, left home shortly after
noon Sunday and never again was seen
| alive by members Of his family. With
| a group of friends. young men and
women, he left the Seventh Stree,
| Wharf late that day for a moonlight
trip down the river. At Marshall Hall
Park all left the boat, but. so far as is
known, Ross never returned aboard for
the voyage back to Washington
Whether he was lured away from the
amusement park and attacked or
whether he strayed away and missed
the boat and then was set upon is con-
| jectural. Upon discovery that he was
| missing, friends drove his car which
he had left parked at the wharf here,
back to Marshall Hall that night in 4
vain attempt to find him.
Call Deputy Sheriff.
1t was shortly after o'clock Ia
night when George Baker Henry Dod-
son and Charles Smith. young resident
Of the neighborhood of Marshall Hall,
found the body washed up near the
shore close to the amusement park.
Immediately they communicated with
Deputy Sheriff John Sprague, at In
dian Head, who, in turn, called Acting
Coroner F. E. Mattingly. Together,
they pulled the body from the water.
summoned a coroners jury and held
the inquest.
The body at that time was unident!-
fed. 1t was well dressed in light gray
suit. brown -and-White sport shoes, tan
shirt and tie. Tattooing was found
over arms and legs, and it was b. these
marks that Ross father identified the
youth early this morning by telephone.
Robbery could not have been the mo-
tive, according to police. because Sl26
in cash was found in Ross pockets
Young Ross is survived by a 20-year-
old brother. Irwin, in addition to his
parents. He was born here March II,
1912. and attended the Franklin School
before entering Central Funeral ar
rangements have not yet been COM
pleted.