Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-15
BOWMAN FOUND GUILTY
OF STABB|NC STRANGER
Gets Tyyo.Yenr Sentence in Hustjnps
Court for Voluntary Man.
slaughter.
BODY WAS NEVER IDENTIFIED
Eyewitness Tells OF Seeing Defendant
Strike Man in Chest and His
Throwing Object Into Canal, Prob
ably Knife.

Joseph Bowman. thirty years old. a
painter residing at 9l9 IL Beverly
street. was convicted in tho Hastings
Court, yesterday. on the charge OF
stabbing to death nm unidentified white
man. on November H. 1914. the jury
liking his punishment at two years in
tho penitentiary. He was found guilty
OF voluntary manslauRhter
In several respects the case was tho
mos peculiar In local police annals.
The identity Of the victim. whose BODY
was found In front OF the house at
GIT South First street, was never estab-
lished. Friends OF Bowman told tho
police OF seeing him strike the stranger
biow IN tho chest after a trivial quar-
rel. and OF his throwing into the canal
some object-presumably II knife.
HICKS GIVES DETAILS
OF FATAL ENCOUNTER
Arthur Hicks. principal witness for
tho Commonwealth. told of seeing
bowman strike the stranger In tho
chest. but said that he did not sec a
knife In his hand. Bowman, he said
was intoxicated. When he started to
take him home. said Hicks. Bowman
asked him mot TO say anything about
IT," AS they passed the canal. he said.
bowman threw something into tho
water IL was his belief. he told the
jury, that this object was the knife
with which the stabbing was done.
1t appeared from testimony that
Bowman. Hicks. Edward Butler. Nor
man Johnson and the stranger had been
drinking together n short while prior
to the stnbbing. Bowman acting az
host Hicks could recall no trouble
between the stranger ana Bowman be-
FORE the encounter. After Bowman
mad struck the man, the latter stag
gered along the street. Hicks sa'I
that he believed at that time that tho
man was only drunk, and for that rea-
son paid no further attention to him.
occupying himself with the task OF
assisting bowman to his home
IT WAS not until more than half m
hour later. said Hicks. that he heard
or the finding of the body. The man
had staggered block or moro from
tho point OF the encounter and had
fallen on the sidewalk dead. Ills body
was discovered by Miss Blanche But
drunken man had fallen down in the
street When the patrol wagon ar
rived the crime was discovered
BOWMAN on STAND
IN HIS OWN nEHAIF
Bowman. testifylnG in his own be-
half, told the jury that he had no rec
objection of striking tho stranger, al
though he recalled dimly being with
him earlier in the afternoon There
was no evidence of malice and the jury.
took this circumstance into considcra-
ton in fixing the punishment Man
slaughter Is punishable by confinement
in the pcnitcntiary from ono 10 fva
years. The jury after remaining out
(" Jew minutes fixed Bowman's punish
HIcnt at two years.
Although tho widest possible pub
hcity was given the affair at the tinlo
OF the killing, the stranger was never
Identified. Detectives who made n care
iui examination expressed the belief
that he was Il rowing chnracter-prob-
ably tramp. This much was deduced
from mis- clothes and personal appear
aEce. Nothing WAS found on him that
offered a clue to his identity.