Evening star., 1942-07-11
EkIund Jury Verdict
Sealed as Search
For Him Goes On
Court Discussion Due
Monday on Law
Points Involved

Continued From First Pase)
and then each member of the jury
was asked whether the verdict rep.
resented his opinion. All replied il
the Affirmative. Then Justice Morris
said to the jury:
Il think I should explain to tht
fury. now that you have reached g
verdict. why this course Of actor
was necessary. The defendant ir
the case has escaped, and it wa!
deemed necessary to do this
Jury Not Discharged.
Justice Morris explained he could
not discharge the jury, but woulo
excuse it for the week end. He tole
the members to report back to court
Monday, warning them not TO dis
cuss the verdict meanwhile.
United States Attorney Edward
M. Curran said that if any of the
jurors revealed the verdict he would
be in contempt of court.
Police were watching all roads,
bridges and rail lines out of Wash
ington and were searching the city
streets and the river swampland
near the District Jail. Meanwhile,
United States Marshal John Colpoys,
with Department of Justice men.
was conducting an investigation OF
the circumstances OF the escape.
Police said the names of the two
deputies from whose custody the
prisoner escaped we're c. w. Carl
son, a former District policeman,
and Robert j. Schmidt, 207 Under
wood street NV.
Carlson was on the District police
force from 1881 to 1888, and resigned
to return to his home In Min
nesota. He applied for reinstate-
ment to the police force in 1885, but
was turned down as overage. He was
appointed a guard at Lorton Re
formatory in 1886. Justice Depart
ment officials said he had been made
a deputy marshal about four months
ago.
Schmidt is 46 years old and has
been on the marshars staff for about
four years. He comes from New
York State.
Neither Of the men carried guns,
which are normally supplied to
deputies.
require that prisoners be handcuf1ed
to their guards. 1t requires only
that the prisoners be handcuned, !,
department onicials said.
Bloodhound Fails.
An attempt to use a bloodhound
from Lorton to locate Eklund proved
futile because of the rain. A thor
ough search of the marches and
woods on the banks of the river near
the Jail yielded no clue.
There was speculation on the pos
sibility that Eklund had outside
help in the escape. Police were
checking on the whereabouts Of two
prisoners, released from Jail re-
Gently, who were friendly with Elk
lund. There was a possibility, in
vestieators said, that these men-or
others-had met Eklund with an au-
tomobile. 2~'
The prisoner, it was believed,
would not fare well by himself. In
the first place. he was handcuded.
The locks OF the handouts are not
20 ~ LroIyavo tn fhn cArrvy@ re10nn
he was without funds,
Police also feared Eklund might
kill himself. He had been in a
highly nervous condition, it was
pointed out.
It was revealed that Eklund had
made a previous attempt to escape
from the District Jail. E. A. Green,
superintendent of the Jail, said that
on July 3, 1941, a guard caught
Eklund trying to saw through the
bars OF his cell.
The instrument which he used had
been smuggled into the jail, Mr..
Green said. The Jail superintendent
said that Eklund had boasted to
fellow prisoners that he would
escape.
The all-night police search, which
was led by Assistant Chief of De-
tectives Robert J. Barrett, called into
action all men on duty, as well as
detectives hastily summoned to
headquarters to join the hunt. Police
IN nearby states were notified and
soldiers on guard at various points
in the District were put on the alert
Tried for 1910 Murder.
Eklund had been tried for the
murder of Hyiand McClaine, colored
who was shot from behind on the
night of October Is, 1910, as he
walked with his girl friend in Foggy
Bottom, on Riverside drive near the
K Street Bridge. The Staying was
one of a series which, police said
were carried out by maniac sniper
All of the victims were colored.
A reconstruction Of the escape was
given by Mai Edward J. Kelly, su-
perintendent of police, this morning
Maj. Kelly, who talked with the
two deputy marshals, emphasized
that the responsibility for the es'
cape rests with the marshalS.
Maj. Kelly said he had been tole
that Eklund was riding in the small
front compartment ot the van. HIT
was alone inside the van, according
to the major, with his hand
double locked to each other in E
Peerless handcuff"
Usually Locked TO Officer.
Asked whether it was customary
for a prisoner not to be handcuffee
to an officer, Maj. Kelly said is wa.
police policy for the prisoners to b'
handcuffed either to each other o.
to their captors. He recalled that il
bringing a dangerous prisoner herr
from Ohio, he had locked the pris
oner's wrists together and used {
second handcuff to lock himself Il
the prisoner.
When the van stopped before tn
front door of the Jail on Nineteenth
street. according to Maj. Kelly, MI
Schmidt, who was driving, walked
around behind the drivers seat t.
the door On the right side Of tn
vehicle, which opens into the singl
compartment, Schmidt told tn