Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-01-24
4 SOLDIERS
COURT MARTIAL
FOR CLASH WITH
CITY POLICEMEN
Crowd Sees Encounter at Railway
StatiOn-P Pistols Drawn by Off,
GERS in Melee.

All Americus was talking today
about clash that occurred at the Cen
trail of Georgia passenger station at
train time yesterday afternoon be-
tween officers McGehee and Lee. the
city's two plain clothes police officers,
and H. G. Hobson, a military police
man, and three other soldiers from
Souther Field. The trouble, which oc-
Cured in the presence of a large
crowd of citizens, arose over game
of crack-a-loo, or pitching money at
crack in which the soldiers were en-
gagged, and to which the city police
men objected. The four soldiers, in
cluding the military policeman, were
placed under arrest and brought to
police headquarters, following fistic
clash between officer McGehee and
Soldier Policeman Hobson, in which
the two city policemen drew their pis-
tolls, although they did not use them.
When the soldiers reached police
headquarters Lieut-Col Dickman, the
camp commanding officer, who was az
the Windsor hotel nearby, was sum-
moned and heard the story of the af-
fair. He then asked the police
whether they desired to make cases
-, ~ooordor'~ oo,,y+ apoi i,1C+ tho cold
iers or turn them over to the camp
authorities. He was informed that the
police department preferred to have
the men dealt with by the military au-
thorities, whereupon Col Dickman in
formed the men that they were under
military arrest and ordered them to
proceed to the camp and report at the
guard house.
Today it was stated at Souther Field
that the men would be courtmartialed
probably within a day or two. 1t was
not regarded as likely that they would
get more than guardhouse sentences.
Details of the encounter differ some
what. Friends of the soldiers say
they were not at fault, although it
is admitted that they were throwing
coins at a crack, as charged by the po-
lice officers. Some who claim to have
seen the trouble declared that Hob
son did not curse Officer McGehee, as
he charged. One version Of the en-
counter was that Hobson grabbed Of
icer McGehee by the foot, threw him
down, and then kicked him.
Friends of the soldiers at the camp
today prepared statement giving IL
soldiers side of the affair, to which
they were obtaining signatures of per
sons who saw the encounter, to pre-
sent as evidence at the courtmartial.
The police officers were also preparing
statements which had been asked by
the military authorities for use at the
trial
Officers McGehee and Lee were to-
gether today when asked by The
Times Recorder for their version of
the trouble.
I'VE were down at the Central of
Georgia station about 2 O'Clock yes
terday afternoon when we saw four
soldiers, one of them a member OF
the military police, playing crack-a-
loo" said officer McGehee. Il called
the M. p to one side and told him
that they were violating the state
gambling law, and suggested thai he
tell the men to stop He refused and
went on back to the soldiers. We
walked up and told them they would
have to stop. They paid no attention,
so we took charge of the three other
men in the game.
Where are these men going?' the
NJ P. asked me.
You'll have to ask the adjutant
general I told him.
with that he let out an oath and
called me a -- - -.
made lunge at him, aiming one hand
at his hand that held his club and the
other at his throat. Just as sprang
my foot touched a place where wa