Evening star., 1948-07-15
Crossing Guard
Says She Saw
James on Train
Woman to Tell Jury
Of Noting Jonitor on
Day Of Child Staying

Ddy OF Child Staying
A woman railroad crossing
guard who said she saw the con-
fessed killer of Carol Bardwell
riding a freight train to and
from Washington the day of the
murder was to tell her story to
the grand jury today.
After telling reporters she had
seen Eugene H. James, colored, Bal
timore janitor. coming and going"
on the Pennsylvania Railroad on
Sunday, June 81, the woman refused
to talk further or to identify herself.
James signed a confession last
week and is in Baltimore Jail await
ing trial for the murder of 11-year-
old Marsha Brill in that city, July 6.
A tall, sunburned woman of about
so, the crossing guard appeared out
side the grand jury room with a
man.
Her evidence was expected to back
up James original confession to
police that he came to Washington
the day of the murder in a coal
gondola car of the Pennsylvania
Railroad. The testimony will be
more valuable in obtaining an in
dictment since the janitor, through
his attorney, is now denying ne
came to Washington.
Witness are Guarded.
In the hall outside the juryroom,
police kept close watch over wit
nesses, discouraging reporters from
talking with them.
One witness. however, gave her
name as Trudie Mae Stancil, 2809
Fifteenth street NV. 1t was be-
lieyed she was one of the persons
who said she saw James in Wash
tngton the day of the murder, but
she refused to discuss her testimony
with reporters.
Among TIE witnesses was William
p. BarGwell 1885 Webster street
NV, the father of the slain girl. He
was expected to relate how Carol
left home about Sis pm. to visit a
playground, how he futilely searched
for her and to describe the bicycle
she was riding.
Police say James readily described
IN detail the girls bicycle, and hold
that to be one of the strongest links
In their chain of evidence against
him.
The first witness to go before the
3,,rv uas Coroner A. Magruder Mac
Donald. whose testimony was ex-
pected to deal with the autopsy. On
the basis of a preliminary examlna-
ton before the autopsy was com.
nleted. DR.. Macdonald said the girl
had not been raped, but after chem
fcal tests made by Deputy Coroner
Christopher j. Murphy said that
she had been.
DIR. Murphy Next.
DR.. Murphy followed the coroner
onto the stand, apparently to TESTIFY
to his autopsy findings.
The jury also was expected TO COM
pare James confession OF how ne
slashed the girls throat twice, but
did not rape her, with the coroners
statement that she was kllleo ny
one slash of knife.
Whether or not it indicts James,
the fury was not expected to report
its verdict before Monday.
Early witnesses at the nearing
were Assistant Detective Chief Rob-
ert v. Murray, 1t. Edgar E. Scott
and Inspector Joseph H. ltzel OF
the Baltimore police.
In addition to Assistant united
States Attorney Andrew F. Oeh-
mann, who regularly works Win
grand Juries, the U. S. Attorney
Office was represented at the hear
ing by Charles B. Murray, veteran
criminal prosecutor
Park Blueprint Brought.
Capt. Mark H. Raspberry, cnlel
OF Park Police, appeared CARRYING
a blueprint of the Rock Greek Park
region where 11-year Carol was
slain.
Inspector Itzel was expected to
corroborate the testimony OF WASH
ington police that James gave them
the confession willingly.
Inspector Itzel also may describe
blood-stained clothing found in the
basement of James Baltimore nome.
Police reported finding two suits
there. one of which James was be-
lieyed to have worn to Washington
the Sunday the Bardwel girl was
slain.
It was reported that blood stains
appeared on the trousers OF the
suit he wore to Washington and that
effort obviously had been made to
wash out the stains. Chemical tests
have been made on the clothing in
an effort to determine whether the
blood matched that of either the
Bardwell or Brill girl, but results
have not been announced.
DR.. Richard Rosenberg, District
deputy coroner, pointed out that the
tests could not establish from what
individual the blood had come, but
only the type of blood.
Not Necessarily Carols.
Thus the blood found on James
trousers would not necessarily be
that of the Bardwell girl, even
though tests proved it the same type.
In the attempt to build an air
tight case against James, diagram
purportedly drawn by him at the
time of his confession will be shown
to the jury. The diagram shows
the area around Seventeenth street
and Colorado avenue NV, where
the Bardwell girl was slain and
points out the spots where her body
and bicycle were found.
Two witnesses we're expected to be
called by the jury to tell police they
saw James in the Zoo the afternoon
If the murder. The two-a man and
a woman-identified him later in
pictures. Their testimony is ex-
pected to weight against a recent
denial by James that he was in
Washington the day of the murder.