Evening star., 1947-03-21
SociaIites Believed
Slain With Hammer
Before Yacht Blast
BY the Associoted Press

SAN1A ANA, Cdlll., MAI. Z1.-A
theory that Mr. and Mrs. Walter
Overell, wealthy socialites, were
slain with a ball peen hammer
aboard their power cruiser before an
explosion wrecked the craft in
fashionable Newport harbor Satur-
day night was advanced today by
the sheriff's Office.
Sheriff James Musick said he
planned to file a murder charge
today against George R. Gollum, 21,
fiance of the Overells' coed daugh-
ter Beulah Louise, II, heiress to
their reported 100000 fortune, and
possibly against the girl.
The young people, who were
aboard the yacht until shortly be-
fore the explosion, were arrested
Wednesday, booked for murder
without the filing of formal charges,
and still were held in jail today.
Beulah Louise, a freshman journal
ism student at the University of
h Southern California, and Gollum,
premedical student at Los Angeles
City College, had planned to be mar
ried April 80, her 18th birthday.
Dynamite Found on Yacht.
The explosion was first attributed
to gasoline, but after the yacht, the
Mary E., was raised investigators
found 81 sticks of unexploded dyna-
mite, a detonator and a wired clock
aboard it.
Sheriff Musick said reports by
Capt. Thomas McGaff, chief of the
Orange County sheriff's bureau of
identification, and DR.. John Mon
tanus, autopsy surgeon, led to his
theory that Mr. Overell, 81, finance
company operator, and his wife, ST,
were slain.
DR.. Montanus said there were four
skull fractures on Mr.. OVereu and
two on his wife that apparently
were caused by the same instrument.
Capt. McGaff said that during his
extensive examination of the bodies,
he had placed ball peen hammer
in the circular wounds.
at is my impression that the
instrument that caused those wounds
was ball peen hammer or some
thing exactly like it," Capt. McGaff
told a group of newsmen. "The
small end of the hammer might
well have caused the head injuries
to the woman, the large end the
mans injuries.
Head Wounds Cited.
1T is significant to note that the
head wounds show severely bruised
outer rings, but no discoloration of
the inner ring of the flesh that
was driven into the skulls. This
is a characteristic Of a ball peen
hammer wound as noted in many
murder cases. We think, of course
that these two people were dead
before the explosion sank their
yacht"
Buddy and I had nothing to
do with my parents DEATH" the
mink-coated helress insisted. my
parents agreed to our plan to marry.
They had no objection"
But Sheriff Musick and R. R.
Hodgkinson, chief of police at New
port Beach, said they had learned
from various sources that the
Overells opposed their daughters
marriage to Gollum, who aspires
to be a brain surgeon.
The yacht exploded with deafen-
ing roar in the land-locked harbor
at 11:45 pm. Saturday. Miss Overell
and Gollum said they had rowed
ashore for sandwiches shortly be-
fore the blast.
Chief Hodkginson said investiga-
ton disclosed that the Overells, who
maintained an elaborate Moorish
home in the exclusive Flintridge
district near Pasadena, frequently
entertained aboard their yacht, but
that it was their custom to leave
early for their 50-mile drive home
and never before had they remained
as late as II As pm.