The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-03-04
|. W. W. CONFESSES
TO SHOOTING
One Man Testifes He Fired Four
Shots Into Armistice Day
Parade

Montesano, Wn., March Ebert
Bland, one of the ten alleged ]. W. ".
CT trial here for the murder OF War
rem o. Grimm, Centrailia armistice
day parade victim, testified while on
the stand today that he fred from four
to eight shots into the ranks OF the
marching American Legion men. He
testified that Ole Hanson, another de-
feadant who is at large, and Loren
Roberts, defendant for whom a plea
Of insanity has been entered, also fred
into the marchers.
The three men were stationed on
| Seminary Hill. about 1900 feet from
Tower Avenue, down witch the parade
passed, Bland testified.
He was the fifth of six OF the de-
PENDANTS who took the stand and told
their story to the Jury today. Elmer
Smith, defendant. and an attorney Of
C~entralia. was on the stand when
court adjourned. He will finish to-
morrow and Ray Becker, ninth OF the
ten men being tried, will take the
stand, according to defense counsel.
Loren Roberts will not be placed on
the stand, George +. vanderveer, de-
Tense counsel. said today.
Bert Bland, after testifying to at
tending various meetings In the !. w.
w. hall previous to the day of the
shooting. told OF the events OF the day
OF the parade. He was in the hall
ON Tuesday, November IL, he testified.
He, Ole Hanson and Loren Roberts
discussed plans to defend the hall
against a alleged contemplated raid,
he said. Bland said he figured the
soldiers would be armed when they
raided the hall.
I'VE decided to go to the Queen
rooming house." he said. I'VE went to
Wesley Everett's room. He told US
we could use 1t, / did not tell him what
we wanted to go there for but I guess
ed he knew. We looked out the win
dow, but did not like the situation.
We came to the conclusion that the
soldiers could easily surround the
building, SO we decided we did rot
want to face that kind OF a situation.
"Then we decided to go to Semi
nary hill. We had discussed the nf"
before"
Bland then told of leaving the QuecA
Roberts, according to his testimony.
going down town for something, he
and Hanson going directly to the hill.
They waited about fifteen minutes be-
fore Roberts reached the hill, Bland
said, then waited about As minutes for
the parade to come up the street. Ask
cd TO descibed when he then saw and
did, Bland said:
IL saw a man on horseback at ths
corner pointing on the way to Tow
er Avenue and Second Street and
heard a command. I couldn't hear
what it was. but I saw the men break
ranks and rush toward the hall. Then
! plainly heard glass fall-then shots"
What them asked vanderfeer.
Then we commenced shooting" re-
piled Bland. Il shot between four
and eight shots. After the shooting
we went east over the hill about a mile
or a mile and a half. We waited un-
III around midnight and then sneaked
out, evading the squad Of soldiers that
had surrounded us. We went north.
after hitting the railroad, Roberts leav
ing us, he following the tracks. 1t
was a logging road. ! went direct
north again"
DR.. Frank ]. Bickford, about whose
Testimony there has been much con-
lecture, gave virtually the Same test
imony, he gave when a witness at the
coroner's inquest at Cenarila several
days after the shooting. Although DIR.
gickford, who marched in the first
platoon, Just ahead OF which marched
Grimm, ran back to the hall when he
sew other men running toward 1t,
none Of those in the first platoon NOV
cd in that direction, he testified. This
according to state counsel, goes fur
Their TO prove that Grimm committed
Irc cuart arf