Evening star., 1934-05-27
MICROSCOPE GIVES.
SHEADS CASE CLUE.
Shows ASsaiIant of Teacher
Was Light Skinned
CoIored Man.

Washington police last night began
an intensive search for a light
skinned colored man with a scratched
face, the first tangible clue to the
murderer of Miss Mary Sheads, 65-
year-old retired school teacher, who
was strangled to death in her apart
ment at the Balfour last Thursday
night. As an additional incentive to
the capture, a reward of $500 was
posted by the Police Department for
any information leading to the ar
rest and conviction of the slayer.
The fact that Miss Sheads' aSsail-
ant was a light-skinned colored man
was established under the micro
scope of DR.. E. r. Donaldson. the
Police Departments miCro-analyst, in
examining the substance found under
the flngernails of the dead woman.
Evidently Miss Sheads put up strug-
gle before her unknown attacker
strangled her. The substance under
her nails was human skin.
Two Men Questioned.
A general lookout for the arrest of
any person meeting the above de-
scription was sent out last night.
Almost Immediately police of Read
ing. Pa, picked up a man on SuSpi-
cion. However, he was abe to prove
that on the night of May "a, when
the murder took place, he was IN
Wilmington. Del. He received his
scratches. he explained, in fracas
at Potomac Yards. Va. near Wash
ington. He was released.
Later last night third precinct po-
lice picked up another colored man
with a scratched face. He was found
In a lunch room at the corner OF
Seventeenth and U streets and at
first was unable to explain the
scratches. At the precinct, however.
he said he received the cuts in
fight near where he lived in the 100
block of Seaton place, which is only
a block from the Balfour. He said
he had been hit with bottle.
Police who examined his face said
thev believed his story more likely
than that he was scratched by some
ones finger nails. Late last night
he still was being held for investi-
cation.
Car Lookout Broadcast.
Another special lookout went out
Tor the occupants OF small maroon
colored coupe, in which two nght-
skinned colored men we're seen Friday
morning cruising around the vicinity
of the Balfour. A police informant
said the men acted strangely and
appeared nervous One of them bore
scratches on his face. The car had
Virginia tags.
The police theory is that Miss
She4ds was the victim of some proWler
who entered her bed room window
from the fire escape. He may have
noticed the disorder of the furniture,
which had been piled against the walls
to permit the floors of the apartment
to be sanded. and may have mistaken
it for vacant apartment. When he
entered, however. Miss Sheads scream
ed, her screams being distinctly heard
bv several residents of the apartment
about 10 o'clock Thursday night.
The next step. in the reconstruction
OF the crime, was procaply an atIempt
by the thief to throttle his victim to
silence her screams. A struggle must
have ensued, during which Miss
Sheads' clothing was torn and her
face and shoulders bruised. The Is
scratches on Miss Sheads' neck bore
mute evidence of the thief's strange-
hold. while the lens of the microscope
showed that she must have clawed at
her asSailant desperately.
Possessions Untouched.
With his victim dead. the thief ap-
parently was fearful that if he took
anything from the apartment, it would
lead to his capture. AS far as can be
learned nothing was missing when
Miss Sheads' body was found later.
Her jewelry was in bureau and her
purse had not been opened.
No fingerprints were found. Nobody
saw any stranger come into the apart
ment house before the tragedy or leave
afterward The case is a complete
blank-except for the flesh identified
by the miscroscope.