Evening star., 1935-11-27
Switchboard Operator Shot.
Coroner Discounts Sui.
eide Theory.
SMASHED CHAIR AND
REVOLVER NEARBY
Roomer Who Reported Finding
Body Has Police Record-Says
He Brought Her Home.


9l8 Fourth street northeast.
Her body lay sprawled on the kitchen
floor near q smashed chair when dis
covered by man who lived at the
house. A bullet, entering the left
cheek and lodging in the back Of the
head, had caused death apparently
several hours before the body was
found.
There were no powder burns on
the face to indicate the shot had
been fired at close range. A 80
caliber revolver, full except for one
empty cartridge. was on the floor
near the woman's feet.
Two men, William A. Dutch) Kap-
pei, "a, a roomer at the Fourth street
residence. who found the body, and
Leo Cullen, 81, of 718 Fourth street
are being held for investi-
CATION in connection with the shoot
ing. Both have police records.
Brought Her Home.
Kappel. who said he is employed
as an iceman. told police he brought
Miss Lynch home early this morning.
He sale she refused to let him enter
the house and he left.
Later, according to police, Kappel
said he returned to the house with
Cullen and found the body.
Fully clothed, the woman lay on
her left side near a table In the kitch-
en-. The broken chair, detectives
said. was too strongly made to have
been so badly damaged by Miss
Lynch as she fell. The back and seat
of the chair were Splintered and
several rungs were knocked loose.
The woman's body bore no bruises
or marks to show she had engaged in
a struggle, investigators said, and
other than the broken chair there
was no sign Of fight. The house was
being repapered and painted and
was in general disorder.
Physicians who examined the body
said rigor mortis had set in, indicat-
ing death had occurred some hours
before police arrived.
Suicide Theory Discounted.
Asked whether he thought the girl
had killed herself, Coroner A. Magru-
der Macdonald said emphatically,
mo, I do not"
The coroner spent more than an
hour closeted in the house with mem
bers of the police homicide squad De-
tectives said their first step in the
investigation would be to determine
the ownership of the revolver.
Kappel and Cullen were taken to
the ninth precinct station, where they
were to be questioned later in the day.
Cullen is employed as a pressman by
a morning newspaper here.
Miss Lynch, an attractive brunette
whose hair was Streaked with gray,
had been employed as an operator at
the Potomac Electric Power Co. service
station. Tenth street and Florida ave-
nue., since 1925.
Several weeks ago she failed to re-
port to work after she was understood
to have been beaten about the face in
a fight at home.
A Divorce.
She and Kappel had been going to-
gether, according to neighbors, who
were under the impression that he was
her husband. Police said Miss Lynch
was divorcee.
Her parents died within the last
year. Her father, John j. Lynch, who
years ago had a blacksmith shop on
Ohio avenue, bequeathed the Fourth
street house to his daughter when he
died, soon after the death of his wife
in December, 1884.
Mrs. Eugene Brooke. TIT Kentucky
avenue southeast, sister of Miss Lynch,
was Frustrated when she was notified
of the shooting. She said she had not
seen her sister since their father died.
AS police were putting Kappel and
Cullen into the patrol wagon the for
mer threatened photographers and
kicked at them until pulled away.
Kappels record reveals he has been
arrested more than 20 times since
1918. The charges varied from viola
ton Of the child labor law to assault
with a dangerous weapon.
Sent to Training School.
He was committed to the National
Training School for housebreaking
when a boy. After being apprehended
for several other law violations several
years after his release. he was arrested
in 1925 for assault with a dangerous
weapon and was held for the grand
jury. The charges subsequently were
nolle pressed.
Kappell was fined on numerous oc-
casions for disorderly conduct and
once for conducting disorderly house.
Charges Of assault, carrying a con-
cealed weapon and destroying private
property were brought against him
last year, but all of the charges later
were dismissed or nolle pressed.
Cullen also has been arrested
a number Of times. His record dates
back to 1918, when he was put on pro-
baton when arraigned in Juvenile
Court for disorderly conduct. Six
years later he was sentenced to pay
SO or serve 10 days for petit larceny.
He forfeited collateral six times on
disorderly charges and once for in
toxication.
/picfnree M, pon. p1I