The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-06-16
A TRAGEDY IN BEL AIR.
An Officer Killed While Dis
charging His Duty.
DEPUTY SHERIFF BATEMBN SHOT
DOWN BY JOHN HAYS.
He Kills His Slayer After Receiv-
ing His Mortal Wound.
Said 10 be The First White Man Ever
Murdered in Bel Air.

| l.
f Murdered I'm Bel Air.
| The town of Bel Air was thrown into an in
= tense state of excitement, last Saturday even
5 ing, about seven o'clock, by the startling news
f that Deputy Sheriff Frank Bateman had been
shot and killed by john Hays, whom he was
trying to arrest for disorderly conduct
While MORALLY wounded Mr.. Bateman drew
! his pistol and fired several times at Hays, two
or three of the shots taking effect. Hays fell
and MIR. Bateman fell upon him. The scene
, of the conflict was small two-story house. on
, the north side of Alice Ann street, which was
rented by James Lee, colored, the lower front
room being occupied by Hays as a sleeping
room.
1t appears that Hays had been on spree
for several days, and while under the uiluence
CT liquor became very noisy and disagreeahe
20 the residents of the vicinity. The annoy
ance was so great that Tow n lililf, Alfred L.
Jones was called upon. lie obtained war
rant for Hays arrest, charging him with being
drunk and disorder!y. Bailiff jones sent for
Officer Bateman to assist in making the arrest.
On their way the two officers arrested negro,
named Anthony Bond, and the Bailiff took
him to jail while Officer Bateman went alone
to arrest Hays.
John Smith, friend of Hays, who had also
teen drinking freely, learning that the war
rant had been issued, hurried to the house and
told Hays of the fact, advising him to go into
the house and locE the door, to prevent being
taken. Hays became enraged and declared
he would kill Frank Bateman or any other
man who tiled to arrest him. lie then went
into the house and secured the door.
The officer arrived and raped, calling upon
Hays to open the door and go with him quiet
| ly, as he had warrant for his arrest. Hays
replied that he was in bed and did not intend
| to come out. Officer Bateman continued to
| persuade Hays to come out, and finding his
persuasions useless he read The warrant aloud
| standing on the doorstep. Hays called out,
| "l'll kill you il you don't go away from here"
| Smith, who was still in the yard, went up to
the officer, and laying his hand upon Nj.
Batemans arm said, go away from here.
| Don't undertake to take John, or lie will kill
you"
| Bateman then sent colored boy for BaililT
| Jones to come and guard the house while he
| himself went for Sheriff Forsythe. He subse-
| quently told the boy to go ever to BailiT
jones' house, which is nearly opposite the
| scene of the tragedy, and get an axe.
THE DEADLY CONFLICT.
! At this jancture the door was thrown open
| and Hays fired twice at Batemsn. One ball
struck the officer in the right leg, and the other
| ~, h. e.. a., Of "A
! took an upward course and severed one of the
| main arteries, causing Internal hemorrhage
| and almost instant death. The officer, al
| though MORALLY wounded, returned the fire,
| Hays being struck by two or three bullets.
One wound was on the right side of the breast
| bone, near the third rib, and one in the lower
part of the stomach. An orifice was also dis
| covered on the left side of the back, near the
| floating rib but the physicians were unable to
determine whether this was made by the en-
| trance or the exit of bullet. bullet was
| extracted from beneath the skin on the side
opposite this orifice.
The second and succeeding shots were al
| most simultaneous. Hays fell first and the
| brave officer fell over upon him.
Mr.. T. 7. Jolliffe, who was driving past the
| house with Capt. Thomas &. Forwood, heard |
| the shooting and returned to the spot. He
ran into the house and endeavored to place
the men in comfortable positions. Officer
| Bateman practically dead when Mr. !
Jollifre arrived.
Medical aid was at once summoned, and
Drs E. Hall Richardson, w. b. Munnik huysen
and Frank Harvey Immediately responded.
| Both men, however, were beyond human aid.
| Hays fingered in great agony until about
11.30 o'clock, when he died. He became con-
scious soon after the affair occurred, and ask
| ed that Rev. Father Frederick, pastor of st.
| Ignatius Church, Hickory, be sent for. His
| request was complied with and the mini ter
came. The dying mans mother, Mrs. Patrick
Carroll, and his sister, were also brought from
| their home, near Mooreand Mills, and re-
| manned with him. Ills body was removed to |
| his mothers home, from which the funeral
| took place on Tuesday morning. The inter-
ment was made in the cemetery attached to
st. Ignatus Church, Hickory. Rev. j. A. |
Frederick, OBLIGATED, the pail bearers being |
| Messrs. Charles Bode, Daniel Golden, Daniel |
| FL. Carroll, John Thorn, Lawrence Whalen |
and John X. Bedford. There was a very large |
| attendance.
The body of Mr.. Bateman was taken to the |
| grand jury room in the Court House and |
| jury of Inquest summoned, which at the re-
quest of States Attorney Preston, adjourned |
until Monday morning. During Saturday |
night and Sunday the awful affair was, as may
| be imagined, the sole topic OF conversation.
1t was referred to in one or two OF the
churches, the pastor of the Presbyterian
Church, to which the Bateman family belong,
making special reference to it. Inquiry re-
| vealed the fact that Mr.. Biteman was the first
| white man ever killed in Bel Air.
/ THE INQUEST.
Justice Clifford e. Barnes, acting as coroner,
summoned two juries, one to investigate Mr..
Bateman's death and the other that of Hays.
| The two were consolidated, making COM
pound jury OF twenty persons, as follows
| John A. W. Richardson, Richard A. Barnes,
James G. Young, Eugene F. Guillot, Dr. Will
liam l.. Lowe, Henry G. Maynadier, c. c,
Richardson, Frank E. Gorrell, William II,
| Bauer, Charles A. McGaw, Joseph p. Wilson,
! T. Moores Maynadier, David IIanway, Charles
Richardson, DIR. A!oysius Valentine, James
Richardson, Jacob +. Bull, John Z. Colder,
j. 7. Lingan and Isaac N. Peterson. The
following witnesses were examined DIR. w.
| B. Munnikhuysen, DR.. L. Hall Richardson,
| Joseph Norton, Mrs. Alfred T. Jones, Capt.
Thomas &. Forwood, Samuel o. Hinkley, 4.
P. Jollifre, james Peterson, James Smith, Miss
Ruth Jones, John Smith and BERTHE Smith,
colored.
| THE TESTIMONY
was corroborative of the statement given
above, developing the fact that the first shot
was fired by Hays, and that after he was shot
and almost in a dying condition Mr. Bateman
| entered the room determined to arrest his