Evening star., 1950-04-04
Blood
OF Same Type
As Victims S
FBl Expert Tells
Of Tests Made on
Defendants Clothes

OF Ralph w. Myers. 44-year-old
Arlington window shade salesman
charged with a fatal attempt 10
perform an abortion upon q young
woman. that the blood OF both the
deceased and the defendant was
of the same type and could not
be distinguished.
The expert. Edwin r. Donald
son. said that both blood samples
furnished him by the police were
international blood group A."
He said that the red stains on the
underclothing of the defendant
and the deceased were human
blood of the A group. but he could
not tell from which person 1t
came.
Earlier. DR.. Richard NJ. Rosen-
berg. deputy coroner. testified on
methods Of blood detection. Or.
Rosenberg had taken q sample Of
the defendants blood and samples
Of his flngernail Scrapings. They
were introduced into evidence. ap-
parently to be connected by fur
ther expert testimony.
Talked to Him at Morsue.
Myers is charged with making
an abortion attempt which proved
fatal on 20-year-old Mrs. Nina
Jean Campbell, mother OF two
children. The Government charges
the operation was attempted jan
uary 4 in the apartment of a friend
of Myers. Miss Ruth E. Childs. 4
registered nurse. when Myers and
the young woman were alone In
the apartment.
DR.. Rosenberg said he had
talked to Myers at the morgue
about 1925 on the night Of jan
uary S and that the man had told
him he had blood on his hands
because he had picked up the
girls head and 1t was bloody"
DR.. Rosenberg said the man was
sober and produced a paper which
he said Myers had signed per
mitting the deputy coroner to
make an examination Of him.
The deputy coroner said the
man had severe scratches on his
left arm and wrist and abrasions
and bruises on his shoulders.
The witness said that the pri-
mary test for blood Is made by
applying benzidine. He said that
If blue color is produced 1t indi-
Gates the presence Of blood or sev-
eral other substances, among them
raw milk. II the substance has
red color, he said, the presump-
ton OF the blue reaction is that
the substance is blood. But, hs
said, there should be further lab
oratory check.
Tests Made on Clothing.
The underclothes and socks Of
the defendant were produced and
all had red stains and blue marks
where the benzidine test had been
made.
Police witnesses yesterday told
Of seeing blood on Myers under
clothing. shoes and socks soon aft
er his arrest on January 5.
Assistant United States Attorney
John Conliff late yesterday read
into the record the defendants
statement to police not long after
his arrest.
In an effort to keep this docu-
ment out Of court, Defense Coun-
sci James j. Laughlin put his
client on the witness stand with 4
story Of police threats used to
force the statement out Of Myers.
Judge Excludes Jury.
Judge F. Dickinson Let's ex-
cluded the jury while Myers
charged that Homicide Detective
Sergt. John l.. Sullivan threatened
to knock my head of" unless he
would consent to give his version
Of the death.
"Sergt. Sullivan also told me I
should be ashamed OF myself for
running around with a poor old
cripple like Miss (Ruth) Childs,
when I had a wife and children
of my own" Myers testified. He
said I was playing her for q good
thing, or something like that"
Myers also complained on the
stand that he was "all over" the
Metropolitan Police headquarters
building the night Of his arrest.
After Judge Let's overruled the
inadmissibility claim, Prosecutor
Conliff read the statement to the
jury. Myers version went this
way:
He went to Miss Childs' apart
ment at about 7 pm. the night
OF the death. They had . couple
of drinks together and several
more as each of two pairs Of
guests arrived.
Says Ne "BlankeG Out"
Somewhere along the line he
"blanked out" His next recollec-
tion was Of waking up early next
morning in the same apartment.
He was In bed coatless and tie
less. The body Of the dead woman
was on the floor. her head In .
pool of blood.
He said he called Children's
Hospital to make sure the body
was not that OF Miss Childs and
then left for his Job. Myers added
he met the nurse at about noon
the same day and then went home
when Miss Childs said she would
tell police Of the body In her
rooms.
In his statement, Myers denied
aborting or abusing" Mrs. Camp
bell. He also specifically denied
having had any sexual desires"
for the dead woman at any time
while she was In the apartment.