The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-23
CLAIM OF SELF-DEFENSE
BRIDGEWATER TELLS A NEW STORY
OF THE WOODRUFF MURDER.
He Says Wharton First Attacked Him
and Followed Him as He
Ran Away.

William H. Bridgewater the murderer of
Ollister Wharton, is confined in the county
Jail, having been returned from Chicago at
$40 o'clock yesterday morning. The
Chicago police deserve great credit
for capturing the man. Letters and tele-
grams telling of criminals wanted are re-
ceived daily by the score at police head
quarters in the large cities and usually they
are read to the police at the various police
stations, and the police are instructed to
keep a lookout for the criminals described
1t is hardly expected that the police of
every city shall make q special search un-
less there is some positive evidence that
the persons wanted have gone to that city.
In this case the Chicago police made
special effort to locate Bridewater and did
it by hunting up all the Bridewaters whose
names appear in the city directory. Among
the names there happened to be one which
proved to belong to q cousin of the man
wanted. He was out of the city when the
police inquired, but the woman with whom
he boarded gave the information that a
man by the same name, a stranger, had
been at the house with him. The where
abouts of the strange man were not known
to the woman, but she understood that he
was employed by a colored man who was
engaged in the transfer business. Colored
transfer men were then sought and finally
Bridgewater was located and arrested.
Bridewater talked freely of his case yes
terday. He is not above the average intelli-
gence of his race, but he told a straight
story and maintained it in every detail
through a close cross-examnation. In the
first place he denied the statement that he
and his wife had been separated He says
that she had been working out" but that
she came home Ito his house, three or four
nights a week and that her child and her
mother made up part of the household.
she occupied my bed Saturday night"
said Brdgewater, land left Sunday morn
ing to go to her work. did not know any
thing about her and the party going for
drive. About o'clock Sunday evening
went out near IrVington to see Henry john
son, colored man, who is brother-in-
law Of Mary Barger, one OF the girls who
went for the drive with my wife. About 8
o'clock, well as / can remember, / took
a car TO go home, but / concluded that l
would go through Woodruff Place and see
my wife [ thought she might be going
home and we would go together; | got off
the car at Randolph and Washington
streets and walked across 10 woodruff
Place Intending to enter the place where
my wife is employed by the rear entrance,
L went around TO the alley AS l came
near l saw my wife come through from the
house where Mary Barger is employed. The
night was dark, but my wife was dressed
in white and L could recognize her. 1 did
not see any man and did not know
any one was with her. l fol-
lowed her into the yard and saw her take
a seat on the back porch. 1 believe there
an ice chest standing near where she
sat, but it was too dark to distinguish OBJ
jects plainly.
SAYS WHARTON STRUCK HIM
al stepped up on the porch and as I did
so I saw the form of a man rise up and
I,oo Of 1aft
ear. You can see the place is still swollen
and there is the scar. L pushed the man
away and as 1 did so my wife ran by me
into the house. My assailant came at me
again and 1 pushed him away Again he
struck at me and again L avoided him. The
next time he made a pass at me had my
knife in my hand and l struck at him with
it and ran. Through the rear gate and into
the yard across the alley ram with him
close behind me. L stumbled over a pile of
something in the yard and fell and he was
upon me instantly. 1t was then that
made use of my knife / slashed right and
left with it and got up and ran When |
turned back he seemed to be on his feet
and feeling about as it to lind something to
throw a me-
I'm the encounter lost my hat I walked
to my home on Yandes street not knowing
that / had killed the man and not thinking
of running away. But l remembered the
other trouble that l had while living in
West Indianapolis and concluded that had
better get away from that woman. So
started for Chicago L walked all night and
part of the next day to Westfield and there
caught Monon freight train to Michigan
City and reached Chicago Tuesday night
1 found employment the next day with an
express man and boarded with him until
I was arrested 1t was then that l learned
for the first time that l had killed the man.
Il have been married to the woman who
is the cause of the trouble about ten years
and have lived in this city about eight
years. ! came here from Adair county
pmnlOVp1
Mag. cement contractor l have tried to
be good to that woman but it seems that
[ cannot be and have IT appreciated. Yes.
I shot her in West Indianapolis, but the
Lord knows did not mean to. l would not
harm a hair of her head. 1t was the man
bullet struck her in the leg. 1t did not hurt
her much l got out of that with ten days
in jail after waiting three months for the
grand jury to act. If l get out of this
will leave the city and keep away from
that woman"