Evening star., 1943-10-29
Inquest

Inquest
Continued From First Page.)
but he paid no attention to it ant
destroyed the paper.
After his talk with Mergner yes
terday morning, Inspector Barret
told the coroners jury, he ques
toned his clerk, who remembered
that a second Fred had called. H,
and the clerk both recalled, he said
that the telephone number carried
the same exchange.
Inspector Barrett explained later
while the coroner's jury was out
that he and Mergner had knowr
each other casually for some years
Mergner had no counsel to repre-
sent him at the inquest. Although
Coroner A. Magruder McDona Il
told Mergner he could question wit
nesSes through the coroner. the &C
cused man only shook his head ant
murmured no when he was asket
If he had any questions.
Judge Edward M. Curran Distric
attorney, assisted by John w. Fl
helly, assistant District attorney
asked the questions for the Govern
ment
The tensest moment. during tn,
inquest. which lasted less than al
hour, came when Mrs. Robert Lucas
the only one vino saw a man at tn,
scene of the crime, refused to iden
/ tlfy Mergner AS the man who wanted
TO know what she was looking at a
he stood on the corner with Mrs
Robinson in his arms. DR. Mcdonald
asked Mrs. Lucas, Were you able I,
see the mans face?'
Mrs. Lucas. who had spoken hesi
family through her brief description
OF her trip to the mailbox on thr
misty night did not answer him. Dr.
Mcdonald then asked her to lool
around and see if she could recoe
nize the man.
Il can't recognize the man fror
that night she said. Il can recoe
ME him from the newspa pers."
When she was asked to point tn
man out, she avoided looking il
Mergner's direction but said simply
He's on the right
Turns Eyes 10 Mergner.
When DR.. Mcdonald persisted. sh,
finally turned her eyes to Mergne,
and nodded at him before ouickl,
turning away
Mr. Curran also asked. Is tina
the man."
But Mrs Lucas repeated, -.
couldn't identify him as being tn,
man."
When Mr Curran asked her 4
Mergner looked like him she shoos
her head and responded, y couldn'
say
Otherwise. Mrs. Lucas repeated
the story she had told TO police the
night she found the woman OWNS
on the street corner She did add
however that she had seen the ca
pulling away from the scene as sh,
rushed into nearby home for help
I Inspector Barrett disclosed tha'
Mergner was loath to talk about tbs
crime during the jail visit Yesterday
Inspector Barrett testified thar
Mergner said he wanted to talk 10 6
LAWYER.
/ Summarizes Conversation.
Inspector Barrett gave this descrip.
ton of the conversation at the jail
/ Il told him | was there TO ask somt
other questions and to Straighten ou1
some things he told us Tuesday. He
stated his daughter had called Mrs
Robinson and made the appoint
ment. And then he said that insteac
OF driving to Fourth and A he drove
over 10 Fifth street He said h.
wanted to talk to a lawyer before hi
said ANYTHING about Fourth and A
Police said Tuesday that Mergnel
had confessed to shooting Mrs
Robinson at Fourth and A street!
Me-
He said YOU have my car ant
when we talked to him about tn,
slipper 'the matching shoe found il
Mergners carr, he said he woult
rather answer about the slipper afte
he had talked to an attorney
Started Tinting Hair Red.
Inspector Barrett said Mergne
had told him that when she cam
to my house, she was a blonde, ant
then she started to tint her hal
red. She was sick with sinus trou
BILE. and she could stay in bed al
day. I took good care of her"
/ Inspector Barrett quoted Mergne
as saying that at Christmas a gir
named Grace Allen came to visi
Mrs. Robinson from Chicago
Mergner, according to Inspecto
Barrett, said he found after ths
visit that Mrs. Robinson had I
criminal background and had inten
tions of leaving me-
I The other witnesses at today's in
quest were Rush Chamblin, jr, 65
A street NE. who was called to tn,
scene by Mrs. Lucas: Sergt Waite
D. Perry, who described finding tn,
alleged death car in front of Merg
ner's door and arresting Mergner
to the scene and took the woman
to Casualty Hospital, where she diet
Monday night.
/ The results of the ballistics test
made by Capt. John Fowler wer,
not presented to the coroner's jury.
/ Fowler Tested Gun.
Capt Fowler made his tests Oh
a .32-caliber revolver. believed t,
be the death gun. and two bullet
removed from the murdered WON
ans head.
Meanwhile. police. said they hat
learned that Mergner had purchased
the gun some time ago. and appar
emily had not bought it with the ex
press purpose of killing his forme
housekeeper.
Investigation into the financia
affairs of the bakery clerk who livet
with his five children in a $31 90,
home in Spring Valley discloset
that the children had been lef
S590,000 by John Weinberg. wealth,
bakery owner and father of Merg
ner'S wife Agnes who died afte