Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-08-13
CORPORAL OF GUARD ON THE NIGHT
OFFICER WAS SHOT TELLS
GRAPHIC STORY.
WILL so TESTIFY, IF CALLED.
Lieuts. Adams and Osterman Recognized
as Victims Companions in Quar-
rel Preceding Crime.
LIEUT.. ROELKER is ENUMERATED.

BOSTON, Mass, Aug. 1O-In a state
ment attributed to Sergt. Arthur Todd
f the United States marine corps, and
-..lde public today in the Boston Post,
it is said that if he should be called to
testify in the investigation of the death
of Lieut.. James Sutton, the sergeant's
testimony would be exactly opposite to
that given by SuttOn's fellow officers.
Sergt Todd, who has been on range duty
at Wakefield, left for Annapolis. In de-
scribing the shooting Sergt. Todd says:
Il was corporal of the guard on the
night that Lieut.. Sutton was shot, and
from the place where / was standing
saw figure about $50 feet away.
Saw Adams and Oster1nan.
Il saw Lieuts. Adams and Osterman
and recognized them. They were nearer
me. The man who was in shirt sleeves
started to run, and | heard voice cry:
Stop running! You're under arrest
The man ran on, and once more l
heard the same voice cry out loudly
Stop running or I'll shoot!
The man paid no attention and ran
on. The next moment / saw flash, and
heard a revolver report There We're
three other shots, and the man who was
running dropped
Il ran over to him and bent over.
1t was Lieut.. Sutton. | saw hole IN
his forehead, where there was a ragged
entrance, and hole back of the left ear,
where the bullet came out clean.
Lieut. Rocker, who has been so often
mentioned in the case. came into the
guard room where | then was, a short
time before the shooting. He was with a
private named Richardson and they had
a drink together. At the time of the
shooting he was not anywhere in sight.
Not Service Revolver.
'"rhe next morning an enlisted man
found a revolver on the ball field, which
was not the regular service revolver, but
a 32-caliber affair"
Todd said at one time in conversation
that he had the bullet himself that killed
Sutton, but later stated that someone
else had taken it. He refused to state
finally whether he knew where the bullet
was.
Just after the shooting, when l had
returned to the guardroom, Rocker came
in all out of breath and greatly eXclted.
He said: My God, Archie, l think I've
heeD shot 's"fA~a"
II laughed at him at first, but he was
so earnest about it that l felt in his LETT
hand outside pocket just over his heart
There was a drill regulation book there
and bullet had become mushroomed IN
the pages.
Bullet Strikes Near Heart.
"RoeIker was very excited when |
pulled out the book and showed him the
bullet and the way in which his life had
been saved. He stripped down to the
skin and there was a perceptible reddish
tinge over his heart, showing just where
the bullet would have gone had the book
not interpOsed.
"Roelker and l talked the matter
over, and we agreed that he must have
run into the fire of the bullets, one of
which had killed Sutton. There were
four shots that l heard in all and one
of them l am convinced, struck Rocker.
II have wondered more than once why
l have not been called to go before the
court of inquiry and tell what / know.