Evening star., 1938-11-20
Police Widen
Man Hunt for
Sniper-Ki||er
Woman Is Unable
To Identify
Suspect

Frankly doubtful of partial iden-
tification of a colored suspect, heav-
ily-armed police squads pressed a
relentless but fruitless hunt IN the
Rock Greek Park section last night
for some fresh trace of the Capt.
tails mad sniper.
Mrs. Edna l.. Brown, wounded
Thursday night when her male COM
panion was slain by the vicious
killer who had shot to death one
other man and wounded another
last week, tainted when the 28-year-
old colored man described by police
as the most likely suspect, was
paraded before her bed in George
town Hospital yesterday.
Inspector Bernard w. Thompson,
chief of detectives, said Mrs. Brown
told officers that this looks more
like the man than any have seen.
but that she could not identify him
positively.
He was one of seven possible sus-
poets viewed by Mrs. Brown yeSter-
day. The others apparently were
cleared of suspicion of being the
hunted maniacal killer. The man
Mrs. Brown said looked like the
sniper was questioned intensively
at police headquarters last night
and probably will be taken before
her for another inspection when her
condition improves.
A colored man fitting closely the
description given by Mrs. Brown
light skinned about Is years old and
wearing khaki jacket and trousers
snatched purse containing $l8
from Ada Tanner so. of 1919 Nine
teenth street NV as she walked
near her home just after dark last
night.
The purse -snatcher ran through
an alley to escape Detectives were
investigating the possibility that he
might be the hunted killer.
Another furry of excitement came
shortly after midnight when a COL
ored man reported some one had
tried to Jump on the running board
of his automobile at the foot of
Tilden street in Rock Creek Park,
but that he had swerved to throw
him off. He could not describe the
prowler and police could find no
trace of him in the park.
Manhunt Is Pushed.
Meanwhile, Washington and
Montgomery County MD police
continued with undiminished vigor
an unprecedented manhunt. franti-
cally striving to make sure that the
sniper is behind jail bars before he
has a chance to kill again.
Inspector Thompson led more
than so District policemen roaming
the Rock Greek Park area last night,
while every available Montgomery
County policeman. working overtime,
cruised on the other side Of the Dis
trict line.
Many of the local officers were so
| determined to take every possible
precaution against letting the killer
escape should they see him that they
went into their private arsenals to
increase their regular police arma-
ment. Some appeared with pet
hunting shotguns, loaded with bear
shot" Others took along .45-caliber
automatic pistols in addition to their
regular service revolvers.
AS they went out into the rainy
night from headquarters several of
the officers self-consciously shifted
their revolvers from their regular
holsters into their outside coat
pockets, where they could be brought
into use more quickly.
Officers Are Warned.
inspector Thompson had warned
the officers not to take any chances
with their own lives in trying to ap-
prehend what he described as the
most vicious killer to prey on WASH
ington in many years. warning as
close to "shoot-to- orders as he
could give officially.
The policemen were under strict
instructions not to sit in parked
cars themselves.
Reporting back to headquarters
later in the night, the manhunters
could give no new clues. Appar-
emily the sniper was staying in out
of the rain-or was discouraged at
the lack OF prey-if the police be-
lief that he still is at large is COR
rect.
His victims so far have been
couples in automobiles parked on
dark, secluded roads or travelling
slowly in the Rock Greek Park area,
and police found the park unusually
deserted last night.
In line with repeated warnings
against parking in isolated spots,
no parked cars were seen by the
cruising policemen. And they re-
ported very few automobiles at
all In the park area.
Possibility of Jealousy.
Overlooking no angles, police
were investigating the possibility
that the series of shootings might
be the work of a jealous lover fir
ing indiscriminately before making
sure of the identity of his victims.
However, the investigators were
virtually convinced that an in
sanely blood thirsty sniper was re-
sponsible.
The suspect picked out by Mrs.
Brown as most like her assailant
was arrested near Wisconsin avenue
and M street NV. Thursday night,
about half an hour after she was
wounded and Peter r. Murray was
shot to death on a lonely road just
over the District line in Montgomery
County.
Suspicion first was directed
against the prisoner as a purse
snatcher. Police were checking
closely his story of his movements
Thursday night, while waiting for
Mrs. Brown to be we'll enough for