Evening star., 1948-05-19
j. ). Presenting
Final Witnesses
|nHoImesCase
Three Tell Of Finding
Hot, Letter at Scene
Of Attack on Cir, g

Hot, Letter at Scene
Of Attack on Girl g
Prosecution attorneys who have
announced they will seek the death
penalty for Theodore M. Holmes
were closing their case in District
Court today against the former
North Carolina convict accused of
raping and critically beating nine
year-old girl in the woods near her
home here last March Is.
The final Government witnesses
included three detectives who told
the jury how they found the %
year-old colored defendants hat and
letter addressed to him near the
spot where they discovered the
child's bloody, mud-stained and torn
clothing, in a wooded ravine near
her home in the $500 block of Nor
ris place NE.
A jury Of four women and eight
men, including four colored MEM
bers, is hearing the trial before
Justice Edward M. Curran.
Girl Identifies Holmes.
The trial began yesterday and the
first days session was cllmaXed
when the girl, still walking on
crutches as a result of the attack,
took the stand and identified Holmes
as her assailant. Severely injured
in the attack, she was in a critical
condition in the hospital for some
time.
Detective Sergt. H. C. Young OF
the homicide squad testified today
that few hours after the attack
he and other officers searched the
area near the fence around the Ma
tional Arboretum where relative
of the girl had found her uncon-
SciouS.
Sergt. Young said he found a let
ter addressed to Holmes within 10
feet of the spot where the child
was discovered. The envelope bore
return address of Freedmen's
Hospital. Detective Sergt. Robert E.
Talbert told how he found the
child's coat, dress and uhderclothing.
Sergt. Young testified that, while
questioning Holmes at headquarters
later, he asked if the suspect was
under hospital treatment. Holmes
was quoted as saying that he had
a letter directing him to come to
Freedmens. Holmes, it was said,
then searched, his pockets and ex-
planned he had lost the letter.
Found Felt Hat.
"Is this it?" Sergt. Young said he
asked Holmes. The suspect identi-
fled the letter, the sergeant testi-
fed, and, when informed where the
letter had been found. asserted that
somebody was trying to frame"
him.
Detectives returned to the scene
later that night and, according to
1t. John T. Layton of the sex
squad, found mans felt hat.
1t also was taken to headquarters.
Sergt. Young said he asked Holmes
If he had lost his hat and said
Holmes replied that he had when he
was struck by a taxicab few hours
previously. He identified the hat as
his. the sergeant said.
Sergt. Young then testified that
Holmes admitted he and another
colored man took the girl into the
woods. Holmes at first said he pro-
tested and left when the other man
started to molest her, Sergt. Young
said.
Shortly afterward. according to
the detective, Holmes admitted he
had taken the girl to the woods,
stripped off her clothing, attempted
to assault her and beat her. The
police officer said this confession
was repeated a few hours later when
the girls mother and a woman
neighbor came to headquarters to
hear Holmes statement.
Assistant United States Attorney
John C. Conliff, jr., expects to close
the Government case this after
noon. /
16 Witnesses Heard.
The jury was chosen in less than
ltdll oil llOuI ySoIClbuJ anu ~ PA O'S-
cution witnesses were heard on the
first day with relatively little cross
examination. Defense Attorneys
Maurice r. Weeks and Wesley S.
Williams, both colored, asked the
girl only a few questions.
The little girl, who is small for
her age, sat on her mothers lap
on the witness stand. Her voice
sank to a whisper at times and
at others she sighed and lapsed
into silence when questions en-
barrassed her.
She told the fury she was sitting
on wall near her home when the
colored man asked her the way to
Washington. She pointed out the
direction. she said, and he stayed
to offer her two sticks of chewing
gum.
Carried Into Woods. /
The child then told how the man
grabbed her and carried her to i
the woods, where the assault
occurred. She said she was choked,
kicked and beaten. When she re-
gained consciousness. she explained.
she tried to pull herself upright
beside fence bordering the Ma
tional Arboretum. but collapsed be-
cause her leg was broken.
The girl was found few hours
after dark by neighbor and her
uncle, they testified.
1t. Ierson Mitchell, colored, an
infantry officer, testified that, on
the night in question, he saw a
colored man, identified as Holmes,
who had been struck by a taxi
cab at Florida and West Virginia
avenues NV.
1t. Mitchell said he insisted on