Evening star., 1945-03-25
Cafe Co-owner, Baker
Held for Grand Jury
In Street Fight Death

Abraham Wasser, part owner oi
the Chicken Hut Restaurant, Ar
Eleventh street NV, and William
Van Bergen, baker there, were
ordered held for the grand jury by
corners jury yesterday after an
inquest into the death of Arthur u
Tiller, So, Richmond coal dealer
who was fatally hurt in brawl that
started in the cafe and ended out
side on the sidewalk.
Several witnesses testified that the
trouble began when Tiller entered
the restaurant early last Sunday
night and scuf1led with young
woman at a table, throwing her
to the floor and upsetting the table.
This version was corroborated by
Miss Annette Beddow, Tiller's secre-
tary, who said he threw her to
the floor twice after he found her
seated beside soldier and WAVE.
Miss Beddow said she had been with
Tiller earlier and he had told her
to go to the restaurant and order
dinner for both of them and he
would join her shortly. The only
vacant place was beside the couple,
she said.
Threw Her to Floor.
The girl said Tiller came in, saw
her at the table and asked the
soldier how long he had known her.
The soldier. she said. replied that
he had never seen her before. At
this, Miss Beddow testified, Tiller
grabbed her by the blouse and threw
her to the floor.
"A waiter had run over and he
and Mr.. Tiller were scuff1ing when
I got up" she said. I don't know
whether the waiter or Mr.. Tiller
struck me, but I fell to the floor
again and this time tainted. When
I revived, Mr.. Tilier had been taken
out of the restaurant"
Miss Beddow said she ran out
and found Tiller lying unconscious
on the sidewalk. She said she went
to the hospital with him and stayed
there until his death the next day,
meanwhile notifying relatives in
Richmond.
Van Bergen had been charged
with assault before the inquest.
Wasser was implicated at the in
quest by Thomas M. Perry, an in
-spector for the Washington, Marl-
boro g. Annapolis Motor Lines, who
witnessed the scuffle outside the
restaurant. Mr.. Perry said three
men stood around Tiller, who was
trying to get back into the restau-
rant. AS he watched, the witness
said, the man he identified as
Wasser struck Tiller and he fell
back to the sidewalk.
Marine Tells of Scuffle.
Marine Corpl. James Morse, who
also saw the windup of the fight,
said several men were scuffling and
ALI of a sudden a blow was struck
and a man went down, hitting his
head on the pavement" But this
witness could not identify any one
In the coroner's court as the man
who hit Tiller. Corpl. Morse pointed
out a man in back OF the room as
resembling" the short, stocky man
who knocked Tiller down, but when
James A. O'Shea. attorney Tor the
accused man, said he could prove
the spectator was in Philadelphia
at the time, the Marine said he
wasn't at all sure he was the man.
Wasser and Van Bergen testified
that they were parked in car in
front of the restaurant when an
employe called to them that there
was trouble inside.
Van Bergen said he helped other
employees eject Tiller, and when they
got outside, Tiller started swinging
at him, cursing and shouting that
he was going back in.
Denies Knockdown.
1--WE had called the police" the
baker added, land we tried to stall
him off until they arrived. I kept
him off with my hands, but did not
strike a blow that could possibly
have knocked him down"
Wasser said he phoned the police
twice. The second time, he said,
he returned to the front of the place
and found Tiller still scuffling. When
the man struck at him, Wasser said,
he pushed him back, keeping him
off. The proprietor said he saw
Tiller stagger back and fall.
did you deliver any blow that
knocked him DOWN." asked Coroner
A. Magruder Macdonald.
It doubt it very much" Wasser
said. TT could have been that I
struck him, but if so inadvertently.
was very cautious, only trying to
keep him out of the restaurant"
Henry F.> Breitell, head waiter,
said he helped eject Tiller and after
ward Joined the other two in trying
to keep Tiller from getting back in.
"He was throwing punches at every
one that got in his way" the wit
ness added. 1.-The man was wild"
DR.. Christopher ]. Murphy, chief
deputy coroner, said an autopsy dis
closed that Tiller died of fractured
skull The Government was repre-
sented at the inquest by Assistant
United States Attorney Sylvan
Schwartz.
Half of the total resources of the
United States are now being devoted
IN wa Oiup war since Pearl HarbOr