Evening star., 1941-12-05
Alexandria Boy
Sentence
In Auto Killing
Herbert H. Cox Gets
12-Yeor Term; Girls
In Training School

By the Associated Press.
BEL AIR, Md, Dec. 5.-A run
away trip that brought death to a
38-year -old carpenter ended today
in prison for a 16-year -old boy and
in a training school for his two
young girl companions.
The boy. Herbert H. Cox, jr.. who
sobbed as sentence was pronounced
yesterday. began a l2-year term
today at the Maryland Penitentiary.
Cox pleaded guilty at outset OF
the trial to shooting Granger G..
Browning, who had given the three
a ride from their Alexandria tVaD
trailer camp home because. he said,
Browning was making love" to one
of the girls, Ida May Price, Is.
Ida May and Leona Ellen Cum
nmgham, IA, sentenced as acces-
sories after the fact. were committed
to the Montrose School for Girls
until they are 81 or are released
earlier at school officials discre-
ton.
Parents Attend Trial.
Associate Judge Frederick Lee Co.
bourn, who sentenced the three, was
to sign the girls commitment pa
pers today.
The trio, who drove on TO Port
land Me, after the roadside shoot
ing last October II. waived extra
dition and were returned to Har-
ford County for trial on indictments
charging murder. The girls also
were charged with being acces-
sories after the fact.
BY agreement. defense counsel
entered pleas of guilty, and the
State nolle pressed the murder
charges against the girls, asking a
second degree murder verdict
against Cox.
The trio's parents and scores OF
school children were in the court
room for the trial Judge Cobourn
said he hoped the children may get
some object lesson
Mrs. Arthur NJ. Price jumped
from her seat when her daughter
collapsed on being sentenced.
Sentence Stuns Girls.
The two girls had to be helped
from the courthouse to the little
county Jail across the street.
The first witness. Gerald Ray,
sheet metal worker who lived in
the trailer camp. said the girls told
him the afternoon of October II
they wanted to run away and take
up dancing in New York He testi-
fed he recommended a certain taxi
dance hall.
Don't You know that this place
is a house of prostitution and that
the dance hall is merely a front?"
asked Robert H. Archer. defense at
torney with Hanserd G. Presley of
Washington.
Mr.. Ray replied in the negative
Mr. Ray declared he told the girls
he would take them to New York,
but later introduced them to Mr.
Browning. who offered to take them
part way.
Prosecutor D. Paul McNabb intro
duSCQ III CNiuCliIC I'LL &C cldIClIClto
by the defendants in which they
gave their accounts of the Staying.
Cox. who wept intermittently dur
ing the trial and chung tightly to
the hand of Leona. his cousin. said
in his statement that Mr. Brown
ing complained lights of other cars
hurt his eyes and stopped along the
highway north of Baltimore to rest.
II know that Browning was max
ing love to Ida May, but she never
said anything about it to me. al
though I saw that she was trying
to keep out Of his reach as much
as possible" the boy said.
Cox told how he left the car to
stretch and while I was out of
the car l thought it would be the
best thing to shoot Browning, take
his car and money and beat it away
from there"
Back in the car Ida May joined
Cox and Leona in the back seat,
leaving Browning alone in front
Il guess 1 got peeved with Brown
ing, because of Ida May. and I
took out the gun and shot him in
the back of the head he declared.
Il guess shot him because I had
that damned gun with me-"