The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-07-09
rounty Attorney MeManus Dismisses
information Against Armstrong
and Grand Jury May
Take up Case.
NO PRELIMINARY HELD
Attorney For PyIes and Bailey, Other
Two Under Arrest, Threatens
Habeus Corpus Pro-
eeedlnos.

After brief session in Justice
rdendecker's court this afternoon, the
xtate dismissed its case against Con-
vay Armstrong, charged with robbery.
through lack OF evidence. The grand
,ury can take up the case later on il
4 decision to do so Is made. Attorney
Frank NJ. Ballinger, representing the
three negroes, stated that he intend
ed to start habeas corpus proceedings
within the next few days to get Bailey
ard Pyles released on the grounds
that the confession secured from
& these two men by the police was Sc
+ cured by extortion.
william Bailey was sworn at the
opening of the session this afternoon
and placed on the stand. County At
4 torney McManus asked him to tell
about the robbery. Mr.. Ballinger OBJ
1ected on the grounds that such tes-
timony would incriminate the witness
and was sustained by the court. Nc
Manus then asked Bailey II he was
willing to testify. This question also
was objected to by Ballinger, but the
objection was overruled and Bailey
answered no.
Mr.. McManus then produced the
confession said to be signed by Bailey,
showed It to the witness and asked
him II the appended signature was
his own. Ballinger objected again,
saying that to answer the question
might incriminate the witness. There
was some argument between the two
attorneys as to whether or not the
witness should answer the question
which finally ended, when Attorney
McManus withdrew the question.
Mr.. McA1anus then asked the court
d for \ recess Of ten minutes and this
was granted. AT the end OF the re-
cess Mr.. McManus asked the court to
dismiss the case and this was done.
Il is now possible for the grand jury
to take up the case. After the case
had been dismissed Attorney Ballin>
ger stated that he intended to insti.
gate habeas corpus proceedings at
once in the case OF the other two
men, Bailey and Pyles. who at pres
ent are incarcerated in the county
prison. The grounds for the proceed
ings will be that the alleged confess
sion secured by the police was secured
by extortion.
The preliminary hearing Of Conway
Armstrong charged with robbery,
commenced today in the court OF john
Leindecker, justice OF the peace. The
hearing came to sudden termination
this morning over whether BENJAMIN
Pyles, the youngest member OF the
trio alleged to have been implicated
In the Inman robbery. should testify
or not. Squire Leindecker then con-
tinued the case until 2 o'clock this
afternoon.
Attorney Ballinger for the defense,
declared that Pyles could not testify
for fear of discriminating himself. 1t
Is understood that Pyles is ready
enough to tell his story OF the affair in
which he is said to be implicated.
County Attorney McManus is conduct
ing the prosecution.
Ham Inman, the man who was rob-
bed, declared this morning that he
believed the three men VINO are under
arrest are the three who held him at
the point Of gun. He was consider
ably agitated over the turn Of affairs
this morning.
Both this morning and this after
noon the small court room OF Justice
lLeindecker was crowded to its full
capacity and the windows and door
We're vantage points from which to
see and hear. The case mas attract
60 the attention of a big crowd of
friends Of the three men implicated.