Evening star., 1950-07-05
Champion Of Buns
Held for Grand jury
In Staying on Mall


A self-styled champion of Ninth
street buns was ordered held fol
action of the grand jury by q
coroner's jury today in the
baseball-bat Staying of a former
f1ophouse bouncer.
He is Charlie Herbert (Three
Fingers) Brown, SIS, of the 40C
block of Sixth street NV. He is
charged with the murder of Ray
mond Earl Lewis, 35, who worked
at the now-closed American House
in the 400 block of Ninth street
NV.
At the coroner's inquest today
| police said Brown told them he
had hit Lewis in the face with the
bat last Friday on the Mall be-
tween Seventh and Ninth streets
NV.
Refuses to Make Statement.
Brown, who had signed a writ
ten confession, according to po-
lice, refused to make statement
at the inquest. but at the end of
testimony by Sergt. Bernard
Crooke of the Homicide Squad, he
muttered that the officers state
ments were true"
A slight, dark haired, balding
man. Brown sat stiff1y alert dur
ing the proceedings, his lips set in
a hard line.
Mr.. Lewis was found about 3
pm. Friday sprawled on the grass,
his face smashed. Coroner A.
Magruder Macdonald. presiding
at today's inquest, said the VIC
tim had died from multiple frac-
lures of face bones, brain con-
cusslon and shock.
Park Police Sergt. John H
Compton said he found Brown
lying in the grass about 300 feet
away. He was sort of Dragging
about the fact he had done a
good job" said Sergt. Compton
He thought this man Lewis
was a bad character, and had
done a lot of things to people
around Ninth street"
No Witnesses to Staying.
At his arraignment last week
Brown had said of Lewis and
another man he identified only as
Lewis pal:
They've messed up a lot of
good fellows on Ninth street.
They're no good. They get these
men, take all their money and
throw them out in the wilderness
of Ninth street without a cent.
They're the kind of people who
deserve what 1 did"
Although there were no actual
witnesses to the Staying, Mrs.
Laura L. Gaertner of 933 L street
NV, testified she was in the park
at the time. She said she saw a
group of men talking behind a
tree some distance away and sit
looked as if one man was swing
ing baseball bat"
She said she was too busy car
ing for her baby to pay much
attention when a man came up
to her and said:
Here's bat for the baby. Be
sure you take it home"
| Mrs Gaertner told DR.. Mac
Donald she would recognize the
man if she saw him again. How
ever, with Brown scarcely a dozen
feet away. her eyes swept the
courtroom and she said, mo, ]
don't see him in the room"
Tells of Borrowing 81.
! James Stoddard, colored, of the
1400 block of Twelfth street NV.
said he had known Brown about
year and half, and last Friday
had borrowed 81 from him. He
said Brown told him Lewis "hao
been beating people out of money
all his life, not out of so cents
and dollars, but out of hundreds
of dollars"
Sergt. Crooke said Brown told
him he was in the park with a
couple of friends when he saw
Lewis come into the Mall and lie
down. Then, related Sergt. Crooke
Brown told his friends:
That's my meat. I'm going to
get him"
Sergt. Crooke said Brown told
him he went to a nearby sports
shop and bought a bat and came
back and struck Lewis in the face,
Il don't know how many times"