Evening star., 1953-11-01

->-~-~-~-~-------~-> ->--~----------~--~--
Relotives Teorfully Tell Story Of Brief
Harrington Marriage. Poee Az
enploye, was found yesterday in
the woods of Madison County,
II miles north of Orange. Va.
Relatives who had lent him the
% caliber rifle Ito go hunting"
found the body. his hands still
clutching the weapon.
His wife. Viola Harrington, 35,
Government Printing Office
employe, was found strangled to
death in their apartment at 1925
Thirteenth street NV, late Fri
day.
Jealousy Called Motive.
Washington police, considering
the case all but closed as a mur-
der and suicide, saw disillusion-
ment over the Harrington's six
week-old marriage and the huS-
bands jealousy as the motive.
A note lay on the wHe's nude
body, which had been carefully
placed on the bed and covered
with a spread. 1t said "She
knows why. know why. and
the rest will have to decide from
that" 1t as signed Roy Har-
rington."
Police pictured a heated argu-
ment leading up to the wife's
death but neither homicide de-
tectiveS nor Deputy Coroner
Christopher j. Murphy could ac-
curately set the time of her mur-
der. DR.. Murphy said she may
have been dead IL to "a hours
before she was found.
The situation was similar in
Harrington'S death.
He arrived at the home Of a
cousin, Lee Aylor, near Winston.
Va, about GAO am. Friday, say
ing he wanted to borrow gun
to go hunting. Because of his
early arrival, Mrs. Aylor jokingly
remarked to her husband "he
must have committed some
crime"
Harrington declined her offer
of breakfast or coffee, saying he
had been up all night drinking
coffee.
The Aylors had no ammuni-
ton for the rifle but sent one Of
their children to borrow some
from a neighbor. The child re-
turned with 13 bullets. Harring-
ton told them he probably would
not need that many and that if
he didn't, they should divide the
remaining ones.
At the time. the AylorS were
unaware of his marriage six
weeks before.
Body Found in Woods.
He left the house about 7 am.
Friday. When he failed to re-
turn, the Aylors began a search
for him yesterday morning.
His body was found about one
and one-half miles from the Ay-
lor home on a farm owned by
DR.. j. B. Early. 1t was face
down with the rifle underneath
the body. Authorities said there
were powder burns on the right
temple. One empty bullet was
found in the chamber.
There were no immediate in
dications as to how long he had
been dead.
In the wife's death, DR.. Murphy
said she had been "manually
strangled." Her body bore
bruises on both sides of the neck
and shoulders. The inside of her
mouth had been cut by a blow
against her teeth, the deputy
coroner said.
Her body was discovered by
Elmer Vein, 1911 Fern street
NV, another GPO employe, who
had been giving the Harringtons
morning rides to work. He told
police Harrington usually took
the car on to his place of en-
ployment and put it in a park
ing lot there.
Friday, when the Harringtons
failed to appear in front of their
apartment house, Mr.. Vein con-
tinued on his way, later tele-
phoning the Harrington apart
ment when he learned Mrs. Har-
rington had not reported in sick.
He also called Harrington's plant
and learned the husband had not
shown up there.
Mr.. Vein then went to the
apartment house and asked two
other residents to accompany
him to the Harrington apart
ment where THEY found her body