Evening star., 1947-06-10
Davis Admitted
Quarrel in Auto,
Detective Says
MeAIIister Staying
Suspect Left Day
Later Court Told
BY J. B. zotmon
ssor staff Correspondent

Sfor Sfaff Correspondent
HAGERSTOWN, Md, June TO-
A Montgomery County detective tes-
titled today. that Bruce Davis OF
Laurel admitted having an argument
with Mrs. Florence McAllister the
night of November %, 1916, and that
Davis left town the following day.
Davis, 81, is on trial in Washing
ton County Circuit Court here in
the murder of Mrs. McAllister
whose body was found December 1l
in her family home at Burtonsville
Detective Sergt. James M. Ander-
son told the jury he questioned Davis
in the Rockville Jail shortly after
the Laurel man was returned to
Montgomery County from Memphis
Tenn, where he had been arrested
December 10.
Sergt. Anderson said Davis told
him he had an argument with Mrs
McAlliSter in her car near a Laurel
tavern on Thanksgiving night.
The following day, Davis was
quoted as saying, the defendant went
to his fathers home in Edison, Tenn
Says Brother Confessed"
Sergt. Anderson said Mrs. McAllis-
ter's brother, Joseph Dink) Athey
of Laurel, told him in tavern last
January that he murdered his
sister.
II did it. Now you can put me
in the same cell with Bruce Davis,
the detective quoted the brother as
saying. He said Athey was drunk.
A few days later, the detective told
the jury, he again questioned the
brother. who then told him he was
so drunk he didn't know what he
was saying.
Norman B. Lowry, an attendant at
a Laurel service station, testified
Davis drove to the station November
20 and cash a $40 check there.
Mr.. Lowry told the jury the check
was made out to Mrs. McAllister by
the State Unemployment Compensa-
ton Board and the back of the check
bore Mrs. McAllister's name and
that of Davis.
In an attempt to speed up the
trial which opened yesterday before
a three-judge panel and jury. a
similar session Is expected tonight.
Yesterdays testimony by Is State
witnesses was featured by attempts
on the part of defense counsel to
implicate other men in the murder.
New Name Enters Case.
The first such move was made by
Defense Attorney Paul B. Mules in
cross-examining Detective Capt.
Theodore N. 'Vollten of the Mont
gomery County police force.
Under questioning by Mr. Mules,
Capt. Vollten admitted Montgomery
police had found a letter in the
Burtonsviile house addressed to Mrs.
McAIlister from another Laurel man,
whom the detective. identified as
Walter G. Dustin.
After one of the witnesses, DR..
Richard Rosenberg, deputy coroner
for the District of Columbia. told
the jury he estimated that Mrs. Nc
Allister had been dead at least 10
days, Mr.. Mules asked:
You're just indulging in specula-
ton, aren't you?"
DR.. Rosenberg reafirmed his state
ment, however. He said he based
his estimate on the appearance of
blood found beside the body.
Two other physicians were Dr.
J. w. Bird, Montgomery County
pathologist, and DR.. F. J. Broschart,
Montgomery County deputy medical
examiner.
DR.. Bird said he could not say
accurately how long Mrs. McAllister
had been dead. But he added that
she had been dead more than three
days and possibly as long as II days
DR.. Broschart said she had been
dead from three days to two weeks.
Sister Tells of Finding Body.
How Mrs. McAllister's body was
found was described by her sister
Mrs. Mamie Brown, Laurel.
Mrs. Brown told the jury her
sister, who she said had been keep
ing company with Davis, left her
home November 20 in her car.
On December 6, according to Mrs.
Brown, she received a letter from
Davis. The letter bore a Tennes-
see postmark and said: 1--WE are
in Tennessee and are planning to
go to Florida" Mrs. Brown testi-
fed.
She said she became suspicious
after receiving the letter and went
to the Burtonsville house with her
niece and nephew, Mr.. and Mrs.
Nathan Weakley, Burtonsville.
A prosecution attempt to intro
duce a vial of blood taken from
Davis at the Jail was stymied when
the court upheld defense objec-
tions.
Defense counsel argued that Davis
had been told the blood was taken
to determine if he had recovered
from his. suicide attempt in Men,
phis, where he was arrested Decem-
ber 19 by FBI agents. They said
the defendant had not been in
formed the blood would be used as
evidence against him.