The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-04-30
JURY
.ACQU|TS old.
MEMBER ON
GOSSIP COUNT
MethOdists Decide Mrs. Con-
kle Did Not Accuse George
Ellis of Robbing 'Old Man
Wicks."

In the first church trial held in Rich
mond in many years. Mrs. Charles II.
Conkle, 215 Linden avenue, a men,
ber Of the Third NJ. E. church, West
Richmond, for quarter of a century,
was. early this morning, acquitted of
charge of malicious SANDER" pre-
ferred by George Ellis, 1117 North
same church, by jury of seven Meth
odists drafted from the various Meth
odist churches of this city. Convic-
ton would have meant expulsion from
church membership or censure
Following the rendering of the jurys
verdict, Mrs. Conkle her husband,
who has been a trustee of the church
for the past nine years, and the two
children, withdrew their memberships
in the church.
The trial was conducted at the
Third NJ. K. church and members of
the congregation and the general pub
lie were barred from the hearing. An
unsuccessful effort was made by the
pastor, the Rev. Sylvester Billheimer,
who presided as judge, to bar Prose
cutting Attorney Will Keller from be-
ing present at the hearing as one of
the counsel for Mrs. Conkle. on the
ground that he was not a Methodist.
Call Parker In.
The Rev. B. L. Parker. pastor of the
First NJ. E. church, who had been
summoned to the hearing to act as
secretary, was drafted as an attorney
for the defendant, but as he was un-
familiar with the case and because
the trial prosecutor, the Rev Will
liams, of Pendleton, Ind, informed the
court quite heatedly that it would be
unjust not to permit Mr.. Keller TO
represent Mrs. Conkle, the Rev. Bill
heimer finally consented to Reller's
participation in the hearing, provid-
ed he did all his questioning through
the Rev. Mr.. Parker.
The charge preferred against Mrs.
Conkle by Ellis was that she had &C
cused him verbally and by publica-
tion of having assaulted old man
Wicks." The Wicks referred to is B.
Wicks, an old man who conducts
grocery on North West Second street,
and who was assaulted and robbed in
his store late in the afternoon of De-
cember 30 last year.
Wake Wicks Up.
Mrs. Conkle when placed on the
witness stand, denied she had ever
made such an allegation, and her tes-
timony was supported by Wicks him
self, who was routed out of bed about
10 o'clock to testify, and by Mrs. L.
B. Martin and a Mrs. Hart. Wicks
said he had himself expressed the
opinion that Ellis knew something
about the case and he said that he
had never heard Mrs. Conkle made the
direct charge that Ellis was the man
who had committed the assault.
Mrs Conkle said she had merely
repeated neighborhood gossip to the
effect that Mr.. Wicks believed Ellis
had some connection with the case.
The other women testified that such
was the nature of the gossip which
had been circulated.
Ii was explained to the jury that a
half hour before Mr.. Wicks was as
saulted and his store robbed Ellis ap-
peared in the grocery, saying that
he had lost his purse and had last
seen il in the store; that when he
failed to find it he appeared angry.
This fact was the basis for MIR. Wicks
expressing his opinion that Ellis had
some connection with the robbery and
assault.
Feud Causes Trouble.
1t is generally believed that the
"churching'' of Mrs. Conkle indirectly
resulted from church factional feud.
The court was called to order early
in the evening with William Scull. Dr.
ID. w. Stevenson, John Deitz, William
Mount, L. H. Bunyon, Mr.. Jackson and
Mr. Philabaum as a jury. There Were
several witnesses for both sides, in
Guiding a police officer, but the wran-
gle over whether Prosecutor Keller
should appear as attorney for Mrs.
Conkle lasted so long that most of
them, including Mr.. Wicks, went
home.
The Rev Billheimer. as judge. when
the court was organized. ruled that
Mr.. Keller could not attend the hea:-
ing and that he and all spectators
must leave the church. The specta-
tors did. but Keller took a seat with
the witnesses. When he was again
ordered to leave he explained that he
was a witness. The judge then order
ed all witnesses to leave. The Rev b.
f. Parker objected to serving as at
torney for Mrs. Conkle because he
knew nothing about the case and
finally the Rev. Williams, as prosecu-
tor. protested that il was unfair to
he defendant not to permit her To
have the services of Mr.. Keller. The
Judge then permitted Keller to return.
providing Keller would do all his ques-
tioning with the Rev. Parker as
"mouthpiece." Keller finally forgot to
observe this order. whereupon the
Rev. Billheimer bemoaned the fact
! - he 40 permitted him to partici-
pate in the case.
1t was / O'Clock this morning before
the jury returned with the verdict,
charges not sustained.