Evening star., 1952-08-25
Bloody Taxiicab
|sCIue in Death
OF Truck Driver
Fingerprints on Hack
Checked by Police;
Robbery Is Hinted

NODDeTy IS nlnte0
A blood-spattered taxicab fur
nished police their first tangible
clue in the Staying of Lawrence
E. Jones. 31-year-old colored
truck driver.
Mr.. Jones body was found early
Saturday crumpled beside a gravel
road in the 6100. block Of Il
street, Fairmont Heights, Md. He
had two deep head wounds caused
by a sharp instrument. and there
were tire marks across his chest.
The body remained unidentified
until yesterday.
Early yesterday two first pre-
cinct police found the taxicab
which Mr.. Jones drove part time
for the Metropolitan Cab Service.
He was regularly employed as a
truck driver for The Star.
The taxi, discovered on a vacant
filling station lot at Eighth and
I streets NV, had bloodstains on
the fabric ceiling and blood and
brain matter spattered on the rear
Of the front seat.
Spotted Early Sunday.
Pvts. James j. Dalton and
Thomas r. Estes spotted the taxi
cab about 1880 am. yesterday as
they cruised in their scout car
They checked it because they be-
lieved it to be the taxicab de-
scribed to them at midnight roll
call as having been used in a
holdup earlier in the evening.
Asleep in the front seat was
John H. Miller, 43, of no fixed
address. Detectives held Miller
for questioning. but said they oe-
lieved he is merely a transient
who got into the cab to sleep after
it had been parked on the vacant
lot.
Homicide detectives were called
to the scene when the two pri-
Yates noticed the blood on the
ceiling and seat. Witnesses had
seen the taxi there as early as 6
pm. Saturday A wrecker hauled
the taxi to headquarters garage,
where f1ngerprint men went to
work.
Fingerprints to Be Checked.
Several sets Of fingerprints were
found, but it was believed these
would be valuable only if a sus-
pect Is picked up through another
connection. The fingerprints were
TO be checked. however. with police
files.
Detectives also learned that the
taxi did not fit the description of
the one used in the Saturday
night holdup.
Detectives found that Mr.. Jones
had been driving the taxicab Fri
day night and they checked to |
see If he had been reported miss
ing. Later yesterday. Mr.. Jones'
wife Nancy identified his body at i
the Gasch funeral home.
George Hunt. 13. of 6204 II
street. had found the body dou-
bled in a ditch beside the road.
Skull Fractured.
Examination by DR.. John IT,
Maloney, county medical examiner.
disclosed tire marks across Mr..
Jones chest. Death was due.
however, to hemorrhage and shock
caused by a fractured skull. An
autopsy was to be performed to-
day. DR.. Maloney said the victim
had been killed sometime between
5 am. and 6 am. Saturday. There
were two automobile cushions be.
side the body.
Mrs. Jones said her husband had
left home about 1880 pm. Friday
to drive the taxicab. HE worked
full-time as a truck driver for the
circulation department of The
Star. and drove the taxi as q
part-time job.
Detective Sergt. Earl Hubert of
Prince Georges County broached
the murder theory when the body
was found, but police also worked
on the alternate theory that Mr..
Jones had been victim of a hit
and-run driver, until the taxicab
was found.
The murder theory was ad-
vanced because there was no
wallet and no identifying papers
on the body. Mr.. Jones wrist
watch also was missing.