Evening star., 1938-05-21
LANCDON T0SEEK
END OF TRIAL BY
DIRECTED VERDICT
Move Monday to Follow
Experts 'AIibi' for
Ex-officer's Guns.
PROSECUTION BALKED
ON WIFE'S TESTIMONY
Testimony That Cop on Beat
Admitted Limerick Killing
Fails to Materialize.
By w. H. SHIPPEN, Jr.

Defense counsel for former Police
man Robert F. Langdon probably will
file a motion for a directed verdict of
not guilty when Langdons trial on a
charge of numbering 19-year-old Beu-
lah Limerick is resumed Monday
morning.
The jury of IL men was ordered
locked up over the week end when
Justice Daniel w. O'Donoghue ad-
journed the trial late yesterday after
the Government closed its case
against the 44-year-old patrolman
with the testimony of 1t. John Fowler,
ballistics expert of the Police Depart
ment
Defense Counsel E. Russell Kelly
made an informal motion for a dl-
rected verdict when the prosecution
rested. The justice, it was said, in
dicated he thought the case should
so to the jury Mr.. Kelly and his
brother. William Kelly, were expected
to renew the plea Monday
Says Neither Gun Used.
1t. Fowler told the jury that in
his opinion the bullet which killed
Beulah early on the morning of De-
cember 81. 1880. was not fired from
either of two .25 caliber automatics
owned by Langdon. The Government
expert said that another slug found
hv Langdon beneath the floor OF the
death house had not been fired from
langdon'S guns.
Homicide squad detectives who first
investigated the murder found an
exploded shell on the floor OF the
death mystery house. but no evidence
to indicate that more than one shot
had been fired by the slayer. A badly
battered slug was removed from the
girls head.
Langdon. the cop on the beat,
who admitted keeping the girls house
at l8 Nineteenth street Sc. under
close observation, was assigned to
guard the house on the night after
homicide detectives searched the
premises for evidence.
Langdon reported the discovery OF
q bullet hole in the mattress OF the
tav bed on which the girls body was
found and a bullet hole in the floor
under the bed. He found an eXplooeo
shell in a coffee cup and slug IN
the dirt under the floor.
Both From Same Gun.
1t. Fowler testified the fatal slug
and the one found by Langdon were
fred from the same gun and tnat
both shells had been exploded in the
gun. He also told of test which ne
and 1t. Floyd Truscott made Thurs
dav to determine if shots fired in the
Limerick home could have been heard
from a point about 100 yards distant.
Previously a milkman had testlfled
that while at Nineteenth and A streets
Sc on the morning of the murder he
heard two shots coming from the dl-
rection of Beulah's house. The house
since has been demolished. 1t. Trus-
colt, he testified, stood at the site OF
the Limerick home and heard shots
fired by 1t. Fowler in the, basement
of the home at which the mllkman
was making deliveries when he heard
the pistol reports.
The prosecution received setbacK
Yesterday afternoon when the defense
succeeded in banning the testimony OF
Mrs. Rose v. Langdon, estranged wife
of the defendant.
Justice O'Donoghue upheld de-
fcnse motion to stop Mrs. Langdon's
testimony on the ground that the
District Code bans the admission OF
confidential information exchanged
between husband and wife.
Assistant United States Attorney
John j. Wilson previously had an
nounced he would attempt to prove
that Langdon admitted he killed Beu-
lah Limerick because she was
"squealer." No testimony to this effect
has been produced. however.
Claims Killing Hinted.
An informer planted" in Con-
necticut jail where Langdon was being
held for trial on charge of attempt
ing to wreck a passenger train told
the jury he talked to Langdon last
winter and heard him intimate that
he had killed a person he did not
ideptify.
Inspector Edward J. Kelly testified
yesterday that Langdon admitted to
him he entered the girls house sew
eral weeks before her death and while
she was in bed
Langdon was quoted as saying he
had observed obscene" acts in the
house and had the place under in
vestigation.
The policeman admitted. Inspector
Kelly said, that he did not report the
alleged disorderly acts to his superiors,
explaining he wished first to complete
his investigation. Langdon was ar
rested for investigation in the murder
and later released. He was indicted
and returned for trial after investiga-
tors located Mrs. Langdon in New