The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-20
; MARINES
Continued from Page One)

but not before they had issued
threats to get him" which led
to his resigning his job in fear
of vengeance.
Patrolman Duncan said last
night that the patrol has finger
prints from the taxicab which
was recovered the next morning,
but that they had not had an op-
portunity of checking them with
the prints of the prisoner at an
early hour this morning.
Steinert and Lee were arrest
ed in patrol headquarters after
going there last night with two
other marines to report an ac-
cident in which they were in
volved near Hampstead.
The car in which they were
riding and which one of their
two marine buddies, neither of
whom was involved in the al
legged robbery case, was driving,
sideswiped another vehicle ope-
rated by Leslie Mattocks, 23-
year-old Negro farmer of Route
l, Wilmington, at around Z p. m.
last night. Mattocks came to the
patrol headquarters to report the
accident.
When at around $50 the four
marines showed up at local po-
lice headquarters to give their
version of the story in which they
claimed that they did stop but
that Mattocks refused to do so,
they were carried to patrol head
quarters for the investigation.
While they were being held
there for investigation of the ac-
cident and also for investigation
of a report from Patrol officers
in Raleigh that they were riding
in a car stolen from Norfolk, Va,
several weeks ago, Patrolman
Duncan noted the fact that Lee
and Steinert fitted the descrip-
ton of two of the robbers given
by Irving. It was determined at a
later hour that the car had been
recovered and that the marines
story that they had rented it
from a sergeant at Lejeune was
true. =
While they were beng held,
however, Patrolman Duncan
questioned all of them concern
| ing their activities on the night
of November 13, Thursday OF
last week, when the robbery was
committed. He got a. statement
from Lee and Steinert that they
were together on the night in
question.
He then brought Irving in for
the Identification.
A confession was obtained
from them duplicating Hosmer
and Wilson. Hosmer, it was re-
ported, was living at a local
hotel.
He was located at the hotel
with the use of a decoy who
brought him down from his room
and was arrested by Duncan. A
search of the hotel room disclos-
ed only some papers and a
ladies' watch concealed under
the floor rug. They were accus-
ed of stealing Irving's watch.
At headquarters Hosmer stated
that he was dishonorably dis
charged from the service on Oc-
tober 80 on charges of stealing
SIG and some horoscopes. He still
had his discharge paper and a
railroad ticket to his home in
Birmingham given him by the
Marine corps.
He admitted that he had been
ASHAMED to 60 home," because
of the nature of his discharge
and said that he had been living
at the hotel here since and had
not been working. He had no
money on his person.
The four men will be carried
to Brunswick county for trial on
the charge by officers from that
county.
Irving, who had stated that he
was afraid that the men who
robbed him would carry out
their threats, breathed a sigh OF
relief and declared that he
twas" glad that the four were
no longer roaming around
free"
possible. Leather is weak when