Evening star., 1955-06-23
Gunfire Heard
Al Time Girls
81
Were Slain
Housewife Puts
Hour at BIS A.M.;
First Definite Clue

Gunflre was heard at 8:15 am,
lin the Northwest Branch Park
area the day two teen-age girls
were shot down as they walked
across the park, The Star was
told today.
Mrs. Doris Stadler, 1925 Twen-
ty-fifth averue, Lane Manor,
Md. who heard the shots June
lis, said she was rebuffed in ef-
forts to tell police about it dur
ing the excitement following dis
Icovery of the bodies.
It was speculated that her
story may be the first indication
of the exact time of the slayings,
an important clue to solution OF
the case.
Mrs. Stadler was in her kitch-
en- washing dishes the morning
that Nancy Marie Shomette, 16
and Michael Ann Ryan, IA, were
shot to death with a .22-caliber
rifle.
Certain Of Time
She said she is virtually cer-
tain of the time because of hel
set schedule as a housewife.
"The sounds were very rapid,
she said. "It was almost like
someone firing a cap pistol-one
of the repeating kind
Mrs. Stadler said her schedule
was the same that day as or
other days-her husband, Karl
la bookbinder at the Darby
Printing Co.. left for work about
7:30 am. She got her children
Michael, 8, and Lyn, 2, out oi
bed at 7:40. She fed them be.
tween 7:45 and 8 am.
At Sis, she was washing
dishes.
Michael was playing in the
next room" she said. ''He was
making a lot Of noise, but the
sound was very clear over the
racket he was making. I hac
both windows in the kitchen
open"
She said when news of thu
murder spread through thu
Ineighborhood. she walked dowr
to where 1t happened. Police
had roped of the area. She
approached policeman anc
started to speak to him. to tel
him about the shots.
At that point, she said, a loud.
speaker which police had set ur
blared: Everybody out Of the
park who has no official business
here"
Ordered Out Of Park
She again tried to speak to the
policeman, she said, but was
told: II haven't got time to talk
to you now. lady. We're busy
here. You'll have to get out oil
the park"
The next day. she said, she
read that police were theorizine
that the shooting happened
around 10 am. She dismissed
the matter from her mind until
she heard that police were seek
ing witnesses who may have
heard shots between Z am. and
IL am.
Her disclosure came as police
questioned a 24-year-old man in
connection with the slayings.
The man, arrested last night
and held in the jail at Hyatts-
vile, Nd. was booked as "held
for investigation"
Detectives said he would be
charged later today in the rape
of a 25-year-old woman. He is
being questioned in the Staying
they said, because he is a habi-
tue Of the Landover Hills area
where the family of one of the
dead girls once lived.
Hesitated Four Days
Police disclosed today that a
48-year-old man and his 32-
year-old wife, "after four days
of hesitation about whether they
should talk to police" yesterday
gave detectives some important
information in the case.
The couple, police said, wor-
ried about what they knew-po-
lice have not revealed what 1t
was-and went yesterday to
someone with a knowledge OF
law" who advised them to go to
police.
They went to Northwest
Branch Park, believing police
still would be searching the area
There they found Prince
Georges County Police Pvt. Car
roll v. Garrison, who has been
working on his days OF to help
See SLAYING, Pare A-4