Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-28
z Soldiers and Wife
Held in Lorton Staying

Two Fort Belvoir soldiers and
the attractive wife Of one Of
them are in Fairfax County
Jail today, charged with the
murder Of q Lorton (Va.)
grocer on February 6.
CARVE Haven Hall, 81, an
Army cook. is accused Of firing
the bullet that killed Stephen
Percy Simms. SIS, during an
attempted holdup.
Calvin w. Pruitt, %, a hos
pital corpsman, and his wife.
Velva, %. described as parti-
cipants in the crime. also are
charged with murder.
Fairfax County Police Chief
William Durrer and Common
wealth Attorney Robert Fitz-
gerald said Pruitt also has adj
mitted four other armed rob-
berries, three in Virginia and
one in Maryland.
Police and divers from Fort
Belvoir were scheduled today to
search Occoquan Greek, where
the pistol used in the Lorton
shooting repeatedly was thrown.
Fairfax Juvenile Court Judge
John A. Rothrock. jr., placed
the Fruits two children.
Michael, S. and Philip. 8. in
custody of the Welfare Depart
ment.
What Is going to happen to
the children" Mrs. Pruitt
sobbed as her two boys were
taken from her yesterday
at the police station and
turned over to q Welfare De-
partment worker. The children,
unaware Of what was going on
as they romped through the
Detective Bureau, promised
their mother they would be
good boys" as they parted.
Mrs. Pruitt. an attractive
brunette, dressed in a white
sweater and blue skirt, was
taken before County Judge j.
Mason Grove for arraignment.
She was jailed under $4,000
bond.
Judge Grove set Halls bond
at $4,000. A preliminary hear
ing was scheduled for April 2.
Mr.. Fitzgerald said Hall has
admitted Staying the grocer.
The attorney said statements
from Hall and Mrs. Pruitt gave
the following account Of the
crime:
Hall and Pruitt planned the
holdup at the Pruitt home near
Woodbridge, Va. Mrs. Pruitt
drove them to the vicinity Of
the store in Lorton, let them
out and then drove on to q
pre-arranged meeting place on
the Belvoir reservation.
Had Pistol and Rife
Hall went into the store
armed with a pistol, while
Pruitt stayed outside armed
with a rifle.
Hall announce to Mr..
Simms, who was alone in the
store. that it was holdup and
told him to put up his hands.
As he raised his hands from
the counter where he was cut
ting cheese Mr.. Simms threw
something at Hall and Hall
fred.
Hall ran from the store with
out taking anything, and he
and Pruitt left the store and
walked about three miles to the
spot where they were to meet
Pruitt's wife.
Hall told police the gun, a
foreign model, was tossed into
the Occoquan some time later
by Pruitt.
Detectives Robert Harrison
and Willard Bennett traced
dozens Of leads during the past
six weeks. but the break came
Wednesday when Pruitt was
linked to a holdup Of a gas sta
ton at Bowling Green, Va.
Fruits car was seen near the
service station just before the
holdup Tuesday night by State
Trooper D. E. Sitterson, jr., who
took down the license number
because the car looked suspi-
cious. After he learned Of the
holdup, Trooper Sitterson
traced the license numbers to
Fruits car.
Fairfax Police Notified
Because Of Fruits Northern
Virginia address. the similarity
Of the holdup and the fact that
a foreign-make cartridge was
fund in Fruits pocket. Fair
fax Police were notified.
Fairfax Police 1t. Stanley
+ dson and Detective Harrison
questioned Pruitt at Bowling
Green and found a gun similar
to the one used in the Lorton
Staying in Fruits car. Police
said gruitt and Hall had for
eign guns Of similar make.