Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 214, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 September 1915 — Court Martial Trial Completed Investigation. [ARTICLE]

Court Martial Trial Completed Investigation.

Maj. George H. Healey returned last evening from Indianapolis, where he was a member of the court martial that tried Sergeant Edwin Ball, who shot and killed a private soldier named Dowell. The shooting occurred two years ago at the annual camp of instruction. Dowell belonged to Company ’F, of the first regiment, which was stationed at Madison. Ball was a sergeant in Company H, of the second regiment, located in Indianapolis. Captain Perry, of the company, was ordered to establish a provost guard to prevent disorder on street cars and to prevent the bringing of liquor into camp. Dowell was arrested by Sergeant Ball, who took a quart bottle of whiskey from him. Dowell was left in charge of Private Roberts of the provost guard while Sergeant Ball went to report the arrest to Captain Perry as the outgoing and incoming cars were awaiting orders at Thirtieth street and Cornell avenue. Dowell bolted from the car and ran across a vacant lot and turned down an alley. Captain Perry told Ball to “get that man.” Ball started after him and Roberts was also in pursuit. Dowell was gaining on them and Ball commanded him to halt at the same time firing in the air. He commanded him to halt three times and each time fired. He claims that he did not fire at Dowell at all, but aimed to fire each time in the air. Dowell was struck by one of the bullets, which passed through his body. He stopped and leaned against a telephone pole in the alley, which was so dark that his pursuers ran past him. He called to them and said he had been hit. He was carried from the alley and placed in an automobile and taken to a hospital, where he was operated on but died two days later. Ball was defended before the court-martial by William A. Ketchum, a former attorney general of Indiana. The state’s case was handled by Major Gideon Blaine, the judge-advo-cate-general of the Indiana National Guard. The finding of the court s conveyed to the authority that convened the court, namely, the governor. He has the power to modify the finding of a court if he deems it proper. The finding is a secret until published in orders by the authority that convened the court.

Mrs. G. F. Meyers made a trip to Lafayette today. Attorney Dunlap was in Morocco yesterday and returned again this morning to appear for a client in a case before Justice James Rodgers. The case will eventually get into the circuit court and will probably be hard fought. Attorney Williams also represents a client in the case, but not in the proceeding in the justice’s court Some time ago Albert Defrees, of Roselawn, sold his store building and fixtures to Vernon Cyphers, taking notes in settlement Recently Cyphers sold the stock and fixtures to Al Peck, of Morocco, who started to move them to that town from Roselawn. Defrees claimed that notes which were to have been delivered to him from Syphers never reached him and secured an injunction against the removal of the property. Attorney Williams filed the injunction just in time to preventt the removal of the property. It is now a sort of a three-cornered fight Peck wants to hold Seifert to deliver the property over to him and Defrees wants to restrain Peck from getting the property.