Evening star., 1951-06-19
Four BoysDrown
Fleeing Police;
Bodies Found
Fugitives Hod Stolen
Cakes From Truck,
Jumped in Anucostiu

jumped IN AnocoStio
Harbor police today recovered
the third body Of four boys who
drowned in the Anacostia River
yesterday while fleeing with stolen
trays Of cakes, buns and pies.
Taken from the Kingman Lake
section Of the river near Gallinger
Hospital, all three of the recovered
bodies were still unidentified. The
bodies Of two Of the boys. all coll
ored. were recovered last night,
and the third today at the foot OF
Independence avenue.
After an unsuccessful check Of
juvenile records, the National
Training School for Boys and
other sources, Police Sergts. Lloyd
B. Furr and Robert E. Talbot asked
newspapers to print descriptions
Iof the boys.
Search for Family Begun.
A tentative Identification Of one
was furnished by Charles Flowe,
Of 1929 Fifth street NV, who
went to the morgue in search Of
his brother. Norman, IA, reported
missing today. The brother was
not there. --
However, Mr.. Flowe said he rec
iognized one Of the boys and named
him, but in checking his supposed
home address at 643 L street
NV. police learned the house
had been condemned. They start.
ed a search for the family.
Coroner Blames Cramps.
Coroner A. Magruder MacDon.
aid blamed muscular cramps for
the mass drowning. He said the
boys were overheated after their
long run. and tired. The shock
of the cold water would cause
severe cramps, he said.
One Of the boys whose body was
found was about is years old, S
feet inches tall and weighed
about 100 pounds. He wore a tan
shirt. dyed green corduroy trousers
bearing laundry mark No. 1929
and black tennis sneakers. The
second boy, also about Is, was
about the same height, weighed
about 130 pounds and wore q
green, white and red plaid shirt,
an Army-type woven belt, blue
dungarees and black sneakers.
While being pursued by police,
the boys jumped into Kingman
Lake a short distance upstream
from a concrete abutment mark
ing the spot where a railroad
bridge formerly stood. Still swol-
len from the recent rains, the
water there was about Is feet
deep and full of holes, with swiftly
eddying currents. The boys swan
for about rs feet before they called
for help and went down. The
scene Is several hundred feet be-
hind Gallinger Hospital.
Police Witness Tragedy.
All were seen to disappear by
Pvt. Willard McArdle, who was in
141 scout car with Pvts. Edwin
RUN and William Doerner when
the alarm of larceny first was
sounded by Arthur Litcomb, "a, Of
2604 Parker avenue, Silver Spring.
Mo-. a driver for a bread company.
He told police his truck was
parked in the rear of a large food
store in the 5000 block of Minne-
sofa avenue NE, when he saw
jthe boys take three trays of bakery
products, worth about SIG, from
the truck.
i Pursued by Mr.. Litcomb. the
boys fled west on Benning road
and over the Benning Bridge to a
point where they reached a foot
path leading to the north end Of
IKingman Island.
4 Meanwhile, Mr.. Litcomb hailed
!, the police car. The policeman
saw the boys and pursued them
down the footpath. Pvts. Nc
Ardle and Ruff left the car. Pvt,
Ruff went down one side Of the
island but returned when he didn't
see the boys. He joined Pvt. Doer-
Iner in the belief they could stop
the boys If they tried to swim to
the shore near the hospital.
Meanwhile, the boys had run the
entire distance Of the island.
Boys Dive In.
Pvt. McArdle and Mr.. Litcomb
were on the other side Of the
wooded island and eventually came
upon the boys perched on some
rocks. When they saw the police
man and bakery driver, they dived
into the water and started to
swim. disappearing halfway across
the stream.
Pvt. McArdle. who is an acting
corporal at No. IA precinct, said
he then summoned help. -.
Police said they found one Of
the bakery trays on the mainland
and another on the island.
A fire rescue squad brought
one of its new rubber boats to
the scene to join harbor pre-
cinct launches and rowboats.
Police Inspector William Cum
Iningham was in charge Of the
'Isearch.