South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-06-17
MADICK ACCUSERS
FAIL To MAKE OUT
CASE At HEARING
PatroIman'S Own Witness,
However, Tells of Knife Dis
play, Made My Dan Medic,
the Deceased.

That Dan. Medic, who died at Ep-
worth hospital, June s, was divested
of a butcher knife by Mrs Fred I.
Maddox. assisted by her husband, Pa
trolman Fred Madick, at the latters
home, 5O4 s. Scott St, but snort
time previous TO Medic being taken
TO the hospital, was testified TO Dy
Mike Maddox not a relative but
boarder at the home OF PatrOlman
Maddox. at the investigation OF the
case made by the board of safety on
Tuesday afternoon. 1t is about all
there is left 10 subStantiate the
charges upon which the investigation
was brought Witnesses, upon whose
stories Chief of Detectives Kuespert
filed his charges, failed to prove very
substantial, and but for this witness,
called by the accused. the butcher
knife would never have been heard
of. and the case would seemingly
have gone fiat as a pancake.
Admission was obtained from Cor
oner Swantz. supporting the testi-
mony of Police Surgeon Myers, that
| at the postmortem examination that
/ they held a bad conclusion on the
/ back of the head was found, in addi-
| ism and sunstroke. There was. how
| ever, no fracture OF the skull IL was
asserted that the bruiSe was insuffic-
| lent to have caused death, but might
| or might not have aided the other
| causes.
No Quarrel or Fight.
Due allowances made for failure Of
| the younger Maddox TO understand
| City Atty. Seebirt, and of the specta-
/ tors to understand the younger Ma
! dick, may be sufficient to account for
! the butcher knife, but there appears
| to have been one in the case some
| where, though no one else appeared
| to know anything about it. 1t was
denied that there was any quarrel be-
| tween the patrolman and the other
| Medic. or that there was any fight,
even the witnesses that were respons-
IDLE for the charges, admitted when
| penned down by Atty. s. ]. Crum-
packer. who represented the accused
official that they had neither heard
nor seen anything Of the kind.
Patrolman Maddox took the stand
in his own behalf, and his story is
that on Saturday preceding June 8,
Medic came to his home with pre-
scription which he wanted read to
! him. 1t was to the effect that he was
! suffering from measles and should
| stay in his home, taking certain medi-
cines. The man went away and re-
turned Monday, while the patrolman
was asleep, shortly before noon.
Mike Maddox came to my room"
the patrOlman testified, and told me
a man was in the house and that
! there was something wrong with him.
! When / got up, Dan stood in the
door, his eyes rolling and his tongue
hanging out. I said to him: Dan.
you are Ill, L had better call a doc
tor He said. No. will co. and he
started to leave. L watched him
leave the back door and go toward
the pump, and then I crossed the
road 10 telephone and called for an
ambulance. L did not see him when
he fell down. When l came back
| from telephOning, julius Van Over
waelle was there and we put water
on his chest and arms to revive him.
With the aid of John Perczylo we
carried Dan from the back to the
front yard. where he was picked up
by the ambulance"
No Demands For Money.
There was no quarreling." the
patrolman said. "I had known Dan
since he was a baby, and we had al
ways been friends" He denies ever
owing Medic a cent.
| Mike MadicS's rather jumbled ac-
count Of the affair. however. is to the
effect that sometime between the
time when the patrOlman got up and
the time that Medic got out of the
back door. the latter got hold of a
butcher knife and Mrs. Maddox took
1t away from him While her husband
/ held his arm. Stories Of other wit
nesses to the effect that someone ac-
companied Medic to the rear door of
the house and then let him fall was
| construed by City Atty Seebirt in his
argument, as at least semi-corrobora-
tive of the butcher knife episode
Patrolman Rambo testified in be-
half of Maddox that he had met Dan
Medic on the street Saturday morning
about 10 o'clock and that he was suf-
fering from measles. He says he told
street. Sergt. Barnhart gave the time
| the call for the ambulance was re-
ceived. Everything went TO show
| that within ten minutes after Dan
Medic fell down in Patrolman Ma
| dicks back yard he was on his way
TO the hospital. He died there short
~ after his arrival.
Case Under Amusement.
! The hearing was held in the council
chambers at the city hall and there
was considerable turnout of specta-
I tors. All three members Of the board
were on the bench. Pres. Augustine
started the ball rolling by explaining
that the purpose Of the probe was to
/ determine whether or not Patrolman
Fred C. Maddox had acted In a man
ner unbecoming an officer, in the mat
! ter OF the illness and death of Dan
/ Medic. We merely want TO get at
/ the facts" he declared. land are just
as much concerned Of clearing him
OF the charge, IL IL can be done with
/ justice TO the department, as we are
| in finding him guilty" The matter