Evening star., 1934-07-31
MAN AND WOMAN
HELD IN SHOOTING
Police Suspect Link to White
Slave Traffic in Street At
tack on Ex-Convict.

for investigation In connection with
the shooting Of Sidney Diehn, 30. an
ex-convict. who fell before q fusiilade
by . mysterious gunman lest night
as he lounged against the front wall
Of the Anr apolis Hotel.
Police Capt william z. Holmes.
FIRST precinct. declared there was rea.
son 10 b.lieve the shooting was con-
nected in some way with the white
slave trafac" and announced the cam
paign TO clean W" he downtown
section would be intensified.
The couple arrested identified them
selves an Reuben c. Rose. -. and
Betty Soloff, "a. both OF an address
in the vicinity Of Eighth and @
streets
They we're arrested early today by
Sergt c. A. Musselman and Pvt. s. r.
Smith. first precinct With other
officers they had been keeping the
quarters under surveillance since a
short time after the shooting. Rose
was locked up at the first precinct
station and the Solof woman at the
House OF Detention, but both we're TO
be taken 10 police headquarters for
questioning later in the day.
Dozens Near Shooting.
We don't know much about them
yet" said Capt Holmes, except that
they know Diehn pretty well and have
been hanging out in the same section
with him for some time"
The hotel lobby was crowded and
dozens OF persons we're passing up and
down H street at the time Of the
shooting. which occurred about
Gas pm.
Diehn stool leaning against the
wall, just outside the doors. Another
man, presumably companion, stood
nearby.
A black-bodied closed automobile
drew up TO the curb. A man stepped
out and, as his three companions
another man and two women-looked
on. opened fire. He fired four shots
at Diehn, then got into the automobile
and sped away.
Diehn, with a wound in the lower
part of his back and another in his
thigh, sprawled on the sidewalk. Most
of the passers-by scurried away; a
few ran to he wounded mans as
sistance.
Bernard Olson, taxicab driver.
took Diehn to Emergency Hospital,
where he was given f1rst-aid treat
ment before being transferred to Gal
linger Hospital. At the latter insti-
tuition his condition was termed very
favorable"
While at Emergency, Diehn was
questioned extensively by Detective
Sergts John c. Dalglish and John
Wise of the homicide squad, but he
refused to give them any informa-
ton.
For a while he insisted he was
Joseph Morris of the Ebbitt Hotel"
A check-up revealed he was not known
at the hostelry, however, and his
fingerprints we're taken and turned
over to Justice Department identifi-
cation experts.
This not only established his iden-
tity, but, according to police, dis
closed he had served a prison SEN
tence for larceny IN Columbus, Ohio,
vestigation in connection with q va
riety Of other cases in several other
cities.
Silent on Shooting.
Confronted with his record, Diehn
readily acknowledge his identity, Dali
glish and Wise reported, but refused to
discuss the shooting, except to say
he did not know why he had been shot
or by whom.
According to Capt. Holmes, however,
Diehn had been under surveillance by
first precinct detectives for some time,
and it was their knowledge of his ac-
tivities that led to the arrest of Rose
and the Soloff woman.
I'VE haven't found out definitely
yet what motivated the shooting"
Holmes said There Is some evidence,
however. that differences over a car
and also over one or more women had
something to do with it,
There is considerable indication
the case is tied up in some way with
white slave activities-but just how
or TO what extent, we have not yet
determined.
We've always been kept busy by
such activities in the downtown sec
tion-in fact, we've been waging a
drive against that sort of thing.
We've arrested-and obtained convic-
tions against-414 such women during
the last is months, and now we're
going to bear down even harder.
We're not going to stop until we've
chased every one of them out
Diehn's assailant was described by
witnesses as being between 28 and 80,
about feet 10 inches tall and weigh
ing approximately 100 pounds. He
was wearing a dark blue suit and O
linen cap.
The license number Of his machine
was noted by one Of the witnesses, but
a check revealed the man in whose
name it was listed was not known at