Evening star., 1944-03-03
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er broke down and gave them the
details of the killing, to which HI
signed Is written confession. police
said. His account of the tragedy
as related by Maj. Kelly, was: y
Last Tuesday Miss Reardon hat
complained to Fisher because he hae
not cleaned the dust from under hel
desk in the Cathedral library. Sh,
made report on his negligence te
James Berkeley, verger of tn.
Cathedral, who mildly reprimandec
the man for not cleaning properly.
| Argument Resumed.
Some time between II am. ano
noon on Wednesday, as Miss Rear.
don was seated at her desk in the
basement Of the library. Fisher ap.
peared and the argument over his
cleaning was renewed. The janitor
according to Maj. Kelly's version oi
the confession, slapped the librarian
during the argument. She got uI
from her desk and ran down a pas
sageway. The confession then re-
lates how Fisher followed her, beat
ing and choking her, after which
he ran to the reading room upstairs
grabbed a piece Of firewood from a
fireplace and resumed his attack
fracturing her skull.
The janitor then dragged Miss
Reardons body across the basement
and threw her into "a pit, about S
feet below the floor level, which
houses group of coiled pipes. The
pit is entered through an undersize
doorway, about feet high and 1a
inches wide. A steel ladder with six
rungs leads down into the excava-
ton. Apparently the killer showed
Miss Reardon's body through the
small door, then climbed into the
pit himself and attempted to conceal
the body behind small partition in
the room, which Is about s by 8 feet
in size.
Tried to Clean Up Blood.
Fisher then took part of the
woman's underclothing and, return
ing to the library crypt, attempted
to clear up the bloodstai1s that had
resulted from his attack on her
there.
Detectives said that when Miss
Reardon's body was found she was
fully clothed except for an under
garment. Her shoes were found by
her side. A medical examination at
the morgue revealed that she had
not been criminally attacked.
The stick of wood used to bludgeon
Miss Reardon was found by de-
tectives last night in the fireplace
OF the main reading room, just
above the crypt where Miss Reardon
worked. 1t apparently had been
there all day, while the room was
crowded with detectives and news
papermen, but no one noticed 1t.
Police went back to the library to
look for it after Fisher made his
confession.
Friends of the Reardon family
told reporters yesterday that they
understood Miss Reardon had come
home to AK q meal for her mother
and then left the house. However
Fishers confession that he killed
the librarian between II am. and
noon apparently precludes this pos
Isibility.
A gold ring encasing a blue stone
was stolen from the murdered girls
finger. 1t was recovered in the
mans home after he had admitted
in his statement that he had taken
it.
Left After Crime.
Fisher, according to his confess
sion. left the library Immediately
after concealing Miss Reardon's body
returned home and remained there
with his wife during the night. The
Fishers are childless.
Mr.. Berkely, the verger, told police
that he hired Fisher about 4 week
before Christmas. Normally, he said
the man worked between Z am. and
3 pm. His duties included the
cleaning Of three buildings and the
performance Of odd jobs which Mr.
Berkely might assign him.
He described Fisher as a quiet
unassuming fellow-not a tough
character" and said his work had
been satisfactory until the time o1
Miss .Reardon's complaint. Wher
he called the janitor in to discuss
the librarians report. Mr.. Berkely
said, he did not reprimand him
strongly and there was no evidence
of i'll feeling
Coroner Macdonald said last night
that Miss Reardon died during the
scufde with Fisher. She had, he
said, bruises and abrasions on hel
body, two fractures of the skull and
evidences of strangulation on hel
neck. -
Building Is Isolated.
The building in which the woman
was slain is only about 40 yards
northeast of the main Cathedra
structure and is a quiet, isolated
place. Miss Reardon frequently had
told friends that she suffered from
depression and loneliness when al
work, especially in the underground
crypt, where many of the library's
rare volumes are stored
Tentative funeral plans announced
by Miss Reardon's family call fol
services at 2:30 pm. tomorrow from
the home of her grandmother, Mrs
William M. Reardon, 8O5 Prince
street, Alexandria, She is to be
buried in the Reardon family plot in
Presbyterian Cemetery, Alexandria
Miss Reardon's pastor, the Rev
DR.. Charles w. Sheerin of the
Church Of the Epiphany, will con-
duct the funeral services, assisted by
the Rev. DR.. H. T. Clarke Of the
Methodist Episcopal Church OF
Alexandra. The members of the
Cathedral. staff will act as pail.
! bearers.