Evening star., 1948-07-06
Three Girls Provide
No Clues in Staying
.0f Carol bardwelI
Never Within $50 Feet
Of Spot Where Body Was
Found, They Tell Police

Three girls seen running from
Rock Creek Park the day Carol
Bardwell was murdered there
convinced police today they can
throw no light on the 10-day-old
mystery.
After questioning them and taking
them to the murder scene, detectives
were satisfied the girls were telling
the truth when they denied seeing
the body or the bicycle Carol was
riding before she was slain on the
evening of Sunday, June n.
Reached last night after a weeks
search. the trio was taken to the
park near Seventeenth street AND
Colorado avenue on the outside
chance that some detail had been
forgotten.
But after they had retraced their
steps from nearby Fairgrounds,
through the woods where the body
was found and down a path to
Seventeenth and Colorado, the chill
dren convinced detectives they were
never within $50 feet of the point
where the body was found.
Lookout Issued Last Week.
When a lookout for the girls was
issued last Tuesday. police believed
they may have seen the murderer
or the body, for they were seen
running from the park as though
frightened.
The first of the trio was found
at $50 pm. yesterday at her home.
The other two were questioned when
they returned from the Washington
Monument fireworks display.
They were identified as Frauline
E. Anderson, II, of 1705 Vermont
avenue NV; Mildred G. Wright,
II, of 17O3 Vermont avenue NV,
and Mary Holt, 6. of ll05 r street
NV. All are colored.
Finding the Holt child at home,
detectives questioned her first. They
were shown a faded blue dress that
conceded with description tur-
nished by the informant. At II pm.
the older girls returned home and
were taken to headquarters for an
hour.
The girls said they caught a bus
for the park between and 3 pm.
the day of the Staying and went to
the playground. This presumably
was the same place Carol told her
parents she was going when she left
home at Ais pm.
Strolled on Bride Path.
They did not know what time
they decided to leave, but remem-
bered strolling through the park
on a birdie path about $50 feet from
the point where 11-year-old Carols
body was found at 7:50 pm.
Instead of turning into a path
that passes Is feet from the place
the body was found, the girls con-
tinued on an extension of the bride
path until they emerged near Seven
teenth street and Colorado avenue,
they said.
They were not running because
they were frightened, but merely
were engaging in childish race for
the bus at Sixteenth and Decatur
streets, they said.
Two of the girls. Frauline Ander-
son and Mildred Wright, were taken
to the scene by Detective 1t. John
Layton, head of special homicide
squad, and Detective Sergt. John l..
Sullivan. Accompanying them was
the Wright girls mother, who said
she was the mother of 10 other chill
dren and wished to cooperate IN
capturing the slayer.
witnesses Strengthen Story.
STRENGTHENING their story were
four witnesses, two Of whom saw the
girls 60 into the woods from the
Fairgrounds about $50 pm. and two
others who saw them emerge about
6 40 pm. Police said this was evi-
dence that the girls did not tarry
but went directly along the path
until they reached the street.
| One of the girls was described te
police in the original information
as "buxom." Police said she appar-
emily was the Anderson girl, who
has a pinafore dress of the style
and color observed by the In
formant.
With one of the few slender lead:
disposed of, investigators concen-
trated again on finding a man seer
with a bloody shirt and nose neal
the scene on the day of the crime
Detective Chief Robert S. Bryan
said they we're working on "severa
other clues"
The slain girl was the daughter o
Mr.. and Mrs. william p. Bardwell
who live at 1885 Webster stree
INV. about six blocks from tn
murder scene.