Evening star., 1949-02-03
Ruling Awaited
On Glen burnie
Confession
Court Trying Edwards
Asks More Evidence
On Staying Of Couple
By W. N. Shippen, Jr.
Stor StoH Correspondent

Stor Sfotf Correspondent
BALTIMORE, Md, Feb. 3.-Ad-
instability of a confession allegedly
signed by Thomas A. Edwards may
be decided today at the trial of the
23-year-old colored laborer, ac-
cused of numbering a young couple
near Glen Burnie, Md, last Sep
tember.
The three judges trying the case
in lieu of jury withheld decision
on whether they will admit the
statement until the prosecution Of
fers more evidence as to the deaths
of Mary c.. Kline, 1s, and her COM
panion. John H. Mahlan, Is, a postal
worker.
In difference to recent rulings of
Baltimore judges as to the rights
of suspects in criminal cases, the
prosecuting attorneys have exer-
cised extraordinary care in their
efforts to introduce the "confes-
sion" This was done despite the
fact that Gov. Lane of Maryland
announced last November that the
statement had been obtained.
Unusual police precautions have
been taken to regulate crowds in
the corridors adjoining the court
room. owing to the intense interest
in the case around Baltimore and
nearby Anne Arundel County.
Souers Testifes Again.
Chief John H. Souers of the Anne
Arundel County force was recalled
to the stand late yesterday and
asked about a statement taken from
Edwards in Baltimore on November
IL in the presence of the States
attorney of Anne Arundel County
and other officers.
Chief Souers replied that Ed
wards read the statement Line by
line and that, after he finished it,
he made tour" Of Anne Arundel
County in an automobile accom-
panied by several Investigators.
Attorney William ]. McWilliams,
former judge. who has been ap-
pointed by the court to defend Ed
wards, objected to further testi-
mony regarding the confession"
or the tour" on these grounds:
1T will be contended that this
statement is a confession signed by
Edwards and that the tour is one
Of the murder scene. We believe
anything said by Edwards on this
tour is a part of the confession and
must be considered along with his
statement when the court passes
upon its admissibility."
Court Urges Deferment.
Judge Robert France, presiding,
suggested that the matter of the
formal statement be deferred, pend
ing further development Of the case,
and this was agreed to by James p.
Morton. States. attorney of Anne
Arundel County and Anselm Sodofo.
assistant prosecutor Of the Balti-
more court.
Defense counsel and the Judges
have asked about the length of time
Edwards was interresated. One State
police sergeant estimated that, dur
ing the three days the defendant
was confined at the Waterloo sta
ton, he must have been questioned
for about 10 hours, although part Of
that time Edwards was lust sitting
around waiting"
Attorney McWilliams received di-
rect denials when he asked several
officers If they had heard of Ed
wards being slapped around" or
beaten with rubber hose. The Off
GERS also denied they had told Ed
wards he was being removed from q
Jail near Glen Burnie to Waterloo
because citizens around Glen Burnie
might lynch him.
Robert A. Frazier of Washington,
FBI firearms Identification spe-
cialist, testified that two battered
slugs said to have been taken from
the brains of the victims were
roughly similar to those he fred in
test shots from a 380-caliber auto
matte pistol brought to Washington
by Anne Arundel officers. Mr..
Frazier expressed the opinion that
the fatal bullets and his test bullets
were shot from a barrel approxi-
mately as rough and with about
the same amount of rif1ing in the
barrel.
Tell of Finding Gun.
Earlier, police officers had testi-
fed they arrested Edwards on No.
vember 8 while he was at work in
a Baltimore sugar exporting plant.
They took him to the Waterloo sta
ton and later went to his home
and found a 380-caliber gun in a
cupboard in the kitchen, they said.
The officers had testified Edwards
admitted owning this gun, which
he obtained while serving in the
Army.
Edwards told them, they said, he
sold the gun to a stevedore in the
Baltimore plant where he worked
after he lost his money in a crap
game.
The fact that "lie detector" had
been used on Edwards at Waterloo,
with his permission, was testified to
by Detective Sergt. Freeman Ramer