Evening star., 1945-02-20


visit her daughter in Falls Church
Va. When she was found yesterday
her head downward in the manhole
her hat, coat and pocketbook were
missing
She was identified by the daugh-
ter, Mrs Helen, L. Charlton, 1O11
Parker street, Falls Church, by her
clothes and by her rings, which
were still on her gloved fingers.
The body was found by two en-
ployes of the county sewer depart
ment, Tom and George Lear, when
they responded to a complaint from
resident in the vicinity that the
sewer was clogged.
At the time of her disappearance
the woman's husband, Frank j.
Tullis, 81, retired contractor, told
police his wife had visited a doctor
the day she vanished Police today
said they learned that Mrs. Tullis
left the office of DR.. Stacy T. holland
in the Arlington Medical Building
in Clarendon, about 1890 pm. De-
cember 81 with a prescription. A
check showed the prescription had
not been filled at the drugstore
where she customarily went.
Yesterday, however, her family
said Mrs. Tullis left her home that
day to visit her daughter in Falls
Church.
Hit-run Case Seen Possible.
Mrs. Charlton recalled that De-
cember 81 was cold, icy day. Her
mothers normal route to Falls
Church, she said, would be to walk
to Wilson boulevard, about two
blocks from her home, and catch a
bus to East End in Falls Church.
Here she would transfer to another
bus that would take her to Broad and
West streets, from which she would
have to walk about two blocks to
the Parker street address.
The place where the body was
found is about eight blocks from
Mrs. Tullis' home, but in the oppo-
site direction from that she would
take to visit her daughter. Members
of her family said she knew no one
in that vicinity and they knew of
no reason why she should be in the
neighborhood
Police officials said they believed
that If Mrs. Tullis met her death
during the daylight hours, her body
was not secreted in the manhole
until after dark, since it would be
almost impossible for any one to
dispose of body in that neighbor-
hood during the daytime. Police
did not entirely discount the theory
that the woman may have been
struck by hit-run driver who
hurriedly picked up the body and
later disposed of it.
Manhole Cover Heavy.
Police were also interested in the
fact that the manhole cover is a
heavy thing for two men to lift
Sewer employees are equipped with
long levers which they use to raise
the lids. They work in pairs to lift
them.
Mrs. Charlton said her mother
could not have had more than $40
or SIS in her purse at the time she
disappeared.
Mrs. Tullis, a native of st. Louis.
moved to Arlington with her hus-
band about rs years ago. They have
lived In the same house ever. since.
Before that, they lived in the Philip
pines, where Mr.. Tullis was a Gov
ernment contractor employed on
military installations. He had pre-
viously served in the Spanish
American War.
Two Sons in Service,
Mr.. Tullis has been unable to
work since he fell from a scaffold
and injured his leg about four years
ago. Since then. Mrs. Tullis had
been employed at the Navy Yard
as storekeeper in the supplies de-
partment.
She is also survived by two sons,
Richard j., 80, now In the Philip
pines, and Robert c., 10, in England.
Both are in the armed forces. Mrs.
Charlton is employed in Cohen's
picture frame shop. 1927 G street
NV. Her husband, Vincent r.