Evening star., 1941-07-22
Aftacker Of Soldier
And GirIConfesses,
Detectives Claim
Suspect Picked Up
When Policeman Sees
Stranger on Beat

A youth who has confessed at
tacking an 18-year-old girl here,
according to police. was in Jail to-
day as officers waited to see if her
soldier companion. in a serious con-
dition in Walter Reed Hospital with
head injuries and throat and wrist
slaShes, would recover
The suspect, 19-year- old colored
ex-convict from North Carolina, who
had been in Washington less than
q week, admitted, according to Capt.
Ira E. Keck, acting chief of de-
tectives. he had beaten and cut Pvt.
Edward L. Mccullough, 30, a Dis
trict selectee, and had criminally
assaulted the girl in a wooded area
OF New York avenue NE. Saturday
night. His confession came within
So hours after the crime was COM
nitted.
Arrest of the suspect was attrib-
uted to vigilance of Policeman Daniel
Slattery of the 18th precinct. Last
Saturday while cruising in scout
car, he stopped to question colored
man. The description he wrote in
notebook following the conversa-
ton tailed with that of the girls
attacker broadcast after the Incl
dent Saturday night.
Yesterday Policeman James G..
Beach of the twelfth precinct. given
the description Officer Slattery had
written in his notebook, went to
the bottling concern where the man
was employed and arrested him.
His confession was obtained a
short while later by veteran De-
tective Sergts. E. E. Scott and
L. N. Wilson.
Victims Pin Recovered.
The method of tracking down
criminals employed by Mr.. Slat-
terry was in line with the type of
police work urged for Washington
by Representative Schultz. Demo-
crat, of Indiana. during the recent
Police Department investigation by
a subcommittee of the House Dis
trlct Committee. At that time,
Police Inspector James F. Beckett
told the subcommittee that patrol
man had more opportunity to be-
come acquainted with persons on
their beat before they were required
to cover such wide territories and
before scout cars were EMPLOYED
for patroling.
In their report on SATURDAYS at
tack case, police revealed that fur
ther Identification of the suspect
had come through pin taken from
the girl at the time of the assault.
The trinket was found, along with
blood-spattered clothing the man
said he had worn Saturday night,
in pile of lumber near the sus-
poets hangout in a lumber yard a
short distance from the bottling
concern at which he got work as a
truck driver.
Capt. Keck said the man claimed
he had come to Washington from
Winston Salem. N. c., last Thurs
day, had got the job as a truck
driver, and confessed he had beaten
and slashed the soldier and attacked
the girl.
According to police, he said he
encountered the couple under a
tree in the wooded area where they
had taken refuge from the rain;
that he approached them pretend
ing to be a watchman; demanded
money under the pretense that they
were trespassing and liable to a
fine, and then had overpowered the
soldier before grabbing his COM
panion.
Identified by Girl.
Summoned to the Detective Bu-
reau last night, the girl quickly
pointed him out as her assailant.
She also identified the pin found in
the lumber pile as that taken from
her. The suspect this morning was
taken to Walter Reed Hospital.
where Pvt. Mccullough also identi-
fed him.
In addition to his confession to
detectives, the suspect was reported
to have admitted the crime when
questioned by other police officials,
Including Chief of Police Ernest w.
Brown. A signed statement was
made out before 1t. jeremiah Flah-
erty of the homicide squad.
Recovery Of the injured soldier
remained uncertain. Spots on the
ground where he was beaten indi-
Gated he had lost considerable blood
before he was taken to the hospital
by police summoned by the girl after
she had made her way, barefooted.
10 nearby New York avenue and
tagged passing motorist.