Evening star., 1942-07-04
Jail Mate Of Ek|und
Testifies Defendant
Confessed Shooting
Also Tells Court Thut
Alleged Sniper Drew
Nap of Gun Cache

Marvin R. Harlow, Government
witness in the first degree murder
trial of John Eugene Eklund, told
a District Court jury yesterday that
Eklund confessed to him the shoot
ing of Hyland McClaine, colored, in
October, 1910. He will be recalled
to the stand Monday.
Defense Attorney Harry T.
Whelan requested Justice James w.
Morris, presiding in the case, for
time to study the transcript of
Harlows testimony over the week
end recess. Harlow told the court
how Eklund had disclosed the To-
cation of the gun in the case in a
Baltimore park.
Under cross examination by MI
Whelan, Harlow, a fellow prisoner
in District Jail of Eklund, denied
that he had told another prisoner
that he would frame Eklund if it
would help him in his (Harlow's)
case.
"I emphatically deny it, he said.
Expects Some Benefit.
The witness said, however, that
he did expect his disclosure of the
gun and testimony in the trial to
have some effect" on his case. He
is in Jail on charges of housebreak-
ing and larceny.
Wilbert Tew, last witness of the
day, who said he worked at a
restaurant in nearby Virginia where
Eklund had been employed in 1910,
testified that he saw Eklund at
target practice behind the restau-
rant and that he used gun SINH
lar Gin size and shape" to the one
found in Baltimore.
For the first time, Eklund broke
his calm yesterday to interrupt the
testimony of Harlow. He was called
to order by the jurist and his coun-
sci several times, once after he had
said Harlow had been lying ever
since II o'clock"
Harlow, who said he talked and
played chess with Eklund, told how
the defendant asked him several
months ago what the effect would
be on his case if another colored
man was shot with the same gun
used in the McClaine case. The
witness told Eklund he thought 1t
would be confusing"
Says Shooting Promised.
He also testified that Eklund told
him there was a man who had
promised to do that, but few days
later said he was losing confidence
in the man-not known to Harlow
because he had asked for money.
The witness said that several days
later he mentioned to Eklund that
a detective was being rought on him.
He then testified that Eklund asked
him why he didn't shoot the officer.
Harlow related that Eklund said if
he took the gun and killed the man
he would be doing them both a
favor.
Eklund, according to the witness,
then drew map of the park in Bal
more, marking with an tx" where
an old .38-caliber Army revolver
could be found. A gun answering
that description was found by Wash
ington police on May %, it was tes-
titled Thursday. On his request
Harlow said the original map and
the copy he made were both de-
stroyed by Eklund.
Testifies on Target Shooting.
On examination by Assistant>Dis-
| trict Attorney Charles B. Murray
Harlow said Eklund confessed the
McClaine shooting. The defend.
ant. he related, also told him he
had done practice shooting behind
the nearby Virginia restaurant anc
said that police had recovered tht
bullets he left there and severa
ones from a tree. Eklund told him
the witness said, that he had in
tended to remove the bullets, which
he described as the most damaging
evidence against me-" but failed II
do it.
A purchasing agent for the Balti,
more Sun, Rieves Cayce, told the
court that the scraps of paper which
were around the gun when it wa
unearthed, were the suburban edi.
ton Of his paper for October 81
1910.
Harlow said he has used narcotic
since 1927 off and on for a perio,
amounting to one year, but had no
used narcotics since his arrest il
April Of this year. He said he serve'
18 months in the Navy, receiving al
honorable discharge.
Eklund, convicted of the slayini
last year, won a new trial after !,
witness in the case had been con
,rin nf