Evening star., 1938-02-15
Limerick

Continued From First Pagel
one OF the rails. and Iangdon was
charged with obStructing railroad
track. One trial or the charge re.
suited in hung jurv. Assistant United
States Attorney John j. Wilson. who
Is handling the case. said the Connec-
ticut authorities had agreed to sur
render the former policeman.
Quietly Sifted Evidence.
Mr. Wilson and his chief, Acting
United States Attorney David A. Pine.
today ascribed what they believe to be
the solution of the mystery to the in
tellieence and perseverance of 1t.
Truscott and Sergt. Hartman. who
have worked on the case since 1895
whenever other assignments would al
low.
For the last two or three months
they have spent most of their time
quietly sitting evidence and running
down clues in the bizarre Staying.
That their suspicious were directed
toward Langdon was indicated just be-
fore Christmas. when 1t Truscott
brought Mrs Rose V. Langdon. 81,
wife of the former policeman. from
New York to Washington for detailed
questioning.
During her stay here she vas kept
hidden. seemingly in an attempt to
ta ,,,fz ,:Al.
whic hthe sleuths hope to weave their
case around Langdon.
Won't Discuss Evidence.
Mr.. Wilson refused to discuss the
evidence police have placed in his
hands. but expressed the belief it is
sufficient to obtain a conviction.
The cheap Spanish automatic found
by small boy April %. 1895. under an
ssh heap in the yard of the house
formerly occupied by Beulah. still is
thought to have been the death gun.
Although corroded by fi,n ears OF
exposure, microscopic exa.n.nation of
the weapon led 1t John Fowler, police
firearms expert, to the conclusion it
was used to kill the girl.
Presumably the murderer of the
girl threw the gun into the stove be-
side the cot on which the body was
found. Shortly after the murder, po-
lice sifted the ashes in the stove and
found molten metal 1t. Fowler thinks
the bit of metal was the chamber of
the gun. The murderer probably re-
turned to the scene of the crime in
the early morning hours and found
the gun had not been destroyed and
removed it, burying it outside, it was
stated.
Belief Strong Link.
Belief that the gun is strong link
IN the case is given substance by a
recent statement by Police Grief Brown
that one of the purposes of It.
Truscotts trip to New York last month
was to check" on the automatic, pre-
sumably in an effort to trace it to
Langdon's possession.
While under investigation shortly
after the murder, Langdon turned over
to police two .25-caliber guns. and
detectives found 10 other revolvers
and automatics in his home
The Identification number had been
filed off the automatic found in the
ash heap.
At least two men have been located
recently, it was learned whose testi-
mony probably will have an important
place in the coming trial Their
identities are being withheld. but Maj.
Brown has said one is in a nearby
city. Both repeatedly are willing to
tell their stories.
Discrepancies In Statements.
It is known also that considerable
significance is placed on alleged dis
crepancies in statements by Langdon
which resulted in his arrest and in
a coroner's jury holding him for
grand jury action in 1881.
The slain girl. who was secretary OF
the Sky High Whoopee Club" was
shot to death during the early
morning of December 81, 1880, after
a night of dancing. The crime was
not discovered until an assistant
undertaken discovered bullet wound
on the right side of her head,
cunningly plugged with her hair.
A brother, Vernon Limerick, who
lived in the same house, found Beu-
lahs body about $50 am. The am
bulance surgeon who responded to his
call did not observe the wound.
Police shortly arrested seven men,
but released four. Vernon Limerick,
william Paddy. who had escorted her
to dance the night before. and Rich
ard s. Reed. close friend and roomer
at her home. were held. The next sew
.ral days of the investigation were
spent questioning them. Meanwhile,
Beulah's leather-bound diary which
contained the names Of numerous men