Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-08-26
Five Held as Witnesses of
COatesyilIe lynChing.
STATE POLICE IN PROBE
District Attorney Declares the Pris-
oners Were Close to Colored
Man When He Wss Hurled
Into the Fire.

Coatesville, Pa, Aug. 19.-Fiye men
were held by District Attorney Robert
Gawthrop as witnesses in connection
with the lynching OF Zach Walker
The five men are:
Richard Tucker, assistant manager
of an insurance company and a sub
stitute policeman.
William A. Gilbert. a Philadelphia
Il Reading railway engineer.
Chester Bostwick, nineteen years OF
age, employed at Worth Brothers
steel plant
Dale Hadley, driver of an ice cream
wagon.
Cap" e. c. Perry, parachute
jumper, who gave exhibitions during
the recent harvest home celebration
Although all of these men have been
held under $1,000 bail as witnesses
against the men arrested in connection
with the lynching, District Attorney
Gawthrop said that some of them
might be charged later with having
been implicated in instigating the
crime He said that all five of the
witnesses were within a few feet of
the colored man when he was thrown
upon the fire and burned alive.
Hadley, according to the district at
torney, was SO near the fire that he
said he might have been burned by the
flames. Hadley said he went right up
rope as a souvenir This rope was in
evidence.
Perry was near the mob throughout
the trip from the hospital, and the Of
ficials say Bostick was in the hallway
when the colored man was taken from
the bed and placed on the foot piece
of the iron bedstead
Tucker who is a member of the
Brandywine Fire company, and
brother-in-law of Stanley Howe. the
policeman who was on guard over the
colored man when he was taken from
the hospital, testified that he was in
the hospital before the prisoner was
taken out, but that he went there to
see that Howe was not foully dealt
with.
Protected Policeman.
During the course of the investigation
Tucker was asked If he did not place
his hand over Howe's mouth, but he
declared that he did not. Later he
was asked II he did not put his arm
around Howe's shoulder and hold him.
He denied holding Howe, but said that
he might have put his arm on his
- h. hA
man was in danger of being assaulted
by the mob. He said he was still in
the hospital when Chief of Police I'm
sted arrived and took Howe aside to
question him. The chief took Howe
away from the building and asked him
to remain over night with the nurses,
as they were badly frightened.
Much excitement was caused when
Chief of Police Umsted was called be-
fore the Investigators, but later he
left the police headquarters. where
the investigation is being held, without
guard. Mr.. Gawthrop said that he had
questioned the chief as to what he
had seen when he went to the hos
pital as the mob was leaving with
Walker
Troopers In Probe.
Captain Wilhelm, of the state con-
stabulary, did a great deal of the
questioning and his men took an &C
tive part in the investigation. His
activity in connection with the work
of examining witnesses indicated very
clearly that the state is taking an &C
tive part in the investigation. District
Attorney Gawthrop admitted that the
state officials have taken part in the
investigation.
The other two arrested are George
Schofield and Norman Price, both of
whom are said TO have been among
the first members of the mob TO enter
the hospital This leaves a sixteen
year-old boy. George Stahl, as the
leader of the mob, and the district al
torney admits that to make him the
principal in so big a crime would be
absurd II is for that reason that he
declared the investigation is nowhere
near an end