Evening star., 1944-09-26
Waitress Says Widow
Was With Serviceman'
Shortly Before Death
Tells FBI She Saw
Womun and Escort
On Night Of SIoyins

gareC f1tZWaUer saturday With the
disclosure that the 53-year-old
widow had been seen with q youth
full soldier or marine about two
hours before her throat was slashed
and her nude body thrown into the
Pentagon Lagoon.
Mrs. Frances G. Colson, IS, Of SIC
South Twentieth street, Arlington
Va, clerk In the Treasury De-
partment, who works part time as q
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 a booth In the restaurant, she
said, and appeared in earnest con-
versation. They left about 1880
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 a shack used
by construction workers when the
Pentagon was being erected. Holmes
mounted it on a raft made Of empty
barrels and planks.
The FBI revealed yesterday tina,
Holmes Is an escaped former inmate
Of the Eastern State Hospital TO,
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 no,
announced.
The FBI said it was the custom oi
Virginia authorities to cease thei,
search for fugitives from the hos
pital after a lapse of five years
Under this practice, the FBI said
Holmes is not wanted in Virgins
today.
Navy Aids in Weapon Search.
The United States Navy entered
the case briefly yesterday when
magnetic apparatus was used tc
comb the bottom of the lagoon ir
an effort to find the weapon with
which Mrs. Fitzwater's throat was
slashed. Navy personnel brought
the equipment from the Navy YARD
and swept back and forth over the
bottom Of the lagoon in the vicinity
where Mrs. FitZwater is believed to
have been killed.
According to the FBI the search
was unsuccessful and probably will
not be resumed today.
Meanwhile, police and the FBI
have received number of telephone
calls from persons who believe thev
saw Mrs. Fftzwater 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 at
312 H street NV. operated by AL
bert Anderson, IS, a retired Navy
Yard blacksmith, left her home
early Saturday night to visit q
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. Fitzwater was a native of
Virginia, where several relatives
are thought to reside. She has been
widow for II years and has a son,
Pvt. Chester Fitzwater, who is
overseas with the ARMY.