The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-09-22
GUILTY SOLDIERS
FINED $40 EACH
Informs Accused When Troops
Commit q Felony OF Bre&ch al
Peace They Are Not Immune
From Arrest-Warrant
for Captain Stack.

<SaCe 4Hey are MOI immune
From Arrest--Warrant
for Captain Stack.
r I c II MO- Nd, V A.-speciaI--
Detective Sergeant John Whey
thts afternoon swOrc cut y U4x~
rant for the arrest OF Captain ~.
A. Stack, OF Company u. Walkcr
Light Guards, kfrSs ReEfnlenk
charging him with fnicrfeFlfs1
with Sergeant Wiley and Poke
men Thurman and DuKy In the
discharge of their duty.
On the night OF the cscapade
OF the quartette OF mfliffR1n&n
convicted OF disorder and fined In
the Police Court this morning.
captain Stack Is alleged 60 have
followed the officers after they
had left the arnory, and after he
Iad stopped theIns told them that
N they pushed the matter ne
(Stack) would report them fcx
eaIing pies at the a b. Q. Bakery.
FOR which they did not pay.
Earlier i'm the evening. ur,on
Policeman Thurman's stating q
Captain Stack and Lieutenane
kindervater that unless he (Thur-
MANI did his duty, he would DO
repr1manded and fined by the
BOARD of Police Commissioners.
hlnderVater told the officer that
II he was fined he would pay the
Olk1CcF nnc.
Captain Stack Is altered IN hav~
added:
And If you are fined shan
prefer charges against Major
Werner for neglect of duty"
captain Stack alleges that the
HrinS was going on within earshof
of the Chief of Police. but tfsaf
the latter ignored it.
Whatever view a court-martEaz
may take Of the acts of the local in
tantryman who DISCHARGED their rieou
on trolley car while returning from
the Labor Day celebration Monday
justice Crutchfield this morning as
serted his jurisdiction in no uncertain
way by timing each Of the offenders
$40 and costs. =.
-Four privates-all members of fF.
local battalion of the First RepimeDf
were penalized for this reprehensi-
ole lark, which at the time caused
great alarm on Broad Street
The men fined are George CanD-
bell, Frank Scruggs, Elmer Lenhar4
and Harry Meredith. of Company F.
OF these the first three named. when
called upon at a company meeting
TO state whether or not they had feo1-
guilty Of disorder. frankly admitted
their misdemeanor. but the fourth
man. Harry Meredith, intimatef1 that
ne had been wrOngfully accused
However, in Police Court this
II. h
standing his protestations Of Inno-
cence. he. too. was deemed guilty az
a similar indiscretion-
IN passing sentence, Justice Crutch-
field said:
II have been assured by Ma
tor Price that each of YOU will h.
court-martialed, but that does NOT
mitigate the Offense in the eyes
OF this court. nor does it alter the
fact that a city and State stat -
ute have been violated.
1t matters not whether mill
ttianlan il I'm full uniform march
ing up the street, with fun brass
band leading the procession and
the cOmmandant I'm charxe-if he
commits a felony or a breach OF
the peace he * not immune from
arrest. The civil authorities arc
supreme.
II have no desire TO be hard
on any of you. especially in view
OF the fact that you are 90 he
cOurt-martialed. I, therefore Inn
pose the minimum ffs.e-
Law on the Subject
Justice Crutchheld. previous to
passing sentence, called attention To
section IS. OF the Constitution OF Viz
ginia. which follows:
Militia the proper defense OF n y
free state; standing armies should
De avoided: military should be
subordinate TO civil power
That welI-reguIafed militia
composed OF the body of the peo-
pie, trained TO arms. il the proper
natural and safe defense of n frec
state; that standing armies. in
time OF peace. should be avoided
"a dangerous to liberty, and tisaf
IN all cases the military should
DC under strict SubOrdina ton In
and governed by civil power.
among those who were Interested
spectators AT the hearing were Mayor
d. {. Richardson, Police Commission
er Douglas Gordon and Chief or PO-
lice Louis Werner.
contrary 10 expectations 90. sor
Frlce. Lieutenant Kindervater. rs.i.rr,.-
S t'.--.S SsdCA ana stone. who have been
oI ouSnt into the limelight as a re-
suit OF the escapade of the Infantry
men. were not in court.
me accused made no fight buf
Pleading guilty to the charge. ae-
cepted the inevitable
Three witnesses were introducad
BlcNcle Policeman c. w ThuryS,-Y,
I ollceman John Duffy and neterfive =
q ohh w hey. Practically nothing nor
,;lIeauy known was brought out Po-
tI N,S.iLH thurman stated that his an
lehuon was attracted by several shots
on West Broad Street AS near as ho
could judge, they were first heard ar
emerson and Broad Streets. They
We're repeated again at Adams Streef
ana again at Foushee.
At First and Broad Streets aoofha~
shot was fired, at which time the ON
Ger boarded the car. Policeman Thur
man mas said that he saw Meredith
fire his rifle
When approached by the officer
meredith Is alleged to have said-
Why don't YOU arrest some of the
one" Oi4iS
The officer then told of following
ne soldiers TO the armory. where the
trouble with others of the militia was
thinking that their comrade had
oeen arrested. others OF The Infantry
ire alleged to have said:
Let us take him away from the
police"
When asked by Justice Crurchfeld
WY they did not place Meredith ,un-
Ter arrest. Sergeant Wiley said:
To have done so would have nra-
'lpltated fight. l am confdepf fhst
'e would have had a tussle on orr
IA IS had we insisted"
Threats from Soldiers.
Sergeant Wiley told OF q threa9
pom the part of the militia that if
leredlth was placed under arrest Ma