Evening star., 1933-02-27
TELLS Of SHOOTING
SON-|N-LAW DURING
DOMESTIC QUARREL
Albert Koch, 78, Says He
Didn't Mean to Kill Will
liam P. Gray, As.
DAUGHTER WAS FORCED
TO HUCKSTER, HE SAYS
Unperturbed by Staying Charge,
but Weeps as He Talks
of Family.

His bad" right leg crossed over his
good left one, Albert Koch, IS, sat in
the witness room at the fifth precinct
today and, between puffs on his pipe,
told how he shot and killed his SON.
in-law, William Palmer Gray, As, in
their third-foor fiat at 1920 North
Capitol street yesterday
Il didn't mean to hurt him." Koch
declared. II had the revolver in my
hand only because I wanted to get
after him about his not working, and
he was such a rough fellow that ]
thought he might strike me. I figured
If I let him see I had a gun, he
wouldn't try to get rough. But he hit
me, anyway, and the revolver went off
while was trying to push him away"
Held For Grand Jury.
After listening for about half an hour
to Koch's story, the coroner's jury Or
dered him held for grand jury action.
kissing his wife and daughter good-by,
he climbed into a patrol and was taken
to the District Jail.
Throughout the inquest, which was
presided over by Acting Coroners A.
Magruder, Macdonald and Christopher
j. Murphy, Koch sat with his head
bowed, clenching and unclenching his
hands. He looked up only when his
wife and daughter, Mrs. Rose Gray, %,
were called to the stand.
Woman Near Collapse.
Mrs Koch, who is 70, apparently was
in state of near-collapse Her daugh-
ter had to administer smelling salts
before the elderly woman could walk
to the witness stand. Even then she
had to be assisted by Will Schoneberger,
morguemaster, and Detective Sergt.
Dennis j. Murphy She said she did
not wish to testify, however, and was
excused by DIR. Macdonald
Her daughters testimony, offered
tearfully, corroborated much of that
given by Koch. She, too, wept on the
stand, telling the jury much the same
story as he had related at the fifth
precinct earlier in the day.
Gray's two grown daughters by a
previous marriage-Mrs. Mildred Stew
123 Melrose avenue, Bethesda-went to
the morgue to view the body. When
they sought permission to do so after
the inquest, however, their stepmother
objected.
Weeps at Daughters Plight.
Apparently unpertuEbed by the fact
he was charged with murder, Koch
displayed emotion only when he de-
scribed how his daughter, Mrs. Gray,
had been forced to go from house to
support her husband and herself. Then
his voice broke and he wept.
She's beautiful girl" he said, re-
moving his horn-rimmed glasses and
Wiping his eyes. Il gave her the best
education-tnree years of college, music,
singing. She's my only child and !
wanted her to amount to something.
Then, about eight or nine years ago,
she married Gray. objected. but they
eloped to Baltimore He said he was an
engineer, making hundred dollars a
week. After they were married it de-
veloped he was graSs-cutter at a
country club and got only that much a
month.
Tried to Help Out.
"Well that was all right. I was will
ing to help him for my daughters sake.
Mel wasn't so bad off. used to have
Photographic studies in New York
State, and I saved my money. To help
them out, went to live with them
about two years ago. My wife and I
had been living in Virginia, but we
thought we might be able to make Gray
do better if we went to live with him
and Rose.
my daughter was making $25 a
week as stenographer, but she lost her
Job. Then-I think it was in November.
1931-Gray said he'd been laid off, but
/ found he'd been fired; and he hadn't
saved a penny. Buying automobiles
that's what he'd been doing With MS
money.
my daughter got him job as an
installment collector, but he made her
do all the collecting. He couldn't drlVe
the car. and said he wanted her to take
him around, but he made her 40 the
work. Thirteen hours day, sometimes
more, she worked.
Too Proud, He Says.
"Then he went into the huckster
business with another man. InaC was
ali right. but he thought he could do
better for himself. I bought him nice
truck. but he couldn't make any money,
so I asked my daughter what was the
"She cried. She didn't want to tel
me. but I insisted. Then she SAID hel
husband was too proud to go from oooI
to door, asking people to buy fruits anu 40
vegetables, and he was making ner oo
itNmy daughter, with all the eouca-
tion I'd given her, huckstering! l
couldn't stand it, He got my Wl1e 10
help out on the truck, too, sometimes.
Every time I tried to reason with
him. he got mad. Mind your own
damn business he'd tell me, ana ne
was such a rough fellow that l go'
so I was afraid to talk to him; :.
"He thought he might do better II
he learned how to drive. He'd sold ms
machine, so I hired one for MIN 1or
a month. but he only took two LESSONS
Liked to Eat, He Says.
"He liked to eat, so I thought Id
work on him that way. He was lono
of chickens and steaks and the IKE.
I bought a hogs head and we had nasE
for three days. That didn't 40 any
good, SO I got some beans, ana we hao
those for three days, too. t..
He Just turned up his nose, put
didn't say anything. I couldn't stano
it any longer. I'm not well-Ive got
a bad leg, arthritis or something, ano
I've got trouble in my chest. too.
couldn't stand not eating right.
II decided to talk to him. was
afraid he'd strike me, though. so got
the gun. You're heading for starVa-
ton I told him, You've got to go TO
work. My money is dwindling away
diiu AioNC W hcCp 1C" SAoA.o -
keep my wife and me in our old age.
If you can't make enough money to pay
your expenses huckstering, you'll have
to try something else.'
Tells Of Fatal Fight.
"He jumped up and shouted, Whats
1t your business?' He rushed at me,
hit me on the head like this"-Koch
rose and went through the motions Of
scuf1ing with some one-"and I tried
to push him away The revolver went
off, but didn't think he was hurt. He
rca-i1 I'd sat down"