Evening star., 1944-03-03
Coroner S Jury
Holds Janitor in
Reardon Staying
Cathedral Workman
Shows No Emotion
Throughout Hearing
pictures on Page BIZ

A coroner's jury today held
Julius Fisher, 34-year-old Wash
ington Cathedral janitor, for the
grand jury after he had been
formally arraigned on a first
degree murder charge in con-
nection with the Staying of Miss
Catherine Cooper Reardon, 81,
assistant librarian at the Ca
thedral
Before appearing before the cor.
oner's jury and refusing to testify.
Fisher was arraigned before United
States Commissioner Needham c.
Turnage and pleaded not guilty. He
was arrested last night in a restau-
rant at Eighteenth and u streets
NV. after police had searched
Washington and nearby cities for
him all day.
Taken to police headquarters last
night, Fisher. according to Maj. Ed
ward j. Kelly, signed confession to
the murder in which he detailed how
he beat the woman to death and
then hid her body in a small pit of
the underground crypt IN which she
worked.
Further details of the case were
given the coroners jury this morn
ing by series of witnesses.
Co-Workers Testify.
John Bayless, curator Of the
library, said he had discovered the
body shortly after 9 am. yesterday
after being notified by a telephone
call from Miss Helen A. Young, Ca
thedral archivist, who had spent the
night with Miss Reardon's mother.
Mrs. William w. Reardon. saying
that Miss Reardon had not returned
home the previous night.
Miss Young, who also testified,
said that after telephoning Mr.. Bay
less, she went directly to the library,
arriving before he did, and found
Miss Reardon's hat, coat and pock-
etbook on chair in the attic. Soon
Mr.. Bayless joined in the search.
Going down to the crypt, where
Miss Reardon did most Of her work
and where the institutions most
valuable volumes were kept, Mr.. Bay
less said his attention was attract
ed by the fact that a door to a
bathroom off the chamber was open.
Going in there. he saw traces of
bloodstains some one had attempt
ed to wipe up.
Then, Mr.. Bayless related, he
noticed a small door leading from
the library room which he did not
remember having seen before.
Opening this, he found that it led
into pit below the level of the
library room, and noticed traces Of
blood on the floor near the entrance.
Descended Into Pit.
Descending a small iron ladder
into the pit, used to conceal coiled
steam pipes, Mr.. Bayliss said that
he saw nothing at first and was
about to leave when he noticed there
was a small partitioned space on
one side of the room In this aper-
ture he discovered Miss Reardon's 8
body.
Detective Sergt. Richard j. Felber.
who with Detective Sergt. Edgar
Scott, arrested Fisher, said the man
freely admitted the crime when he
was arrested and told him all the
details of it.
Fisher, who was not represented
by counsel, asked no questions of
the witnesses and shook his head
when Coroner A. Magruder Mac
Donald asked him if he wanted to
testify. The few routine questions
asked him by the coroner in regard
to whether he wanted to testify
were answered in low monotone.
The accused remained expression
less through the testimony, staring
straight ahead, and never looking
at the witnesses.
The coroners jury returned its
verdict after celebrating IA minutes.
Solution of Miss Reardon's slay-
ing was one of the quickest in
recent Washington criminal his
tory. Maj. Kelly and Chief Of
Detectives Robert j. Barrett, told
reporters last night that they
knew the identity of the killer
within Is minutes after arriving at
the murder scene at 1920 am. yes
terday. Police we're sent immedi-
ately to Fishers home in the 1900
block of Hayes street NE. where
they found his blood-soaked trous-
ers, sweater and shoes hidden in a
closet.
Found Drinking Beer.
Immediately police started check
ing known haunts of Fisher here,
in Baltimore, in Vienna, Va, and
in Alexandria. They did not locate
him, however, until early last eve-
ming, when he was discovered drink
ing beer in the U street restaurant.
There the arrest was made by De-
tective Sergts. Felber and Scott.
The two detectives searched the
man, but found no weapon. How
ever, as the pair were driving him
to police Observation-Disclosures
Felber driving and Detective Scott
in the back seat with Fisher-Fisher
attempted to pull .32-caliber re-
, volver. Detective Scott disarmed
him before he could fire.
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