The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-09-11

DOuy WIIeu d WOA4lo4A Nv AAAS 49,
the neighborhood told a re-
porter for The Indianapolis
Times that a man had made
attempts recently to induce her
small son to accompany him under
the bridge.
Others in the neighborhood, per-
haps to reassure themselves against
the terror of murder. said they be-
ieved Donald had been killed &C
cidentally while playing and that
his frightened playmateS then had
stuffed the body into the sewer.
This theory failed, however, to
account for the gag found in his
mouth.
The body was discovered by
workmen, seeking shelter from
cloudburst, when the sewer backed
up and deposited the body in the
creek. The men, who had been
painting and repairing the bridge,
notified police at once after recov-
ering the body from the creek.
The woman, who asked that her
name not be used, said her son had
refused to accompany the man. The
gag found in young Dillon's mouth
as well as a cash on his right temple
indicated that he had put up a
struggle before his death.
Mother COllapSeS
Another theory in che neighbor-
hood was that young Dillon had
fallen in with a gang of tough"
youths who hung out" under tia
bridge. An enploye of The Times
recalled seeing boy about Dillon's
age playing with three older Negro
youths near Minnesota and Shelby
streets at 7:30 p. m Sunday.
Mrs. Dillon collapsed in her home
shortly after identifying the body.
oh, 1 can't understand it;
can't u 1erstand it," she moaned
over and over again. Donald was
such a good boy"
She managed to inform Detective
Sergeant John Gish, of the homi-
eide squad, and Deputy Coroner
John E. Wyttenbach, jointly head
ing the investigation into her sons
death. that the boy seldom had left
the neighborhood and had had few
friends.
Mrs. Dillon said Donald had gone
occasionally to a motion picture
theater in Fountain Square. She
described his one close friend as
boy known to her only as Emmett.
The mystery Of Donald's death
was deepened by the fact that, in
addition to the gag and the head
bruise, there we're what appeared to
be severe burns on the left hand, the
fingers Of which were doubled as
though from pain.
Identification of the body was
made by the boys mother, Mrs.
Demmie Dillon, of the Shelby street
address, who was brought to the
scene by a member of the crowd
which formed Immediately after
the grewsome discovery.
The boys father, Shirley Dillon,
is said to be divorced from the
mother.
Brothers Frightened
Surviving. besides the mother and
father, are two brothers, Leroy
Dillon, u, and Harold Dillon, 7, and
a sister, Hazel Dillon. 16 The sis
ter was not at home this morning
when the body was discovered, and
the two boys were little help to the
investigators in their search for
clews.
Small and frightened. they sniff
fled in the corner and hardly dared
to answer when Deputy Coroner
Wyttenbach and Detective Sergeant
Gish spoke to them.
The boy disappeared from homo
Sunday, his mother had reported to
the missing persons bureau yester-
day, after having. started for the
home of relative. He was dressed
in yellow corduroy trousers. a blue
shirt and a dark-colored cap.
Donald was to have entered Man.
ual Training high school yesterday
afternoon and, when he failed to
return home Sunday night, his
mother believed that he might have
spent the night with his grand
mother, Mrs. Mary F. Dillon. 20l7
Brookside avenue. ana gone on TO
school from there.
This. she told police today, was