Evening star., 1941-02-28
Clerk Is Dead,
Pursuer Hurt
After Gun Battle
Womon's Police Coll
Sturts Chase in
Downtown Area


today and bus station employe who
tried to stop him was in serious con-
dition from a bullet wound after a
chase and gun battle through crowd
ed downtown streets yesterday after
noon.
Police said Murphy H. Hubbs, 80.
of 1923 Massachusetts avenue NV,
fired bullet into his own head after
critically Wounding John Francis, 20,
Of Arlington, Va.
During the course of the chase
one shot was fired at Hubbs by
Traffic Policeman Lawrence E.
Buscher, but it did not take effect
An autopsy performed by the Dis
trict Coroner's Office last night de-
termined that Hubbs' death was
caused by 80 caliber bullet-size of
the gun he was carrying. Police are
armed with 38 caliber pistols.
A coroner'S jury today returned
verdict of suicide in the death Of
Hubbs. Detective Sergt Aubrey NJ.
| Tolson of the homicide squad testi-
| fed that examinations by police
ballistics experts showed that the
death bullet came from .32-caliber
| pistol, such as that carried by Hubbs.
After the shooting police learned
that Hubbs had threatened to kill
both Mrs. Betty Bowen and her
husband and then commit suicide.
The call that man was ''molesting
woman" that brought police to
the scene, was made by Mrs. Bowen,
police said.
Says Hubbs Threatened Her.
She told police Hubbs had been
TO the beauty shop where she
worked, in the 1900 block of G street
! NV. several times during the day
and had phoned three or four times.
When she told him she intended TO
go back to her husband, he threat
ened her, and said:
Il am going to be waiting for you"
| When Officer William J. Gaylord
answered the police call. he said he
found HubbS sitting at the wheel Of
an automobile parked in violation
of the 4-to-6 pm. parking ban. He
said he ordered him to drive to the
first precinct.
! Il didn't like the way he was driv-
ing" the policeman said, 80 made
him get out from behind the wheel
and let me take over. He Jumped
out of the car and started to run
and I chased him"
With the policeman In pursuit,
Hubbs ran through the crowded
| downtown streets, cutting through
/ the driveway in back of the Grew
/ hound Bus Terminal. on New York
avenue between Eleventh and
| Twelfth streets NV.
Francis Takes Up Chase.
The man was running toward
Eleventh street with the policeman
and several citizens following when
Mr.. Francis spotted them.
/ The policeman stumbled and fell
to the ground while they we're in
the bus terminal driveway and
called out:
Stop him. Stop that man.
/ Mr.. Francis, who was standing
outside the baggage room. took up
the chase. At that point. Nose Will
Iams, colored porter. vino lives at
l843 Vernon street NV. saw the
man draw a gun. Williams called
out TO Mr.. Francis:
Look out, he's got a gun"
But Mr.. Francis kept going.
"A cab driver started to get out
OF his car and chase him, too. but
when he saw that gun he got back
IN the cab Mr.. Williams said.
Pursuer Shot.
With the baggage clerk in pursuit,
the fugitive headed down Eleventh
street, toward H street. Just as
HubbS reached the corner. he turned
and faced MT, Francis. who was not
more than IS feet behind him. He
leveled the gun at him and fired.
Joseph Simms, AZ, 1880 Sheridan
street NV, the cab starter at the
terminal. who had joined the chase,
saw Mr., Francis fall,
II wasn't so far behind them.
Slim grabbed at his chest and
dropped to the ground. He got up
and stumbled over toward the An
napolls Drug Store and fell down
in the door. I ran back to the termi-
nal and had them call the police"
Hubbs continued to the intersec-
ton of H street and Eleventh and
started to run across the street. A
cab was making a right turn and
almost ran over him. The cab
stopped.
He tried to get in the cab" said
r. G. Fortune, 1912 I street NV,
who was turning the corner as the
shooting occurred. but I guess the
cab driver saw his gun. He wouldn't
let him in and backed his cab up.
He almost ran over the man again"
Another Policeman Joins Chase.
Then HubbS continued down
Eleventh street. with the cab which
had almost run over him following.
Mr.. Buscher was directing traffic at
the corner of Eleventh and G streets
NV, in which direction the gun
man was running.
Mr. Buscher was called by wit
nesses and started up Eleventh
street. When Hubbs saw him. he
turned back-running up the street
with his hand in coat pocket, ap-
parently holding the gun.
When he reached the parking lot,
which is close to the corner of
Eleventh and H streets, he turned
in. with the policeman in close pur-
suit.
''As came up Mr.. Buscher said.
che fired one shot at me. I find
back and he dropped"
Says Man Shot Himself.
William H. Smith, 81. of 1914
Fourteenth street NV, attendant at
the parking lot, gave this account:
Il was in the booth on the lot
when this guy ran up from Eleventh
street. About half way across the
lot, he turned and faced Bush CMr.
Buscher), who wasn't far behind.
Then the guy put the gun to