New-York tribune., 1920-04-29
Toy Soldiers
Used to Enact
Totten Murder
Model of Fort Barracks Pro-
vides Scale of Drama in
Which Life of Camp
Veteran Is the Stake
Identified by Victi m
Private Tells How Sergeant
Was Beaten to Death
As He Slept Upon Cot

Toy lead soldiers served as marion
cites, tiny cots as properties" and a
scale model of the barracks at Fort
Totten. Whitestone, Long Island, as
the stage in q grim drama enacted
yesterday in the Federal court in
Brooklyn.
In this game with toy soldiers the
life of a veteran who served in the
four maj engagements of the United
States army in the war against Ger
many is at stake. He is Private George
Barry, a mechanic. of Battery L,
44th Coast Artillery, charged with the
murder of Mess Sergeant Frank H.
King, also a world war veteran.
Kings skull was crushed with a
bludgeon as he lay sleeping in his
army cot in the barracks at Fort Tot
ten on the night Of March 20, 1919.
Lead Figures Used
As the various witnesses testified
yesterday the prosecutor. Leroy Ross,
moved leaden figures about the floor
of the model Of the barracks. One
wall and section of the roof are
missing from the model to facilitate
these operations.
For the benefit of Judge Garvin, the
twelve jurors and counsel all of the
figures, except one, was named. That
one represented the murderer. During
the testimony yesterday of Private
Norman L. Hall this figure was identl-
fled by him as that of the defendant,
Barry.
On the night of the murder Hall,
twenty-five and native Of California,
was sleeping in his cot nearest the
door and a few PAGES distant from
that of Sergeant King. Hall testified
he went to bed about 8 o'clock and
was awakened by noise that suggest
ed a mass of wet paper falling to the
floor.
BY the light that streamed through
a window of the barracks from an arc
lamp outside (this also is reproduced
in miniature at the triaD Hall said
he saw bulky figure leaning over the
cot Of Sergeant King.
,, 81 saw this man hitting Sergeant
King on tho head" Hall testified. II
shouted: Hey, hey, cut that out!'
"The man turned, came to the foo,
OF Kings cot, looked over at me and
then went back to the head of tine SER
gcants cot He rubbed his hand over
Kings chest, stopped down, got up,
and then went out of the barracks.
Hall Identifies Barry
81 woke Sergeant Armstrong, who
was sleeping in the cot next to King.
Lighting a match, we discovered Ser
geant King covered with blood"
"Who was this man leaning owe,
Sergeant King?" asked Prosecutor
Ross, figuring the toy soldier that had
been placed beside the miniature cot
that represented the bed of the mur
dered soldier.
Hall. pNN
How was he dressed 2" asked Ross.
he wore an overseas cap, garrison
shoes and leggins.' answered Hall. "1
recognized his form"
on cross-examnation Private Hall
admlttcd that he testified before the
MI iltary board of inquiry that invcsti-
gated the crime that he did not recop-
nlzc the murderer because it was dark
He also admitted there was another
soldier in tho barracks at the time Of
inc murder who was quite as big y,
Barry. 90
Private Charles Blakcslee, now sta
toned at Fort Wadsworth, Staten ISL
and, testified that he saw Barry leave
the barracks Immediately after the
murder. He said he made no outcrv
against Barry because he did not then
realize that King had been killed He
sald he kept silent in obedience to tho
code OF soldiers which demands +hov
shield one another. '"~'