davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27

meet them at a certain spot on the
road between Port Chester and White
Plains. beyond the Kensico reservoir
with $4,000 to hand over to them in
cash.
Ward drove to the appointed place in
his Peerless coup.. He was alone. He
says his intention was to ''temporize'
with the men and put them off with
whatever excuse they would accept for
the non payment of SO large q sum OF
money at that time.
1t was almost 1 o'clock on Tuesday
morning when they met. Peters, known
to him as Pete" was in d red Stutz
roadster with Charley Ross and Jack.
The last named man was driving.
Peters jumped out of the Stutz and
ran over to the left side of the Peer
less stepping or the running board and
putting n pistol against Wards left
side
"Now, you drive where we tell you
to. Go right ahead" Peters COM
manded,
Ward went ahead. and Ross and Jack
followed him. They proceeded in this
fashion for about three miles, driving
through White Plains. At a lonely
fork in the road Peters ordered Ward
10 stop. IHlS n' u'N. linen the StutX
passed him and pulled across the road
about twenty feet ahead of him.
The fact that Ward Is left handed
had IN important bearing on what fol.
lowed. Except for this fact he probably
would not have been able to use the
strategy with which he says he bested
Peters. Ward also is crack shot, and
as chairman of the New Rochelle Police
Commission has permit to carry II
pistol.
When the two cars stopped Peters.
still covering Ward with his pistol.
Jumped from the tool box on the left
running board, on which he had been
riding, and ran around to the right side
of the car. Meanwhile Ward saws he
slipped his left hand down BY his side,
opened the flap Of a pocket on the inside
Of the left hand door and took out his
pistol.
TWo Men Fled When
Ward Shot Pstsvs
Peters opened tue right hand door
and started In after Ward. Sprin9ing
70 meet the iplsu6sS, Ward sSlsed
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27

Peters by the right wrist. His pistol
hand caught in this way, Peters fired q
shot, but it went wild. 1t bored through
the left side window Of the coupe,
Ward declares.
Ward being left handed, Peters did
not know his opponent was armed.
Graphing with Peters. Ward caught
him Off his guard and fired q single shot
which caught him in the chest. ana
spun him around 50 that he fell off the
running board face downward on the
road. The bullet took downward
rourS" and came out of his back eight
inches below the place it had struck.
Jumping from his car. Ward says he
ran toward the two men in the Stutz
ahead of him. The Stutz had TOP
up. and Ross and Jack remained behind
it rs an nmbusrade. Six or eight shots
were fired before the driver of the Srutz
started his machine and sped away
toward White Plains, leaving Peters
dying or dead beside the road. Ward
was not hit. He says he thinks he hit
Ross.
Paying no attention to the wounded
man, Ward entered his ear, turned it
around and drove home. Between that
Tuesday and Saturday he notified his
attorneys OF what had happened. The
loMs'TS HOtlncu SuerlH trnCr the
following Saturday that Ward had
made n statement to them and would
surrender himself on Monday. Werner
agreed to this arrangement and waited
for Ward to present himself.
After. Ward made complete state-
ment of the facts of the shooting to
the Sheriff he was taken before Dis
trict Attorney +. T.. Weeks, TO whom
he repeated his story. The District
Attorney agreed to his release in SO,
900 bail and Justice Seegcr ordered
such disposition to be made.
When the bail bond was fixed Ward
drew Il fat roll of bills from his pocker
and posted $4,000 with the clerk of
the court.
ANT Ward walked out, free man
and apparently cleared of suspicion
until the weak points in his story led
to his recent e.arrest.
Where Are the Missinp
Shslla yess AHtomaticl S
y wi not pntil ten days aftsr
,wasqs N 9s1sst that The shssi9 -.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27

NIHY did Walter 8. Ward, million
w nire. shoot and kill Clarence
Peters. human derelict, a drifter, IN
undesirable" from Wards viewpoint? /?
What was the hold that the shiftless
ex.marine had upon the respected and
wealthy leader OF New Rochelle's best
set-a hold that led to Wards paying
Of $500 in blackmail and his will.
ingness to pay $4,000 more and that
finally eliminated in that mad moment
in which he tried to win the safety of
silence by Staying his fellow man?
What did Peters "have on" this
millionaire? And where are the two
accomplices-if, indeed, they actually
exist?
The authorities Of White Plains,
New York. are apparently no nearer
solution Of this mosr startling of mur-
der mysteries today than they were
when, on May 16. the body Of the then
unidentified man was found beside the
road at lonely spot near the Kensico
Reservoir.
There was nothing then to tell who
the slain man was. That, in itself and
in the light Of later developments, is
significant. Men do not ordinarily 20
round the world without something
about their clothes to give a clue as to
their identity. There is a letter or
something in a pocket or some little
token that will give the police a start.
Ing point.
But Peters body had nothing. Were
moved?
The final Identification was a triumph
Tor the system Of finger prints used BY
the Government. The only lead"
tsG authorities had when they examined
the body was the fact that the UNDER
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27

leaves and NOT leaf has been torn away
or marked.
There was n" sign Of struggle in
the gravel edge of tho road and the
tall grass had not been trampelled AZ
all.
Ward was asked al as home in N"N
Rochelle by the newspapcrmon 10 permit
I them TO examine his coupe. In which
he drove with Peters and window
o! which lie said was shattered by Il
bullet. He refused 10 Gp 50.
In the face Of all the public discus
sion OF the case. Ward and his ,Hwl cr>
maintained silence on all these l.nnn
kMerpl uLrStinn
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27
Why Did Not Ward
Fight in White Palms,,

