Evening star., 1960-01-01
Hacker KiIIinu
UnsOIved
Crimes Of 50
$4,000 Gem Theft
Also Listed With
D. c. Mysteries
BY WILLIAM r. BASHAM
Star stan Writer

The brutal Staying Of q cab
driver and the separate thefts
of q French painting and a
$4,000 jewel collection head
the list of the Districts un-
solved crimes for 1859.
The murder Of the hacker,
George E. Bowley, IS. Of Hill
side, Nd. unfolded on the chilly
night of January IA. He was
found lying beside his cab be-
hind a PEPCO substation at
2504 South Dakota avenue
NE. with his head crushed
by an unknown blunt weapon.
The cab was smeared inside
and out with the victims blood.
More blood obliterated part of
the cab drivers manifest, which
police studied in order to nail
down the destination of the
last few passengers. The list
of runs since / pm. that day
showed the hacker had earned
roughly $40. Trouser pockets
torn and turned inside out in
dicated robbery. But So was
found in other pockets.
ESQ Questioned
Homicide Capt. Lawrence A.
Hartnett said the Identification
and interrogation of the drivers
passengers threw little light on
the case. Since then, he said,
more than $50 persons have
been questioned in connection
with the crime. as recently as a
few days before Christmas.
Each person questioned under
goes a check on his own back
ground, the captain said.
All answers received from
individuals are sifted and con-
trasted. a long and arduous job,
but enough to solve all but six
Of the 76 homicides committed
this year.
Another case was the theft
Of the Pink Candle" q paint
ing by the French Artist Henri
Rousseau. on December 4 from
the Phillips Gallery at 1900
Twenty-first street NV. This
crime fell under the jurisdiction
of the General Assignment
Squad, headed by Capt. Joseph
Shimon.
II can't imagine an ordinary
housebreaker taking this one"
said the captain. But don't
rule it out. We located the
frame in the woods near the
4500 block of Clark place NV,
but We couldn't lift any finger
prints"
Photo Circulated
He held up a photograph Of
the painting which was done in
1908. 1t featured the candle. a
bottle Of brandy and some
fruit. The captain said he had
circulated this photo through
out the country, but something
like this can be anywhere with
no immediate transfer in sight.
Another case heading Capt.
Simmons list of more than
1000 investigations this year
involved another selective and
knowing thief. It was the theft
Of some $4,000 worth of jewel
ry last April from the Shore
ham Hotel room of a couple
from st. Joseph. Mo. AS the
captain put it, Either the
robber was well informed or
just plain lucky"
Investigation showed that the
thief picked the hour and a
half that the couple would be
absent from their suite and took
only the most expensive gems.
Besides that" said Capt.
Shimon. none Of the locked
doors had been jimmied." AL
though all known outlets in the
Washington area are periodi-
cally checked. nothing has
turned up.
Market Scattered
That's why we teletype the
description Of these gems all
over the United States" said
the captain. Markets for stolen
gems are everywhere"
While Capt. Simmons squad
focused attention on the theft
of the painting, another thief
stole seven fur coats on Decem-
Der l3 from the entrance way
OF Temple Sinai, while the con-
gregation met inside. They are
valued by their owners at
$27, 900.
The possible location of any
resale by the thief? Most |
street corners" the captain re-
piled. =.