Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-01-23
Aimed Four Shots at Per-
son in Car, He Declares
on Stand.
a DEFENDANTS TESTIFY
Ramey Miller Says He
Recognized Hatfield at
Wheel of Auto.
Developments Monday
in Hatfield Hearing
TOWnsCnd ON cross examination all

Townsend on cross examination ad-
units firing at car.
officer Miller says he recognized
Vernon Hatfield in machine before
shooting began.
Ben Bowdry tcstifics that Hatfield
was in his employ at time of killing.
Also that IL was his car which Hatfield
was driving when he was shot.
Ed Grassland, employed to assis.
the prosecution. asks court to order
county attorney 10 present signed
statements of officers made few
hours after the shooting. Ills action
proyokc> tilt with county attorney ami
Judge Standcycn holds that the prose
cutor need not present evidence until
h. secs tit.
Clash between Grassland and \. Y.
BiddisoiI, attorney for defense. Biddi-
son asks Crossland If he is represent
ing the bootlcggcrs and the assistant
prosecutor answers: ~ am no more Of
n bootIcsgcr than YOU are" Attorneys
called TO order by judge.
County Attorney Reeves denies cur.
rent reports that he is lukcwarm in
prosecuting case against Officers. De-
cIarcs he will push prosecution a.
vigorously as he would any other
oiiminai proceeding.
II. H. Townsend. one of the four
policemen charged with the murder of
Vernon Hatfield, admitted on the wit
ness stand yesterday that he shot to
strike the person in the car which was
eluding them. Townsend said he
fired SIX shots ut the fleeing automo-
bile, I'm which Vernon Hatfield was
riding, as it sped west on Third street
from SNAKE" Morris joint. The first
two shots. he said. were aimed at the
tires, in an attempt to bring the car
to a halt. Failing in this, Townsend
said he fired four shots. aiming
higher, -,
you intend to hit the driver of the
car" asked County Attorney Reeves.
Hesitating for a moment, but look
ing the prosecutor straight in the eye,
Townsend replied:
Il think | did"
Caused Sensation.
1t was the most sensational develop
ment of the many sensations that fls-
ured in the preliminary, resumed at
1880 o'clock yesterday afternoon.
Townsend, who led the squad that
fired upon the automobile in which
2O-year-old Vernon Hatfield was nd
Ing one week ago last Friday night
had been on the witness stand earlier
in the afternoon, but was recalled. On
cross examination he was asked by
Reeves about the shots he had fired.
1t was during this part of his testl ,
mony that Townsend acknowledged
that his object in firing the last shots
Mt the car was TO hit the driver.
waited for Car.
on his previous examination Town
send told of the incidents that re-
suited in the death of young Hat
field He said that he had seen the
car, which he suspected of hauling
booze, drive up to the place near
where the officers were hiding on
West Third street. Two officers had
. been stationed in front of the restau-
rant, one was inside and Townsend
and Carl Lewis was in the rear or the
building. Townsend said he could see
the car plainly as it approached from
the east on Third street. He started
across "A vacant lot toward the point
where the machine had stopped. In
his haste to get there. Townsend said
he fell in "a ditch on the lot where
an excavation was being made.
Didn't See First Fire.
As he fell Townsend said he heard
Officer Carl Lewis shout, stop thai
car" and shortly afterward Officer
Miller hoiler Halt" This was fol-
lowed by two shots fired in close sue
cession, he said. Townsend testified
that he did not know who fired thes'
shots, as he was at that time en-
gagged in eXtricating himself from th'
ditch.
Upon reaching the sidewalk, Town
send said, the automobile was about
of
driver was guiding the machine
with his left hand and hi!
right arm was over the back of th'
seat. While in this position, Town
send asserted, he saw the driver fir'
two shots from gun In his righ
hand. In the meantime the other of
ficers who were in the street hat
bile. Townsend said that he joined
the fusillade, firing the first two shot
at the tires and four at the body o
the car.
Townsend said that as he reached
the sidewalk he thot he recognized
the driver of the car as Ben Bowdry
but was not certain. He could Sc
that there was another person in tn
car. he said, but did not form al
opinion as to who 1t was
All four of the accused officer
were put on the witness stand by tn
defense yesterday. This caused con
siderable surprise in the courtroom
as it was not generally supposed tina
they would testify at the preliminary
Miller Recognized Hatfield.
Ramey Miller, one of the officeri
testified that he was standing In fron
of the building when the car droV
up to the curb and stopped. He recog
nized the driver as Vernon Hatfield
nc said, and believed that young Hat
field recognized him. There was an
other persons in tho car, he said, bt
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