Evening star., 1949-08-01
Wife Of Soldier
P|eadsNotGui|tv
In Bottle Staying
Bond to Be Set Later;
Husband Dies After
Glass Gushes Throot

An attractive Alexandria wom-
an today pleaded not guilty to
the milk bottle Staying of her SOL
dier husband.
Bond for Mrs. Ruth Maxwell,
%. who police say admitted strik-
ing Corpl. Gardner Maxwell with
a milk bottle early yesterday, was
to be set later today by Judge
James r. Duncan of Alexandria
Civil and Police Court. She is
charged with murder.
Defense Attorney Walter I.
Young waived a preliminary hear
ing before Judge Duncan after
Commemorative Attorney Howard
w. Smith, jr., agreed to give him
a copy of a statement said to have
been made to police by Mrs. Max
well.
Corpl. Maxwell, 80, a member of
q Fort Belvoir engineer battalion,
bled to death minutes after his
jugular vein and main artery in
his throat were cut.
Mrs. Maxwell was arrested by
police who found her bending over
the body of her husband on the
sidewalk in front of their rooming
house at 1872 North Washington
street, tearfully trying to stem the
fiow of blood.
Had Financial Difficulties.
Detective Sergt. Russell Green
walt and Detectives Thomas Wood
and Robert L. Jones gave this
account:
The couple had experienced fl
nancial difficulties since Mrs. Max
we'll hurt her back several weeks
ago and had been unable to con-
tinue work as a waitress in an
Alexandria restaurant. Corpl.
Maxwells pay and the Govern
ment dependency allowance paid
Mrs. Maxwell totaled about s138
per month, Fort Belvoir spokes-
man said.
Saturday afternoon the Max
wells went to the Non-Commis-
stoned Officers Club at Fort Bel
voir. While there, Mrs. Maxwell
asked her husband for dollar for
cigarettes and beer and later re-
fused to return the change.
Called Her Name.
During an argument which fol-
lowed, Corpl. Maxwell called her
q name but apologized on the way
home. When they reached the
door at their home, Mrs. Maxwell
dropped her change purse while
searching for the door key. Her
husband picked it up and re-
fused to return 1t.
The argument started again and
the soldier struck. Mrs. Maxwell !
in the mouth, accordings her
statements, and tore hersblouse.
When she was arrested, her mouth
was swollen and bruised and her
blouse torn.
After he hit her, she said, she
picked up the empty bottel and
struck him. She said she be-
lieved the bottle shattered the
third time she hit her husband
on the head, and in shattering,
it cut him on the throat.
She was not clear in her own
lind, however, how many times
le struck him.
AS she hit him with the bottle,
{, orpi. Maxwell tumbled down the
,ps.
Scheduled for Promotion.
The soldier, who had been mar
d previously and whose mother
as in San Francisco. was
leduled for promotion to ser
ant in about month with an
;companying pay increase.
ort Belvoir spokesman said.
Corpl. Maxwell entered the
my in July, 1941. and served
I the European-African area
ON 1943 Until August. 1945.
when he was returned to the
United States and discharged.
He re-enllsted at Fort Lewis.
Wash, in August, 1947.
He was transferred to Fort
Belvoir from Fort Bragg, N. c.. in
May. He was in Company B. 65th
Engineer Topographic Battalion.
Mrs. Maxwell. who is from
Sioux Falls, s. OAK. was said to
have been married previously
also and to have two children by
that marriage living with their
father, now remarked.