Youth Held in Attempt To Strangle Girl, 16, Quizzed on Murder

Youth Held in Attempt To Strangle Girl, 16, Quizzed on Murder Police Grill Suspect About Garroting of Church Worker A South Camden youth is under questioning today in the garrote slaying of Richard H. Thompson, 36-year-old churchworker, after his arrest Thursday night for attempting to strangle a girl with a length of clothesline. Leroy Snyder, 18, of 736 Cherry street, was arrested on complaint of Gertrude Jones, 16, of 536 Liberty street. The girl told police she was walking along Walnut street near Sixth about 11 p. m. when she was attacked by a youth who looped a piece of clothesline about her neck and tossed her to the ground. The girl said she screamed and began to struggle. Her shouts were heard by a minister, the Rev. Isaac Foulkes, pastor of the New Union Baptist Church, 608 Walnut street, of which the girl is a member. The Rev. Mr. Foulkes was looking at books in the church and ran outside. Seeing him, the suspect fled. District Detective John Opfer responded to the alarm and with the girl in his car began a tour of the neighborhood. About a block from the scene, Opfer said, the girl pointed to Snyder and he was arrested. At police headquarters Miss Jones identified Snyder as the one who attacked her. Detective George Ellis and County Detective James McLaughlin, who are investigating the Thompson murder, were notified. Ellis said Snyder would be questioned and the clothesline would be checked against the one found knotted tightly around Thompson's neck when he was discovered Oct. 15 in an areaway behind a row of garages at Fifth and Mickle streets.