Another question bruugh. - N
conn"gt!on " ~ III" Ho'd-up Ward .ny>
tn" biackma!l"r~ had him. WAS wuy.
with his powerful physique, .r old
not attempt 10 "v"rpowrr Peter. when
'h"y drove thr"u2h IN" cry ui Win ,
iI"!n>. or TT least rry - ATTRACT -ur.r
on" attention, instead Of gong ~.
Tor in.l"S into the country.
her" was u report in White P,yiu,
thar Il wire -raputEg lin. had been u,
work. sheriff Werner said he MEYER
had heard Of It. He SAID Lr did NOT
know thar Ward hud "Y"r gone .o ,
rae" track, and he admitted h. ha0 NO
trace cf Charles Ross amt '.lack, ,"
whom, Ward said. Wrr. Ilr urh, r
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27
.ere Peters, ''PnLS'
Fictitious and In
vented to Make
Tale Plausible !?
And Where Are
Marks of Ward's
Thrilling "Bat-
He'' TN the Dark?
will Stick to Him."
Declares Mrs. Ward

Mrs. Ward says:
II am standing with my husband
In his ordeal.
Il want to do everything I can for
him.
II have the utmost confidence in
him."
Wards attorney was asked: "Was
there q woman in the case?'
"The threats" he replied eva.
sively, "were aimed Ut Mr.. Wards
family"
Ward and his wife have two child.
en-a daughter four years old and
q son q year old.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27

Peters; Richard Short, who's" farm.
Locust Grove. is half IA mile away. and
William Briggs. farm hand employed
by Mr.. Eckhardt, all viewed the body
as it lay alongside the road between the
Eckhardt place and the kens!co Reser'
4 yOir
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27

Then why:
Was shattered glass found nearby and has
no the smashed windows:
Have only two shells from his automatic been
found and 80 signs of such struggle as he
describes:
Did Of th" dozen persons sleeping nearby
hear anything:
Did the plot involve Peters. who arrived in
New York only Two days before he was killed?
Did h" not make some outcry or struggle In
'hc village where help would have come immedi.
ateIy:
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27
J0HNNlE'S DIME HELPS 4
Grateful Younsster Gives Mite q
Samaritan HosoitaI euaA

II the amount Of Johnnie's gift enna1. !.
ed his spirit, Samaritan Hospital Vo0If
not need 10 wage a campaign for 49,
:" build It's needed wing. He =
into hospital headquarters ye0k
and handed TO the attendant q 1S. =, ,7P,
That's for the hospital, ~ q
said ,shyly. My mon N06 ~ z
hospital long tinst w - "A
And nov shs'S tast m NJ ~
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27

Ward Says:
Peters shot went wild and smashed window
Of the auto.
There was pistol battle between the Two men
in the St,itz and himself
Many shots were fred during this battle.
The "blackmailers'' have been bleeding him
for six weeks more.
He drove through White PIains to ioaeIy
spot before the shooting. with Peters in his car.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27

clothes were Of the kind issued by the
Navy and Marine Corps. And SO q
print was made Of the dead mans fin :
gers and this print was sent to Wash
inGton. .
The Navy Department has over hall
a million finger prints on file. Yet
within twenty four hours came the
definite message. 1.-The print is that OF
Clarence Peters, whose home is 10
Grove street. Haverhill. Mass"
Secret Behind killing
Is stu Deep Mystery
Clarence Peters was not the kind of
q man whom one would expect TO be
an associate Of the Walter Wards of
this world.
He was the son Of respected, but
self had been a drifter and had been in
discharged from the service in 1919 for
bad conduct and. before that. had
served q term in a reform school.
Yet, through some mysterious cir
cumstances. he became the possessor
Of knowledge Of the most intimate and
secret details of Wards life. and this
knowledge was so dangerous to Ward
that even the taking of human beings
life was not too great price for the
young millionaire to pay for silence.
Wards story Of the affair. az first
given out. sounded plausible. but a
most perfunctory invest tigation began to
reveal conflicting e!ements--points that
did not stand the test Of scrutiny--and
now the authorities are inclined to think
that it may have been pure invention to
keep them from discovering the real Sc.
cret behind the killing.
And what is this secret? Does Wards
wife know 1t? Does any one except
Ward himself know it?
Ward Told a Plausible
Story of the Tragedy
Ward claimed that Peters and two
other men had been blackmailing him
for six weeks and had obtained $50, 900
from him IN various payments ranging
from $1,000 to $4,000.
The three men, he said, determined
upon the night OF Monday. May Is, as
the time for a cleanup and get
away" They demanded that Ward
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27
Above Is Walter s. Ward, million.
aire slayer Of Clarence Peters, hu.
man drlfter and derelict

