The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-03-10
He Sticks Steadily to Story He
Was Assaulted at Hagers-
town. But the Prosecutor
Doubts Tale.
THINKS MAN INJURED
By RAILROAD TRAIN
Greensboro People. However,
Point to the Fact That the
Mans Hurts and Clothes
Point to an Assault.

An investigation by Prosecuting At
torney Charles Ladd and Sheriff Lin
us Meredith. to determine the cause
of the injuries sustained by George
Beck. transient. giving his resi-
dence as Cleveland, Ohio. who claim
ed that a murderous assault was made
on him Monday night at Hagerstown.
has convinced the two officials that
Beck was struck by q train while
asleep.
Yesterday afternoon Beck was re-
moved from Greensboro to Richmond
and his injuries cared for at Reid
Memorial hospital. Ii is believed that
he will recover as his condition is
much improved. He still denies that
he was injured in a railroad accident,
maintaining that two young men as
saulted him at the HagerstOwn de.
pot.
No Conclusive Evidence.
The entire absence OF motive. either
robbery or revenge. and the serious
ness OF the mans injury to his shoul-
der. are important points on which
the authorities refuse to accept Beck's
story. The man had no money and,
as he came into Hagerstown after
, dusk. went to the depot and loitered
| around that place without talking to
| anyone. removes the probability that
| any one could have had a motive for
assaulting him. His shoulder is SO
| badly dislocated. bruised and mashed
that IL would have been a hard mat.
ter. according to the prosecuting at
torney for any one. even with a heavy
| club. to have delivered blows suffic.
iently hard to have caused such an
| injury.
Prosecuting Attorney Ladd learned
In his personal Investigation that
Beck came into Hagerstown after
dusk and went to the depot There
| were a number of young men loaf.
ing around and Beck went = short
distance from the depot and sat ON
the track. This fact excited comment
among the young men and they may
have been talking loud enough for
Beck to understand what was said.
When the young men left the depot.
Beck was still seated on the track.
II is believed by Mr. I.add. that Beck.
hungry and tired. as Beck admitted
he was. went to sleep and was struck
by passing train. Beck got up. and.
although very badly injured, in some
manner managed to struggle on to
Greensboro. According to the prose-
cutting attorney Beck probably did not
realize he had been asleep and. after
being injured suspicioned the young
men for his injuries, because he had
heard them talking about him.
Gave No Descriptions.
Beck could give no descriptions OF
the young men in the party, whom he
claimed had attacked him. He could
not even state whether they wore
caps or hats. white collars or soft
shirts. or the color OF their clothes:
in fact nothing which would be ma,
terfal in the location Of the young
men. II Beck's story should be true.
4 On the other hand. residents Of
Greensboro believe that Beck's story
Is true. DR.. keinzle said that his
clothing was not soiled or broken. as
1t is reasonable to believe would be
the case. IL injured in a railroad acci-
dent. The man did not have any
gravel scratches on his body as he
would probably have had. had he been
struck by train. He was not a
drinking man and he gave the i'm
J preston OF being a fairly well edu-
Gated workman. Beck is a native OF
Germany, but has been naturalized.
His last place Of employment was at
the Atkins Saw works, Indianapolis.
No word has been received from the
kilograms sent to the Cleveland po-
lice and his son. whom Beck said liv-
ed in Cleveland.