Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1914-07-01
PLANK ADMITS THAT
HE STRUCK ELDRIDGE
BRUTAL METHODS OF u, S
MARSHALS ARE UN-
COVERED.
JUDGE ADVISES" himself
Evidence Plainly Showed Plank S
Guilt but Conner Wouldn't
Give Decision.

Tive OtClSlOu
Charlie Eldrdrr. charged with - .
sistirp federal Officers u tn, dis
charge of then duty. was tried yvstcr-
uav I'm Commissioner Ben Cuuuurs .
oni.c on the second floor 81 tho Fus
National Bank building. hut "a decision
VAS postpon,d tmtl TINS afternoon at
. o.,luc, The trial started promptly .
al . 10 o'clock and lasted until A.Yt .
O'Clock The evidence was uNrrWhclm- .
inLy m favor of Eldudpe Five wit ,
r,ssCs testified as to how the accident /
occurred i'm Eldridgr's room az the 81 /
RcpIs hotel on North Nam street. on
NAV 20 at which time I'd Plank. a
deputy United States marshal. as
slLlted EIdudpc with loaded "hlly,'
lnu, king him Unconscious e. the floor.
For tins act. he was sentenced tu so
Gavs an iail when tried u "a Wstir,
court
strong Evidence.
The evidence Iu the case was such
that Judge Conner would have h,,.
warranted u dismissing the d,fru-
cant mmcdatcll II was proven ur.
NuHd "a question: of "A duul that Plank
assaulted EldrIdsc without any provo
cation whatever. whllc he was stopped
over ms truul, raising tho TIM To show
him that there was no WMskcy n a.
Mrs. RYAN. pruprirtrcss Of the hotcl
testified mat sh, went to the door on
the room when Plank roughly pushed
Eldrdpc In and told Eldrdgc' who
did not want to let Plank search has
trunk without "a search warrant. that
he was an off.,cr and for him to opci
the trunk for nIm. She sad he did SO
while she stood in the door. srt.irl
the tray ON one side Of the trunk.
telling HIM To hclp himself. At than
time she said she turned away from
the door ana started back to the Of
fee, when She heard blow struck
She ran back and saw EldrIdgc lyiut
on the floor, with Plank standing b,
him She sand Flank offered no cx-
pianation whatever of how his victim
camo to be lying there. but quietly
walked out of the room.
Plank Was UNEASY,
IlanES own testimony NariC,
greatly at tins hearing from his tcsti-
mou} IN the case IN which ne himself
was tried for assault and convicted
lie displayed much nervousness on
the stand while being Cruss-cXaminco
bv Eldrldge's attorney, getting badly
naked up several times.
Davidson Mas Mixed.
II was plain to be seen that the Of
fccrs were trying every possible
means to get evidence before the Judge
that should not have been permitted.
Holmes Davidson. another deputy
United States marshal. testified thar
he Was IN the room before Mr. Carna-
han, a hoarder who witnessed a par,
Of the affair. arrived but this wa.
offset by others, who said that David
son was among the last ones to get
to the room. Another weak chain
that they attached much effort to gc,
in presenting Their case was the fact
that Eldrdge may have possibly
struck the iron bed as he fcll, causing
large knot or lump on his left Jaw.
Plank testified positively that he
struck Eldridgc on the right side Of
the head and that he did II with "A re
Iulvcr and not with a lead billy" II
was proven beyond the question Of a
doubt that he had the billy" in hi-
band as he was passing through the
haU on his WAY to IN, roam and thar