Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-14

10, was being held by his brother,
Larry. Is. The two had struggled
for nearly half hour. Another
brother. Elmer, IL had disarmed
hun after the shooting.
Barricaded in Home
Barricaded in the Wood home
were Mrs. Wood. her son, Brooks,
and a daughter, Tavia, 8. as we'll
as two OF the Slack children,
Franklin Elmer, IL, and Kath-
crime Ruth, II. Elmer snatched
the shotgun from his brothers
hands and threw it into some
weeds before fleeing into the
house.
In the darkness on the 100.
acre estate just Is miles
from Washington, police clapped
handouts on both Larry and
Bonnie and took them to Rock.
vile. When they arrived at
police headquarters and pieced
together the story of violence
and death, they freed Larry and
sent him home to rejoin his
|grief-stricken family.
Police said there was evidence
Bonnie had been drinking. He
was jailed at Rockville without
bond on a murder charge.
Restrained Brother
Larry, it was learned. refused
to seek shelter in the Wood home
with his brother and sister after
Elmer threw the gun away. He
stayed to fight with Bonnie to
prevent him from getting an
other shotgun from the Slack
house.
Mrs. Wood and her son de.
Iscribed the events leading up to
the tragedy this way:
Brooks had returned yesterday
from military school for the
Christmas holidays. He planned
to visit some friends last night
and went to the barn, near tho
tenant house which is about 800
feet behind the main house, TO
III the gas tank Of the family
auto.
As he stepped from the auto IN
the growing dusk about $50
pm, he saw Bonnie approach.
ing. He extended his hand and
said Hi, Bennie."
He just kept coming ut me
and put both Of his feet on mine
and started hitting me in the
neck and face" Brooks said. u
broke away and ran into tho
barn office and shut the door,"
Father Steps in
Bonnie was wrestled away from
Brooks by Mr.. Slack, who came
up to see what was going on. But
the youth broke away and fol-
lowed Brooks into the barn
screaming, I'm get you this time,
III kill you" He burst into the
barn Office and began hitting
Brooks again. Brooks said he
hit Bonnie once in the stomach
and then dashed to the car, got
inside and locked both doors.
"The window on the drivers
i side was open just a little. Bonnie
grabbed the glass and tore q,
chunk right out of it with his
hands," Brooks said. II put the
car in reverse and got out Of
there"
! When he drove up the drive
way to the garage at the rear
OF the main house. he called
his mother out to show her the
window. AS the two were stand
ing looking at the damaged car,
the sound of footsteps and loud
talking was heard coming from
the direction Of the tenant house.
Buckshot Strike Near
Then, BAN, heard this gun
go of and buckshot peppered
the car and the driveway all
around us. I,grabbed my mother
and we ran through the garage
into the kitchen. We barricaded
the door and I called police"
Brooks said.
Within minutes, q second shot
rang out and Elmer and Kathy
Slack came running to the kitch-
en- shouting that their father
had been shot. Elmer told Mrs.
Slack he had grabbed the shot
gun and his older brother was
fighting with Bonnie.
Mrs. Wood herded the chill
dren up to the attic while
Brooks called for an ambulance
and again notified police. They
barricaded themselves in the
attic to wait.
Larry said his father and
Bonnie had been drinking to-
gether during the day-the first
time his father had taken drink
in six months.
He recalled that a year ago
there was a forewarning OF yes
Iterday's tragedy. On that occa-
sion Bonnie was drinking and
had words with Mr.. Slack. Sen
ME got one of the guns, fired
1t and put hole through a milk
pail Mr.. Slack was carrying.
Mr.. Slack had been working
as painter for the past year
in Rockville. His wife, Kather-
line, 40. was employed by Mrs.
Wood and Larry Slack had
taken over much of the work
on the beef cattle farm which
his father formerly performed.