South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-04-02
JINX SPOILED
THIS MAN SLIFE
George Ward Lost Two Wives
and Five Horses in Fires and
He is ExOnerated From
Charges of Murder.

WILLOW SPRINGS. No, April
2.-"There may have been a crime
committed, ard George ward may
have committed II, but the evidence
produced at this hearing does not
justify his being bound over for trial
at the circuit court" With those
words Justice r. +. Holloway Of this
city dismissed the case of Ward, who
was charged with the murder Of his
wife, and Ward was released from
tsil after being held three weeks
George Ward is "A native Of Howell
county. For more than 40 years his
family has lived here, honored and
respected. All are good citizens. and
up 10 a few days ago no attempt was
ever made 70 cast a stigma on the
Ward name. But George Ward prob
ably was born under an unlucky star.
Three years ago he lost his resi-
dence in this county by fire. He start
ed To rebuild, and two months later
the partly finished house was burned.
lie sold out and went TO Kansas,
where he married. Six weeks after
his marriage his wife was cleaning
clothes with benzine. 1t ignited and
exploded. Mrs. Ward was burned so
severely that she died in a few hours,
and the house and contents were
partly destroyed. That occurred in
August, 1913, in Wichita.
Evil Spirit Never Left.
George Ward soon returned TO Will
low Springs. Here in January, 1914,
he married Mrs. Agnes Myers, whose
first husband was killed in an accident
a year before. Ward and his wife
seemed TO live happily together, but the
spirit OF evil again STEPPED in. Last
November the Ward residence, owned
by Mrs. Ward, in this city, was burn
ed, together with its contents. on
this fire he received $500 insurance.
He says he never carried insurance
on any of the other houses that were
burned. In December the Wards
moved 10 a farm they had bought
eight miles east OF this city. Early
in the morning OF March 10 the res
idence on this farm was burned TO
the ground. and the charred body of
Mrs. Ward was found in the ruins of
the house.
A coroner's jury convened at the
little Simm valley schoOlhouse in the
neighborhOOd and returned a verdict
holding Ward guilty Of murder and
arson. Ward was arrested by Con-
stable Livingston and placed in Jail.
The next day he was arraigned before
Justice Fleming and he waived pre-
liminary hearing. The justice held
him over the circuit court without
bond. He was committed to jail In
Dyott and NJ. +. Morrow. asked that
he be given another chance for a pre-
liminary hearing. alleging that when
he waived that privilege he was with
out counsel and did not understand
the nature of the proceeding. Judge
Evans OF the circuit court refused to
grant the preliminary hearing with
out the consent of the prosecuting at
tOrney, ]. l.. BeSs, but allowed Ward
to give bond, $1,000. Bess agreed
TO reopen the preliminary hearing
and the court Cancelled the bond.
All Based on Suspicious.
At the preliminary nothing except
suspicious" developed The dead
woman had only recently taken out
a $1,000 life insurance policy in favor
Of her husband. Ward said he was
IN the pasture looking for his horses
when the house burned, before day
light. The body Of Mrs. Ward was
destroyed almost completely. The
teeth were not in her charred jaws
and a hole was in the top of her
skull. All those facts aroused suspic-
ons. People remembered that Ward
had lost four other houses and his
first wife in other fires. and people
talked The sentiment in the i'm
mediate neighborhoOd was against
him. But nobody knew anything for
IactS-all was guess work. Nothing
Mas proved, so Ward was discharged.
His friends believe in his innocence
md stand firmly by him.