Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-09-09
Gainesville LynGhing Probe
lakes New Turn.
TIN WOMEN FACE JURORS
Youth Accused Of Perjury Follow
ing HIS Testimony Before the
Grand Jury Investigate
ing Outrage.

West Chester. Pa, Sept. Parker
Foos, seventeen years old. one Of the
witnesses summoned before the grand
jury investigating the lynching of
Zack Walker, in Coatesville. oE Aug.
49, was arrested son after he had
given his testimony The warrant
charged him with perjury.
Foos Is teststamper In the Worth
mill He was arrested by Andrew
Wright. special policeman of the
Philadelphia & Reading railway.
He was admitted TO bail before JUS
tice of the Peace Paxscn. The SUM
was fixed at $500 Tie specific charge
on the perjury warrant is swearing
falsely before the grand jury"
Richard ID. Gibboney, a member of
the Coatesville council, was summon
ined for short space of time only.
Leon Lipldn, David Wright and w. l..
w. Jones were other witnesses called.
Foos had been called before the
grand jury Oliver Crompton, colored,
employed in the same mill as Foos.
was called into the jury room. and
while he was there Foos was again
summoned. The boy was sent outside
and recalled no less than three times.
Finally the district attorney came
out into the corridor and beckoning TO
Foos asked him his full name Parker
Foos" was the answer Gawthrop then
called Wright and despatched him to
vfssg,s. ,fes IN
While Foos sat in the corridor await
ing the officers return he was visibly
worried.
II don't know whether they have
gotten a warrant for me or not" he
said They told me inside that | had
told Crompton how the lynching oc.
Cured. and Crompton also said had.
l did tell Crompton about it, but 1t
was simply what somebody else had
told me. | got to the scene OF the
lynching after Walker was dead.
Il didn't tell Crompton that some
body had told me first, however, and
the grand jury evidently thought was
lying when | explained the circum-
stances"
Additional witnesses were called be-
fore the grand jury. among them be-
ing four women-the superintendent
of the Coatesville hospital, nurse. a
cook at the hospital and a telephone
operator.
The summoning of Miss Bessie Eby,
Of Parkesburg, the telephone operator,
carries out the belief that the inquiry
is drawing closer around Chief of Po-
lice Umstead. 1t is understood that
Miss Eby was on duty at the Coates
vile exchange upon the night Of the
lynching, and that she overheard
conversation between somebody at the
hospital and Umstead, asking for po-
lice protection from the mob, which at
that time surrounded the building.
For some time there have been
vague rumors that telephone oper-
ator had overheard a conversation of
this sort, but 1t could not be placed as
more than rumor. The arrival of
Miss Eby would tend to establish the
report as a fact. In no other way could
telephone operator on duty when
Walker was burned to death be &C
quainted with any facts of value to the
probers.
Miss Ely, with Miss Townsend. the
superintendent of the hospital; Miss
McMenamin. nurse. and Mrs. Sheri-
dan. at that time a cook in the hos
pital employ. arrived from Coatesville
on a trolley car and at once went to
the court house. where they awaited
the board of inquiry
Whether Miss Townsend, tb I first
witness. could give the grand ~ any
names of those in the moi As not
known, but her examination ,nsumed
fully half hour
Following Miss Townsend came
Miss McMenamin. She Is one of the
nurses who had charge of the ward in
which the self-wounded colored man
Uas Dlaaad after his arrest