The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-15
BROTHERS. FIERCE FIGHT
CHARLES WORKMAN, HIS SCALP
LAID OPEN, RUNS FROM POLICE.
Caught in n COrnfieId, He Shields His
Brother, but the Family Tells
Police the Truth.

With as little concern as if he were hav-
ing his hair cut. Charles Workman. a paint
er that has a liking for the more dangerous
specialties Of the business, such as decorat-
ing high chimneys and iagstaffs, sat In
the turnkey's Office at the police station
last night while DR.. Dodds. assisted by
Turnkey Long, sewed UP a frightful cut
that exposed the white bone in a narrow
/. lane OF bloody flesh that ran for six inches
from above the right eye across the temple,
over the cheek bone and entirely through
the right ear. He shrugged his shoulders
a bit and grumbled for a drink Of whisky,
but otherwise gave no evidence of suffering
from having his scalp made whole again.
Few such knife wounds have been seen at
the police station. 1t took ten stitches from
a big needle to close it, and the thread was
loosely applied.
Workman's injury was from the hand Of
his brother George Workman, the police
are informed by relatives Of the two men,
and the light in which the injury was re-
ceived was the closing incident of a lively
day. The men are expert in painting high
chimneys and flag poles, and yesterday
they got a job painting the fagstaffs on
Schmidt's brewery. The work was not
easy and the day was hot. Beer was to be
had for the asking, and the two men drank
freely. After treating the flagpoles TO
several coats of rich green and themselves
to many foaming schooners, they went to
their home at 99 North California street
and proceeded to get into a bitter argu-
fore relatives of the brothers knew what
was going on.
GEORGE ALSO WOUNDED.
About S o'clock somebody telephoned the
desk sergeant at police station that there
was a cutting ARRAY at California and
Tenth streets. Bicyclemen STREET. and Losh
hurried to the address given and found
George Workman covered with blood. He
told the policemen that he had been N a
fight with his brother Charles, and that
Charles had slashed him with a sharp
knife. Charles, in the meantime. had taken
to his heels, running north. The policemen
went after him and at Sixteenth street
and avenue a man standing
on the corner volunteered information ex-
cttedly that a man was running up North
western avenue with his head nearly cut
off.
Looking closely as they rode the police
men saw %drippings of blood here and there,
and for them the plot began TO thicken.
The farther they went the more blood they
found until the trail stopped at Fall creek,
where the wounded fugitive had forded.
He had been seen, however, several times,
and finally the policemen located him in a
cornfeld between Capitol avenue and
Northwestern avenue. He was lying in
the corn nearly unconscious, and when
STREET and Losh got a good look at the
right side OF the mans face they had one
of the biggest surprises of their careers
as policemen. That a man could go so
fast and so far with a cut six inches long,
exposing the bone and pouring blood, was
almost unbelievable.
FINE BROTHERLY AFFECTION.
Then the affair began to grow still more
complicated. Workman, who had got over
the most of his drunk, stoutly maintained
that his brother George had nothing to
do with his hurt. George would not cut
me-" he said; I'VE are too brotherly fer
that. 1t was done by a tall man who got
into an argument with us after we came
home" In the face of the unqualified as
sertiOns of the father and mother OF the
Workman brothers that George had lone
the cutting, the two policemen did not put
much faith in Charles Workman's state
ments.
When the patrol wagon arrived both
brothers were loaded in and taken to the
station. George Workman was slated for
assault and battery with intent to kill, and
Charles Workman for assault and battery
merely. The bond of the former was
placed at $1,000. and of the latter at $25.
Neither was released last night. In the
turkeys office the brothers gave an exhi-
bitlon of fraternal affection that con-
trasted oddly with the bloody cuts they
bore. Charles Workman declared positive
ly that George was innocent and George
refused 10 repeat his former charges.
George was only slightly hurt. Relatives
of the brothers insist, though, thar there
were no ether participants in the cutting,
and that the two knitted each other.
While DR.. Dodds was sewing up the long
cash i'm Charles Workman's face the City
Council was holding a special session, and
attracted by the news of the unusual surgi-
cal operation that was going on in the
turkeys office across the hall, several OF
the cOuncilmen lodged the mOnotonous
reading OF the interurban contracts and
watched the skillful fingers of the doctor
The police believe that the brothers viii
not attempt to make the judge believe thai
"a tall man, unknown to them is re-
spOnsible for the knife wounds. Brotherly
affection, they say, may wane IN the
course of the night. when the wounds be-
gin TO stiffen and get sore.