Evening star., 1935-11-11
Brown Taken From Rock
vile After Confessing He
Killed Silva.
SISTER OF PRISONER
BARES FATAL FIGHT
Spanish Seaman's Home Scene
of Attempt to Burn Body
Later Found on Road.
BY JACK ALLEN,
Staff Correspondent of The Star.

OIdu Correspondent OI ! ne OLdT.
FREDERICK, Nd, November IL
The torch Staying of Manuel Silva. As
year -old Spanish seaman. confessed by
his stepson, Alfred Brown. 21-year-old
colored prize fighter, probably will be
presented to a special session of the
Frederick County grand jury next
Monday.
States Attorney Sherman P Bowers
was preparing to 60 into Circuit Court
today and request permission to re-
call the jury to consider the brutal
murder Of the sailor, whose body,
charred beyond recognition, was
found early Saturday on q lonely
Montgomery County road.
Brown was taken from the Rock
vile Jail and brought here yesterday
after he had recounted to Investigators
the manner in which he had murdered
his stepfather in bitter quarrel over
a chicken. twice attempted to burn
the body and finally had carted it
away in an automobile and tossed it
out at the roadside
The confessed slayer, who was ar
rested several hours after the body
was discovered. doggedly maintained
his innocence until he was confronted
yesterday afternoon With the state
ment in which his sister, Mrs. Blanche
Smith, colored. admitted she had seen
him murder Silva.
Prisoner Hard to Break"
Police had attempted to break
Brown Saturday afternoon when they
took him to Rockville funeral parlor
and showed him Silva's body, but the
colored man nonchalantly gazed at
the blackened remains of his victim,
calmly denied that the body was that
of the Spaniard and Just as calmly
denied knowing anything of the mur-
der.
The Smith woman, who Is also
in custody here. denied in making
her statement to authorities on Sat-
urday night that she was present in
the Silva home at Doubs, 10 miles
from here, when Brown attempted 10
burn the body or when he carried 1t
away in Silva's automobile on Friday
night to dispose of it.
Bowers said this morning. however.
that he has obtained information that
she was present at the home on both
occasions and added that he is con-
sidering charging her with being an
accessory after the fact.
In his confession Brown told how
his mother, Mrs. Mary Silva, a cooA
employed by Washington physician,
and Silva met in Baltimore eight year,
ago and how his mother arranged fou,
years ago to buy the small frame
house for the family at Doubs.
Brown declared that he and hi,
sister. who came on from Washington,
together with Silva and occasionallt
with his mother. when she was on
vacation, lived in the house and got
along all right until two months ago,
He said Silva was on relief. but thai
he (Brown) earned money once in a
while by boxing or selling vegetablei
in Baltimore.
Thefts Are Reported.
The split in the family came when
Silva called Sheriff Roy Hiltner al
Frederick some time in September and
said that he had missed some cloth.
ing. About 10 days ago Silva missed
a bill of sale for his automobile and
again called 'the sheriff On thii
occasion Silva told Hiltner that soms
one had attempted to kill him by putt
tin glass in his food. Brown wal
questioned in each instance.
Another argument ensued wher
Brown killed a chicken for his sister,
and it was this argument that ulti.
mately led to Silva's death. Brown SAID,
"On last Thursday l was home until
about II am with Silva, mF sister and
her baby" the confession read. Il
had been watching Silva all the tint
because he had threatened to kill ma
several times and he was carrying Z
dagger.
SILVA was ironing a shirt. I was
doing something at the stove and ]
was bending over. Silva came at me
with a fiat iron but ] glanced up
lodged the blow and caught an iron
pipe which l had sitting in the cornet
in case he bothered me or my sister,
He then related how he had knocked
the fiat iron from Silvas grasp end
how the Spaniard then came at him
Gee NEYJpnED pooe pol