Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-09-23
CORONER'SPROBE
HOLDS YOUNG TRIO
Three Are Held to Jury
in Fatality First Called
Natural Causes

Natural Causes
Three youths today faced grand Jury
action in the death Of John Edward
Baker, 48-year-old painter, who was
listed as first having died of natural
causes.
A police investigation set under way
when wound was discovered on
bakers forehead, reached its first
climax yesterday afternoon when a
coroner's jury held three youths re-
sponsible for the death and ordered
them held for the grand jury.
The youths are Earl Roberts, 10;
his brother. Alton j. Roberts. 10, Of
the nrst block Of K street NE. held
since Tuesday morning, and William
Calomeris, 10. of COG H street NV,
captured Wednesday night by Mary
land police in a Colmar Manor beer
parlor.
Faces Other Charges.
1t. George Darnell of the police
homicide squad said the three be-
longed to dead end gang" that
operated in the vicinity of Fifth and
G streets NV. Detective Sergt. Will
liam j. iverman. who testified at the
inquest, said Calomeris already is con-
fronted with two assault charges in
other cases.
Police and Coroner A. Magruder
Macdonald set forth sequence Of
events in the case that turned it from
one Of a natural death.
Baker and two younger companions,
Carroll Burgess of $500 w place NV,
and Burgess cousin, Kenneth w.
Henderson of 1905 Sixth street NE,
had started to enter a G street res
taurant Saturday night when they
were accosted by Earl Roberts, who
asked for a cigarette. according to tes-
timony at the inquest.
Painter Found Unconscious.
A fight ensued in front of the
restaurant, and a few minutes later
police picked up Baker in an alley
across the street and took him, I'M
conscious, to the first precinct. Early
Sunday morning he was sent to Gall
niger Hospital, where he died few
hours later.
According to police and the coroner,
Gallinger Hospital physicians issued a
certificate of death from natural
causes and Bakers body was turned
over to his family for burial. The
body was sent to Arlington, Va. to
be inferred in Arlington National
Cemetery. Baker was a World War
veteran and roomed at 3340 N street
NV.
Meanwhile, Mrs. r. L. Stegmaier
5615 Sixth street, north, Arlington, a
sister of Baker, and other members OF
the family and friends had noticed
the wound on the painters forehead
and reported this to police.
Coroner Macdonald requested re-
turn Of the body to Washington and
on Monday held an autopsy in which
he found the painter had died Of q
fractured skull.
Three Are Released.
A fast police cleanup followed, In
which Roberts and three other youths
later released, were arrested. Gallo
meris then was captured Wednesday
night. He told police he was on his
way to New York.
Calomeris, testifying without coun.
sci, entered blanket denial that hi
chased Baker across the street anc
into the alley, as had been testified
| by Sergt. Iivermap. Calomeris ad.
mitted striking Burgess and said that
afterward he himself fed around thu
| corner.
Policemen who figured in the cast
said they saw no wounds on Baker.
head. Ofncer Raymond E. Moss ties.
titled he saw the fight from q scout
car and rushed to the scene, later
finding Baker in the alley. He said
Baker was still unconscious when hi
was laid on the floor Of the precinct
station and later on q cot in the eel
block.
DR.. Frank jenkins Of Gallinger Hos.
pital, asked by the coroner why thu
hospital had issued q certificate o.
natural death, replied he had beer
called in to diagnose the case and thai
other doctors had issued the certid.
cate. He said the X-ray OF Baker.
skull was negative, but admitted {
fracture could exist even with mega.
tive X-ray.
Burgess also testified he noted NJ
signs Of violence on Bakers face Of
head. He said the painter had beer
drinking during the evening. Sergt
Lverman previously had testified Gal
linger doctors had diagnosed the cas-
- alcoholism, DECLARING tho painter