Evening star., 1944-06-20
Father Testifies
On Mergner's
Drunken Call
Says Son Tried to
Tell Him Of SIoying,
But Was Incoherent
By JOSEPH YOUNG.

His voice shaking with emotion,
the aged father of Fred c. Mergner
testified in District Court today
how his son called him on the
telephone the night Mrs. Charlotte
Robinson was slain and drunkenly
tried to inform him of the shoot
ing.
The first defense witness called
after the Government rested its
case in the first-degree murder
trial of his son, John E. Mergner
said he could not understand the
telephone conversation.
HE sounded incoherent, and I
couldn't understand what he was
saying because he was so drunk" I"
he testified.
II told him why don't you be-
have like a man and stop your
drinking" Mr.. Mergner related,
but all he said was It's too late,
It's too late"
Drinking Earlier in Day.
The witness said those were the
only words he could understand over
the phone. He said his son sud-
denly hung UP, mumbling and
crying
Earlier in the day he had remon-
strated with Mergner to stop drink
ing, the witness said. At that time
Mefgner was intoxicated, he re-
called
The elder Mergner was one of sew
eral witnesses called by the defense
to bolster its contention that the de-
fendAnt was too drunk to know what
he was doing the night of october
IS when Mrs. Robinson was shot
four times and left to die on a side
walk at Seventh and A streets NE.
Mrs. Minnie Capers, q colored
maid employed ut the Mergner
home, told the jury that she dis
covered Mergner in the library OF
his home about an hour after the
shooting, slumped over the library
table with bottles of beer and whisky
before him. She said he appeared
to be in a stupor.
r CAAVW GksAPkVyND ACoeAss
Under questioning by Defense At
torney John B. Burnett, fellow en-
ployes of Mergner at the bakery
where he worked testified he was
intoxicated the day of the shooting.
The Governments final witness
was Miss Verna Harrison, roommate
of the slain woman. She said she
accompanied Mrs. Robinson to din
ner at Mergner's home several weeks
before the shooting, during which
time Mergner told her: Charlotte
Is no damn good"
Miss Harrison said she saw Merg-
ner on several occasions, accom-
panied by Mrs. Robinson. in the
weeks preceding the killing. At no
time she said, did she see Mergner
take 3 drink.
Reports Oral Confession.
Inspector Robsrt =. Barrett, chief
Of detectives, yesterday reported an
oral confession which he said Merg-
ner made to him at No. 10 precinct
the day after the shooting. He said
Mergner insisted on speaking to him
alone because of slight acquaint-
aceship he had with the defendant.
Inspector Barrett said the de-
fendant stated he picked Mrs. Rob-
inson up in his car at Fourth and
A streets NE. as a result of an
appointment made the night before
and drove to the next block at Fifth
street where he parked the car.
She wanted me to give her
$4,000" the inspector quoted Merg-
ner as saying. II told her the money
was in the back seat. She looked
and it wasn't there Then she looked
In the front glove compartment.
I knew she wasn't any good and I
shot her" The inspector said
Mergner did not state the reason
why Mrs. Robinson wanted the
$4,000.
Mergner previously had told po-
lice that he had been dead in love"
with Mrs. Robinson and had asked
her to marry him, but that she
had refused.
According to Inspector Barrett,
the defendant next told him: She
was. a. damned rat. 1 was going to
put her down the sewer with the
rest OF the rats. She was rotten
inside through and through"