Evening star., 1936-06-16

street between and 5 am. when he
met death.
On a desk in the hall of the fifth
floor was letter Hines had been
writing to his wife, Mrs. Gil De West
Hines, at Council Bluffs, Iowa. 1t
was not finished Addressing her as
Dear Sweetheart" Hines told her Il
am just about to receive the bonus
and will now be able to bring you
ands the children here"
On the bed in Hines room at 2139
Eye street, which he rented from j.
delivery letter from Mrs. Hines. ask
iAg him to wire her $3.50 as soon as
he cashed his bonus bonds, so she
could bring their two children here.
Believe He Heard Noise.
Police expressed the opinion he
heard A noise in the elevator shaft
and rushed to 1t, leaving the letter
unfinished.
Hines battered body was found by
the Rescue Squad after a call from
Barnwell Sigwald. 81. Of 1901 Thirty
fourth street, Mount Rainier, Md,
night watchman for the oil company,
and Lieut.. H. r. Hasler OF the Ma
tional Capital Parks.
Sigwald said Hines made his regu-
lar round of the soil conservation
offices in the building at 3:45 am,
but failed to ring his call box an
hour later. Sigwald investigated to
find the 1-foot rod. used as key
10 the two automatic elevators at the
main entrance OF the building, was
missing. Hines lunch was lying on
n table downstairs.
IT turned a flashlight down the
elevator shaft" Sigwald said "and
saw on the top of the elevator what
proved later to be can. At first I
thought it was Hines face. Then
I rushed to the phone and called
Lieut. Hasler and he rushed right
over He ran the elevator from the
first floor to the mezzanine and we
found Hines f1ashlight and gun on
top of the car. We knew something
had happened to him and called the
Rescue Squad. They found him at
the bottom of the shaft"
Hines cap, badge and personal ef-
fects, as well as the rod. were strewn
about the base of the shaft.
Plunged Into Shaft.
According to o. Z. Ryan, real estate
manager for the oil compny, Hines
apparently had obtained the rod and
used it on the fifth floor to open the
elevator doors From all indications,
he thought he was boarding the ele-
vator, but plunged into space and fell
through an offset in the shaft be.
tween the mezzanine and first floors.
Coroner A. Magruder Macdonald
and policemen inspected the scene of
the fatality for an hour before they
definitely established it was possible
for Hines to have plunged to the bot
tom without striking the elevator,
which was at the first floor, or the
wall of the shaft.
Sigwald said Hines began his rounds
at midnight and continued them until
ea.m.. visiting the building every hour
Il know he had not yet collected
the bonus bonds" sigwald said. He
came here more than two months ago
Sunday he told me that as soon as he
received the bonus, he was going tc
send for his wife and children, DOS
sibly by the end of the week. They
were going to use his room and let the
children sleep in the adjoining room
OF friend, another guard, who worked
the same shift"
Delayed Selecting Apartment.
According to siswald, who said he
was close friend Of the guard, Hines
had delayed selection of an apartment
pending his wife's arrival because
maybe she wouldn't like it if he picked
one out without her seeing It,"
B. c. Gardner. chief of the Admin
istration and Protection Service OF
the Branch of Buildings, National
Park Service, participated in the in
vestigation.
Coroner Macdonald withheld a ver-
dict pending further investigation and
an autopsy on the body, which was
taken to the District Morgue.