The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-17
NO LONGER A MYSTERY
MUNCIE BOY WAS MURDERED BY A
TEN-YEAR-OLD COMPANION.
Freddie GLAND Arrested for the Cold
BIOOded Crime and a COIOred
bartender in the C9se.
Special to the indianapolis journal.

Special to the indianapolis Journal.
MUNCIE, Ind, Nov. 16.-Never before was
this city so much excited over a case as
have the residents shown to-day over the
finding of the body of five-year-old Andy
Bodemiller yesterday afternoon with bull
let hole in his head and burnt powder on
his face, showing that the child had been
murdered. No sort Of explanation for the
killing of the child and hiding its body could
be obtained until this evening, when four
year-old Michael Belts and his seven-year-
old brother. Robert, told the officers that
Fred GLAND, the ten-year-old son of Thomas
c. GLAND, saloon keeper. had killed the
boy. The two boys directed the officers to
the place where the shooting was done and
then pointed to the place where the box was
secured in the rear of a house in which the
lifeless form was cramped when found in
the gravel pit, where they claimed GLAND
and another boy carried it. GLAND was
found and for time made denial, but
stated that if the officers would bring his
mother, his father being in Maryland, he
would tell all about the case. In her pres
ence he said he shot at rabbit and killed
the boy; that the body fell in the box and
that the box rolled over the bank into the
gravel pit where found Later the boy de-
MED this statement and said all that he
had told was a lie and that he had not seen
the murdered child.
In the confession he broke down twice,
but regained composure and made several
different statements and tonight he was
arrested and taken to Jail. The officers are
attempting to get further confession from
him. The mother of the Belts boys does not
credit their story and insists that they were
in the house all day Monday, she residing
in part of the building occupied by Glands
saloon and family near where the body was
found. Mrs. GLAND says the confession was
the result of promises and the manner of
questioning her son practiced by the police.
She is positive an alibi can be proven. The
murder occurred in Whitley, suburb occu-
pied by men employed in the Whitley
malleable iron works, and there were
threats from the hundreds of iron workers
to take the boy out and string him up to a.
tree. Sam Jackson, colored bartender for
GLAND, who is in charge of the saloon, is
credited with completely in the case and his
life is threatened by the mob tonight The
Belts boys claim that Andy, the dead child,
threw a stone at the GLAND boy, causing
the shot with a revolver. Several other
boys testify that they saw GLAND, the Belts
boys and little Andy together about the
time the murder must have been committed.
Clint Milligan, window-glass manufacture
er, claims to have seen q man carrying
box from Glands saloon towards the gravel
pit early yesterday morning. This is be-
lieved to have been Jackson, the negro. 1t
was learned tonight that the boys mother
had sent a telegram to his father before
public suspicion had been directed toward
young GLAND, and this is taken that Mrs.
GLAND knew about the affair.