Evening star., 1950-05-08
Inquest Slated
Tomorrow in
StoreMurders
Confessed Slayer
To See Lawyer for
First Time Today

All A14uCoG PLObobLJ WILL NC
held tomorrow in the Staying of
two Lansburgh g. Bro. Depart
ment Store watchmen to which
William A. Tyler has confessed.
The 18-year-old colored youth
a former store employe, was to
receive his first jail visitor today
Attorney James M. Leak, who
with his associate, Maurice r.
Weeks. will defend the youth.
United States Attorney George
Morris Fay said evidence in the
stabbing slayings of the watch
men, Oliver r. Hess, 81. of 1924
Massachusetts, avenue NV, and
John C. Carpenter. 66, Of 506 G
street S.W.. will be presented to
the grand jury as soon as wit
nesses can be subpoenaed.
Action Possible This Week.
An effort will be made to pre-
sent the case late this week, but
it may be early next week before
other business before the jury can
be handled, Mr.. Fay said.
Tyler suddenly ended one of
the police departments most in
tensive manhunts Saturday, ex-
actly a month after the murders,
by interrupting a lie detector test
and giving detailed confession.
Calling for Detective Sergt.
Lloyd B. Furr, who had questioned
him for IL hours without avail.
Tyler told how he had "cased"
the store Thursday night, April 6,
and returned about midnight ex-
pecting to burglarize the cashiers
cage.
Told of Stabbing Both Men.
Running into the watchman, he
stabbed Mr.. Hess to death on the
freight elevator at the sixth floor
level. and killed Mr.. Carpenter on
the street floor, he told Sergt. Furr
Tyler was spotlighted as a hot
suspect after he was identified by
a drugstore clerk whom he
stabbed and left for dead in an
attempted robbery Thursday
night.
The moose tightened when Tyler
disclosed he once was employed
at Lansburgh's. Before that, po-
lice had questioned hundreds of
employees and former employees of
the store in an exhaustive routine
investigation.
Tyler, too, was on that list, but
had not been questioned. Once
police went to an address on
Stanton road S.W., where he lived
according to records. But he had
moved to 1903 Pomeroy street Sc.
and police had not located him
before Thursday nights stabbing
of the druggist.
Had Served Juvenile Term.
Tyler was not unknown to ju-
venile authorities. When he quit
the seventh grade at the age of IA,
he soon got into trouble with
school and juvenile officers, who
sent him to the Industrial Home
school for two years.
After that term he was arrested
for housebreakings at Fairfax Will
age, and drew another sentence.
He then worked on a series of
short-lived jobs. including the
Naval Gun Factory cafeteria, two
Southeast restaurants and as a
storm window assembler, in addi-
ton to the job at Lansburgh's.
The store had employed him in
its second-f1oor tearoom, where he
got the 10-inch boning knife with
which he repeatedly stabbed the
two watchmen.
Lost Job for Taking Food.
This job was lost when Tyler
and another employe, working late
one night, removed food from the
tea room and ate in the beauty
parlor.
In more recent brushes with the
law. he was charged last February
with slapping a girl, and with a
traffic violation. The former
charge was dismissed in a mutual
adjustment between parents of
the girl and Tyler's parents.
Less than a month before the
murders, he was arrested for leav-
ing the scene after colliding with
another vehicle. with passing red
light and altering a drivers per-
NIT. This brought him a years
probation.
Mother Refuses to Talk.
Tyler'S mother, Mrs. William A.
Tyler, ST., a charwoman at the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
would not talk to reporters today
Mr.. Leak, who said he was retained
because he lives in the same
neighborhood with the Tylers, said
he had advised the parents to do
no more talking.
Tyler's father earlier had ex-
pressed confidence in the boys in
nocence, asserting that young
Tyler was home by 9 pm. on the
night of the murders.
The youth Joined the Catholic
Church some years ago through
the influence of his grandparents,
but his church attendance had
been irregular.
Generally calm and cool-so
much so that he impressed police
officers as he was giving his con-
fession-Tyler has been sleeping
well at the jail, officials said.
They said he appeared to un-
derstand he was perhaps headed
for the electric chair when he de-
cided to make a clean breast.
There will be no distribution OF
the 81, 800 offered in rewards for
arrest of the slayer. since police
alone were involved in the solu-
tion and they are not permitted to
take rewards.