Evening star., 1949-07-11
Roomer Ordered Held
In Engineers S Staying
In Locomotive Cab

In Locomotive Lab
A coroner'S jury today held
Fred S. Pritchett, 38, for the grand
jury in the death of Clyde L. King,
50-year- old railroad engineer. who
was killed in a barrage of six
bullets in the cab of his locomo-
tive early yesterday.
Central figure at the inquest
was Pritchett, who police charged
with murder. Pritchett had been
a roomer at the King home since
his release in 1916 from a Virginia
prison, where he served a term
for murder.
An hour and a half before Mr..
King was slain in the Baltimore
& Ohio's lexington yards, neigh
bors saw him scuff1ing with
Pritchett in the yard of the King
home, 212 Charming street NE,
police said. Homicide squad in
vestigators pieced together this
story.
Party Planned.
Saturday evening Mr.. and Mrs.
King and Pritchett planned to at
tend a 48th birthday party for
Mrs. King at friends home. Also
in the group were the Kings
adopted son. Edward Leroy
"Butchie" Dye, 8, who figured in
a custody fight between the Kings
and their daughter two years ago.
When Mr.. King was unexpect-
edly called to work, the others
went TO the party without him.
About 1:30 am. they drove up to
the home, at the same time that
Mr.. King returned.
Miss Faye Simons, 19, a next
door neighbor at 210 Charming
street NE, said Mr.. King pulled
Pritchett from the car and struck
him in the face. Her remarks to
police were corroborated by Mrs.
Mildred KeySer. 10, of Landover
Hills, Md, and Richard Gaskell,
1918 Newton street NE, who were
visiting Miss Simons.
The three also told of encoun-
tering Pritchett later. He showed
them a .38-caliber revolver, which
he said would take care of every
thing"
Incidents Denied.
Later Pritchett denied possess
sion of the gun or fighting with
Mr. King. He said the engineer
merely reprimanded him because
Mrs. King had drunk too much.
Police noted Pritchett had a cut
lip.
About 3 am. Mr.. King was
seated in the cab of a switch
engine in the yards at Fourth and
S streets NE.
On the rear platform the fire.
man, Lawton E. Wright of 206
Belle View drive, Alexandria,
heard him talking with somebody
outside the locomotive. Then he
heard six shots fired in rapid
succession and Mr.. King, crying
'Oh, oh, OH" staggered away
from the controls in a half spin
and fell dead on the platform.
Attracted by the shots, two
yard employees pursued a man
dressed in white overalls but lost
him beneath a train. They said
his description was similar to that
of Pritchett's. Later police found
a pair of white overalls in Pritch-
ett's room. In it were several
holes such as might have been
made by a gun fired in conceal
ment beneath the clothes. ,
Employed as Mechanic.
Employed as a mechanic by
Capital Transit Co., Pritchett was
released from Virginia penitan-
tiary in 1916 after serving II
years of a 20-year sentence for
the Staying of a CWA worker at
Charlottesville.
Questioned about that shooting
yesterday, Pritchett said it was
accidental. The trial record dis
closed the victim was shot after
he failed to produce a nickel
Prichett wanted for playing a slot
machine.
In October, 1947, the Kings won
custody of "Butchie" Dye in
court fight with Mrs. Edith Bessie
Dye, who is Mrs. Kings daughter
and Mrs. Kings stepdaughter.
Returning from service in the
WAC, Mrs. Dye brought habeas
corpus proceedings against the
Kings, saying she had left her
son with them during the war and
now they would not give him back.
During the hearing. Mrs. Dye
testified Mr.. King had made i'm
proper advances to her.
After talking with the boy alone
in his chambers, Judge F. Dickin-
son Let's said he had expressed
a desire to live with the grand
parents. AS Mrs. Dye left the
courtroom weeping, Mrs. King
tried to console her and invited
the young mother to live with her.
But Mrs. Dye refused, and now
is living in Louisiana.