Evening star., 1933-12-17

case were developed. The first consisted
of a closely knit chain of testimony
from witnesses who said Crawford
was seen in Middleburg the day before
the Ilsley murder. and connected him
with a note found in the car stolen
from Mrs. usleys garage the night she
was killed. The second portion was the
confession. which was admitted into evi-
dence after three-hour debate before
the presiding Judge late Thursday after
noon and Friday morning.
Throughout the long sessions of the
trial there were present in the court
room many members of the wealthy
Northern Virginia hunting set who we're
friends of the slain woman Several
prominent sportsmen from Middleburg
were called to the stand to tell Of the
events which occurred on the morning
the crimes were discovered Among
them were Capt Henry Frost, Brig
Gen. William Mitchell, former chief of
the Army Air Corps, and Daniel c.
Sands, master of the Middleburg Hunt.
Outstanding technical testimony was
given by DR.. Oscar B. Hunter. Wash
ington pathologist, who told of finding
colored skin and hair under Mrs.
| her body. He said that she obviously
had put up a terrific struggle before
she was downed by a rain of blows
from a blunt instrument which frac-
tured her skull in two places and in
flicted vulnerable bruises and cuts about
her head and arms. Mrs. Buckner, he
said, apparently was killed almost in
stantly by two terrific blows that
smashed her head.
Watchman Is Called.
Paul Boeing, brother of Mrs Ilsley,
who slept in the mansion house on the
estate the night the murders were COM
n1itted, also was called to the stand to
describe how he found the bodies of the
two women when he went over to the
cottage to get breakfast preparatory to
a fox hunt.
In addition to expert testimony link
ing Crawford with the note found in
the Ilsley car, the State called to the
stand E. w. M. Cost, a night watch
man. who identified the defendant as
the man he had seen leaving the ma
chine early on the morning of January
13 with another colored man.
Carefully retracing Crawford's move
ments prior to the Staying, the prose-
cution produced witnesses who saw him
near Herndon, Va, on January IL, in
Middleburg on the afternoon of the
18th and again on the streets of that
town few hours before tie two women
were killed. Statements made by the
defendant in his confession conceded
with the testimony given by these per-
sons.
Berda Deneal, a Mid6iepurg c0iored
woman, was another important witness
for the State She told of going to
Boston with Crawford in the Fall Of
1881, returning to Washington with him
in December and later meeting him in
Middleburg the day after Christmas.
She also said she received a note from
Crawford on the afternoon of January
IL. saying he was in Middleburg and
wanted her to send him some food
Two letters inclosed in coat mailed to
Mrs. Deneal after Mrs. Ilsley was killed
also were produced in evidence and
served as important factors in linking
Crawford to the abandoned Ilsley car
found near Hoover Airport after the
crime.
Writing Expert Testifies.
]. H. Taylor, an identification and
handwriting expert of the Navy De-
partment, said the two letters received
by Mrs. Deneal and a note found III
the car were written by the same per-
son. The scrap of paper had inscribed
on it the address of Hammond Nokes,
with whom Crawford stayed at Herndon.
Virtually all Of the witnesses who
told of seeing Crawford in Loudoun
County near the date Of the murder
said he was accompanied by another
colored man they did not know. In his
confession, Crawford said his COM
panion was Charlie Johnson of Wash
ingson and laid upon him the blame for
the murders.
Crawford said that in company with
johnson he was walking near the 1llsley
house late on the night of the 18th,
when Mrs. Illsley returned in her car
from an anti-prohibition meeting at
Upperville. He said they dropped In
the grass to prevent her seeing them and
watched her while she put the auto In
the garage and went upstairs.
johnson wanted to 60 into the place
to rob 1t. Crawford said, and they went
over to the other side of town to wait
short time before attempting the
burglary. He said that when they re-
turned to the house, they broke out a
window from a back door and that
johnson went inside while ne stood
watch on the rear porch. He said his
companion carried in his hand a large
stone with which the glass window was
broken ard that this was the murder
weapon. A few moments after johnson
disappeared in tie front part of the
cottage, Crawfora said, he came run