The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-07
THREE SOLDIERS
ADMIT SHOOTING
WHILE ON CARS
Will Appear in Police
Court, but Get Mill
tary Trial.
OFFICIALS ARE
FULLY AGREED
Both Civil and Military Author,
tiles Will Exercise Jurisdic-
ton - Private Meredith
Denies Guilt-Court-
Martial Will Be Re-
quested at Once.

No conflict between the cYyr 49,
military authorities of Richmond will
result from the misconduct of certain
prlVates OF Company Il, First Virginia
infantry, In discharging their rifles
Whlle on street car, returning from
the sham battle on Monday evening.
The offenders will be tried by court
martial which has powers exceeding
that of the Police Court, and the po-
lice, on their part, will have the pleas
ure OF seeing the soldiers arraigned
before their Police Justice, although
not tried there.
This action Is the outcome of con-
ference held between Major Price, of
the First Battalion. First Regiment
and the Mayor. Commonwea1th's At
torney and Chief of Police. of Rich-
mond. Confessions of guilt were se-
cured last night from Privates Frank
Lenhart. of f Company, and they will
appear in Police Court this morning,
to be at once turned over to the mill
tary authorities for trial.
Private Harry Meredith, whom the
police originally tried to arrest, and
who was by them summoned to court
to-day, strenuously denied his guilt.
Police Did Not Arrest.
There was good deal of interest
turbance referred to. and over the at
titude of the military authorities. Of
i1cers who We're at the armory ut the
time when the policemen attempted 10
arrest the man who was suspected OF
being one of the parties to the Of
fense, demurred to the desire of the
civil authorities to take charge of n
soldier on military duty, and this re-
suited in the withdrawal of the police
from the scene.
Chief of Police Louis Werner, learn
ing of the details Of the occurrence.
addressed letter yesterday morning
to Mayor Richardson, acquainting him
with the circumstances. and saying
that the action OF the military officers
would. in his Judgment, tend to cause
friction between the police and the mi
litia on future occasions. This letter
was forwarded by the Mayor to Major
L. T. Price, commander of the First
battalion. First Regiment, without ma
terIal comments.
Agreement Is Made.
During the afternoon conference
was held between Major Price. Com
rnonwealth's Attorney Folkes, Mayor
Richardson and Major Werner. There
was some difference of opinion about
the right of the civil authorities TO
take cosnizance of the matter, but Mr..
that they had the right and that 1t
was their duty to act.
Thereupon an agreement was enter
ed into Major Price promised to use
every effort TO ascertain the Identity OF
the men who fired the shots. and to
bring them into Police Court this
morning, to answer the charge. TIE
officials representing the city agreed
on their part to recommend to the Po- Z
| - Vt,n stcnv nvar
turned over to the military authorities
for trial. Major Price signified his In
tention to request a general court
martial to be held at once.
| A meeting of Company was ac-
cordinrly held at the armory last
| night, 1t being the regular weekly
drill night. Captain j. H. Stone tald
the whole matter before the company
asking the guilty ones, on their nonoF yn.',
| as soldiers, to make a conf essloh, IL I-ll.
| Yates Scruggs Campbell and Lenhart
| thereupon admitted that they had tired
| shots While on the car. Private Mere <
| dith, whom the policemen mad AZ,
4 tempted to arrest on the previous JeNsIi.
| ing stoutly denied his quit, saylhs
that he was pqatee, Nil, 1u. also % appear apr in
1. Police Court. having been summoned
Sale Took Hand.
| on learning yesterday morning of
| the occurrence, Adjutant- General w.
| W. sale wrote to Major Price, asking
for a full statement. OF the whole AZ
fair The reply viii be be forWafaed nsIs aad
through regular military lialat ehanaais, cen ana
| eral about the same time with tpe
| request for general court marital;
/ The papers will so first to Colonel
| Perry, at Staunton, then to Generai
| Vaughan at Franklin before hnaliy
\ reaching the AdJutant-General
The seriousness OF the whole at
| fair is fully recognized by the officers
| or the First Regiment, who much re-,
gret that anything Of the ksnu s,ac sto and
Lieutenant underwater deny that they
| acted In a discourteous manner toward g
| the police officers, but after lnVlting
| them into headanarters at the aflnory,
merely told them that as they under
stood military regulations, the soldie
could not be taken into custody for
anything less than a felony II the OF
rense We're committed While he was on
military duty.
thing done by the officers under hiH.
He said last night that he would prob
ably have had greater claSn Wlsa
the police than took place nag ne
that if Il policeman comes With re-
quest TO be given custody OF q man
! ne will get him, hut that II ne comes
and takes his prisoner wathouS.s watho. PEI
mission, thus Weakening discipline IN
Ethe militia, he is not go Likely TO get
correspondeuce In Caae.
! The letters between chlef werner
Mayor Richardson and Major i'f1ce tos o'sS s5
'M' September 8, 1910,
Hon u. c. Rtchartfsop, Mayor, City;
Dear slr deem ID, i my na.s,,s; Sn,y dt e cal, call
tain n,ernbers OF one or more of the
companies OF the First Virginia ReRt-