Evening star., 1938-05-24
BY w. H. SHIPPEN, Jr.

Prosecution and defense witnesses
completed their testimony shortly be-
fore noon today in the trial of former
Policeman Robert F. Langdon, charged
with first-degree murder in the shoot
ing of Beulah Limerick. The case was
expected to reach the all-male jury
late today.
The final witnesses were three Off
GERS put on the stand by the Gov
ernment in an effort to rebut Lang
don's statement that he found piece
of bullet-punctured cardboard under
the mattress on which the murdered
19-year-old girl lay.
The rebuttan witnesses were 1t.
John Flaherty, detached sergeant at
tached to the homicide squad at the
time of the killing; 1t. Robert Pierce.
who was attached to No. precinct
in 1880, and Policeman J. NJ Bell. who
was in the murder house with Lang
don, when the latter was on guard
duty there.
Langdon's Testimony.
Langdon told the jury yesterday
that among new evidence he found
in Beulah's home, at 18 Nineteenth
street Sc, was flattened shoe carton
between the springs and mattress of
the day-bed on which the girl was
lying. The defendant said he raised
the mattress and noticed bullet hole
! in the cardboard.
1t was this circumstance, Langdon
said, which led him to examine the
mattress. He found a bullet hole
through the mattress and another
through the floor below. Langdon
said he pressed his search further and
located the bullet, along with an ex-
ploded SHE'LL in coffee cup.
Sergt. Flaherty testified he inter-
viewed Langdon in the death house
on the morning after the officer had
discovered the new evidence" and
that Langdon did not mention the
cardboard. Sergt Flaherty and other
detectives had made search of the
place on the previous day without un-
covering any of the evidence reported
by Langdon.
"Are you positive the cardboard was
not under the mattress when you ex-
amined the daybed?" the detective
was asked by Defense Counsel E.
Russell Kelly.
II am positive it was not there at
either time I examined the bed," was
the reply.
1t. Pierce said he visited the death
house while Langdon was guarding
the premises and Langdon failed to
mention that he had discovered the
piece Of cardboard. Oficer Bell told
the jury he saw Langdon pull up the
mattress, but observed no cardboard
and was certain Langdon had not
mentioned its presence.
The defense closed with the testi-
mony of Sergt William E. Heaslip.
and the Governments first rebuttal
witness was Francis w. Markle, a
desk sergeant at No. precinct at
the time of the murder. Sergt. Markle
said Langdon volunteered for guard
duty at the death house on the night
after an undertaken discovered that
she had been shot to death.
Testimony on Drinking.
Earlier testimony of drinking and
disorder among Miss Limerick's asso-
ciates was offered by the defense.
Mrs. Pearl Poston, 1886 A street Sc,
mother of three daughters and a
neighbor of Miss Limerick, said she
had reported the girls house to No. 5
police on several occasions during No
vember and December, 1880.
What was the nature of your COM
plaints?" the witness was asked by De-
fense Attorney Kelly.
WELL" the witness replied, men
going to the place kept parking their
cars in front of my house half of the
day and all night"
Mrs. Poston said that on one occa-
sion she told Langdon, then the police
man on the beat, that:
"As many officers as are around here.
800 IANGDON Pare A.3l