Evening journal., 1911-07-03
BLACK FILES
LIBEL SUIT
Former Judge Ball Enters AC-
tiOn Following Publication
on Cooper Affidavit
SAYS $1,000 WAS PAID
TO SETTLE SOME SUITS

Following publication yesterday of
an article bearing on an affidavit in
the Roberts murder case made by
William Henry Cooper in the offices
of Chief of Police George Black, J.
Frank Ball today filed in Superior
Court in behalf of Chief Black an ac-
ton for civil libel against the Sunday
Star. AT the same time Mr.. Ball gave
out a statement relative to the afii-
davit.
The statement also contains an in
teresting sidelight on the settlement
Of some suit brought by Chief Black
recently. The statement is.
my attention has been called to
the article which appeared in the Star
of yesterday, Sunday July 2 in rela-
] ton to the Reese Roberts. case. It
seems to me that some people are so
anxious to injure Chief of Police
George Black that they would resort
to any measure TO do this In fact
from the article above mentioned,
would be even satisfied TO see Rob
erts, whom / thoroughly believe to be
an innocent man, put to death in or
der TO satisfy their spleen or hatred
of Chief Black. Chagrined and dis
appointed at the splendid vindication
which Chief Black obtained at the
trial of the charges presented against
him before the Police Commissioners,
they are still doing everything in
their power to injure his usefulness
as the Chief of our Police Depart
ment. The true matter in relation to
the Cooper affidavit it is as follow:
Il was at my home and had just
sat down to dinner when I was call
ed over the phone that / was i'm
mediately wanted at the City Hall. I
asked the party calling me, who at
that time was a stranger to me. If it
was necessary and important that
should come at once / was informed
that there was a person there who
desired to give me important evidence
in the Reese Roberts case. l then
said I will come at once When
reached the Hall one of the officers
told me there were two men upstairs
waiting to see me. went upstairs
and saw Cooper and Bigger recog-
nized Cooper as the motorman who
had testified in the Reese Roberts
: trial. / asked them If they had sent
f1T me and Cooper said that horha6
lndl AAt lflu UrNn NElI UIuNl WOLIIrI
on account of the evidence he had
given against Roberts at his trial and
wanted to make a statement to me
so as to relieve his mind. / asked
him to sit down and tell me all he
had to say. He then freely and fully
and without any suggestions from
anyone made the affidavit in which
he said that when he swore at the
trial that he had seen Reese Roberts
get on his car at Eighth and Market
streets about o'clocq on the night
OF the murder and ride to point near
the Casey residence he was mistak-
e en-; that in his opinion it was not
h REESE Roberts who got on his car that
= night. He also stated that he had
o bden handed an envelope containing
+ SIS. by Mr.. Danzenbaker and when
: he asked what that was for, he was
u told to say nothing about, thai il
T, : was from Mr.. McCombs He further
repeated the other conversation he
4 had with Mr.. Danzenbaker at this
y time
. "Chief of Police Black was not in tn
room when I first got to the Hall AM
at no time while Cooper was making
= his statement which I wrote down a
. he gave it to me was Chief of Polio
? Black in the room with us. I did no
see Chief Of Police Black that nigh
until after the statement had beel
made and sworn to before Squire Bro
. man. In going out of the office afte
the statement was made. / saw Chic
Black, and my recollection is / sal
q nothing to him in relation 10 the af
! fidavit that had been made by Cooper
III l never had a talk with Chief Blac
before the Cooper affidavit was mad
in relation to Cooper's testimony, an
I so far as / know the Chief knew moth
4 ing at all about this matter It is
matter of fact, however, that COope
= sometime prior TO making this state
4 ment had stated to others that he wa
1 very much worried on account of tn
evidence he had given in the Robert
trial. and. If necessary this evidenc
!, can be produced.
Cooper, it is true at the hearin
before the Board of Pardons, state
he had no knowledge of having mad
any such affidavit as he was drunk q
the time. This is not true as he wa
not drunk but knew absolutely wha
[. he was talking about and his affidavl
J. shows this as / wrote il down as
dictated it, and when / read II over [
"A him he made a correction in the sam
if which the affidavit shows. The test
IA mony Of Squire Broman, a man who's
~ truthfulness in this community is nc
u and could not be doubted by ANYONE
states that Cooper was not drunk an
IN stated to him that he knew the cor
q tents Of the paper which he signed.
- "In addition Mr. McComb and M
- Danzenbaker were present before th
- Board of PardOns and heard Cooper
to llnuaele leeu oe-ol~ ,-le -,o--lo u u = a.
-oI eSs ~,