Evening star., 1944-09-26
Navy Divers Search
For Murder Weapon
In Pentagon Lagoon
Woitress Tells Of Seeing
Widow With Servicemon
Shortly Before Deoth

SnortIy berore Oeotn
Search for the weapon With which
Mrs. Margaret Fitzvater. 5s-year-
old widow, was murdered Saturday
night before her nude body was
thrown into the Pentagon Lagoon
was continued today by United
States Navy divers and crew man
ming q magnetic instrument de-
signed to lift metal objects from
the bottom.
FBI agents working on the mur-
der believe the killer may have
thrown the weapon into the water
While two divers searched the
bottom Of the lagoon, q crew Of
four maneuyered q boat containing
the magnetic apparatus over the
surface in the vicinity Of the spot
where the killing took place.
The same crew searched the
lagoon for three hours yesterday
and although an assortment of
items was dredged up. none were
significant" according to the FBI.
Woman's Hat Located.
The last missing article Of the
dead womans clothing-a red hat
was found today floating on the
lagoon by the Navy crew. It was
turned over to FBI agents who are
In charge of the investigation be-
cause the crime was committed on
Government property.
A new angle was injected yester-
day into the brutal killing with the
disclosure that the 53-year -old
widow had been seen with a youth
full soldier or marine about two
hours before her throat was slashed
Mrs. Frances c. Colson, rs. of $40
South Twentieth street, Arlington,
Va, q clerk in the Treasury De-
partment, who works part time as
waitress at the Hot Shoppe at the
Virginia end of the Fourteenth
Street Bridge, made the disclosure
to FBI agents.
Mrs. Colson said she served two
cups Of coffee each to Mrs. Fitz-
water and the serviceman about
10 pm. Saturday. The couple sat
in q booth in the restaurant, she
said, and appeared in earnest con-
versation. They left about 1890
pm, she declared.
Photographs Identified.
Photographs of Mrs. Fitzwater
were positively identified by Mrs.
Colson as the woman who was in
the restaurant Saturday night.
Meanwhile the FBI continued to
hold for questioning Gardner (Pop)
Holmes. itinerant restaurant worker
who discovered Mrs. Fitzwater's
body floating in the lagoon Sunday
morning. Holmes lives on what has
been described as a houseboat tied
to the bank of the lagoon not far
from the Mount Vernon Memorial
highway. Actually it is shack used
by construction workers when the
Pentagon was being erected. Holmes
mounted 1t on a raft made OF empty
barrels and planks.
The FBI revealed yesterday that
Holmes is an escaped former inmate
Of the Eastern State Hospital for
the Criminally Insane at Williams
burg, Va. He was confined there
from 1922 to 1881, the FBI stated,
when he made his escape. The
reason for his confinement was not
announced.
The FBI said it was the custom of |
Virginia authorities to cease their
search for fugitives from the hos
pital after lapse of five years.
Under this practice, the FBI said,
Holmes is not wanted in Virginia
today.
Meanwhile, police and the FBI
have received a number of telephone |
calls from persons who believe they |
saw Mrs. Fitzwater on the night she
met her death. All are being in
vestigated but in all cases so far
they have turned out to be worthless |
tips.
Left Home Early.
Mrs. FitZWater, who worked as
housekeeper at rooming house st
3l2 H street NV, operated by AL
bert Anderson, IS, a retired Navy
Yard blacksmith, left her home
early saturday night to visit a
friend.
Her body was found floating face
down in the Pentagon lagoon Sum-
day morning by Holmes, who re-
ported his discovery to park police.
Deputy Coroner Richard M. Rosen-
berg would not state whether she |
had been criminally attacked. The
FBI. however. believes that she was
attacked and are conducting their |
investigation on this assumption.
Her clothing and underclothing
was strewn over a wide area on the
bank of the lagoon. In addition to
the cash in her neck which caused |
death, her nose was broken and her
face was battered and bruised in |
several places.
Mrs. Ftzwater was a native of
Virginia, where several relatives
are thought to reside. She has been
a widow for IL years and has a son,
Pvt. Chester Fitzwater, who is