Below Il Sheriff Werner holding
the slayer's automatic. On the table
Is the revolver furnished by Ward
as the weapon with which he says
Peters tried to shoot him
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27
Scene OF the Killing
Unmarked by "Fight"

Ward declared that Peters shot
lodged in a tree after smashing the
window OF the car.
At the spot where the body was
found on the edge Of the State high =.
way is large oak tree. fifteen feet IN
the bank and twelve feet from the road
1t has several marks in the bark. hut
none of them has depth Of more than
three eigths Of an inch. They look n,
though they might have been made b,
lineman's spurs, Also the marks mr.,
all inside space fourteen inches in
diameter and the rest of the tree il NOT
marred. II was said that shots from
an automatic fired from where the onto.
mobile was supposed to have stood
would have scattered more. Then rho
tree is so far up on the bank thar -
shots were fired at IT the pistol wouId
have to have been fired up at q con.
siderable angle.
Nearby is a large gray stone with
six marks on II, but they looked Ike
the beginning Of crumblins cracks.
Also on 9 line Of frs from the road
10 the msrks On the tree are seversi
closely srowins seSsb eak with issse
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27
. Nobody Heard Sound
of Wards "Battie'

All three sail they examined the
hod, and there was no bullet hole in
other the coat or vest. bur there was
ono IN the undershirt. which. with the
aesb. was burned. indicating II shot at
! close quarters
Thcre was 40 glass in the road. al
,hnnch Ward had said window in MS
car, had been shattered by bullet.
briggs said his first impression vas
that the body had been carried to tn"
snot. There was no blood on the
grounds and none on Peters outer
clothes.
Mr.. Eckhardts house is 900 yards
h,c, from the road. He said he was
a light sleeper and his windows We"
"nen Ten persons live in or about the
Spuse None heard any shots Short
recalled he heard one car on the high =
way. which is little Travelled late a.
night.
John Moscowitz sleeps in the Eek.
harut garage. only eighty yards from
the road. He heard no shots. An in
yrstigator later fired shot al the Spot
where the body was found, and it echo.
ed all around.
Another point TO be cleared up =
how Peters could have been in New
York blackmailing Ward for six weeks.
or more when. according to all ar-
counts. he was not in that city until
two days before he was killed.
lie left his home in Havcrhill. Mass.
April -. and went 70 Paris Island s.
e.. hoping TO join the Marine Corps.
He had been discharged from the Navy
after being convicted Of larceny and
had been convicted Of an automobile
theft at home,
He went 10 Savannah hoping 10 en-
list there, He was rejected May II ,
according 70 the Government records
and it would have taken him two vnvs
to get New York. H. was the night
of MAY II that he drove to his death
with Ward.
4 dispatcth from Milford y. H..
quoted Chief of Police John Montieth
of that place as saying Peters was
in custody there three weeks ago,
charged with breaking into two stores
ana garage. The charge against
him was not pressed,
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27

y wi not pntll ten days aftsr
was4s n es1eet that The shesiG -. \
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-27
TWo Men Fled When
Ward Shot Pstsrs

Peters opened tue rIsht hand door
and started In after Ward, Spriusinr
70 meet ths isasudsss Ward sslssd
Evening journal., 1922-06-01
THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1922
DEFEAT TIT

A result OF reprehensible deal between pro
"A bonus Republican Senators and pro-bonns Demo
cratic Senator'S Soldier and Sailor Bonus bill
has been approved. in amended form, by the finance
committee Of the United states Senate
The is so bad in principle and would be so
ruinous In practice the Senate should defeat
when It finally before 1t for action. And when #
is being defeated the entire Delaware delegation should
record its in opposition to the big raid on the
United States Treasury for which the bill stands.
The amendments made by the Senate do not take
from the bonus bill the OF selfish electioneerng
which attached to It when 1t passed the House.
sentiment is opposed to the raid That has
shown clearly by primary results in Pennsylvania
Indiana and States. Delaware sentiment is op-
posed to it. That has been shown by expressions Of
sentiment heard in all three counties.
The feeling In Delaware is that any member OF Con-
gress who cannot win a denomination a reelection
without sanctonng such raid the Federal Treasury
better had be out of public life.
Evening journal., 1922-06-01

Street railway securities show
much greater improvement in the
markets than the average. Since last
July, ten OF the common stocks OF
utilities companies controlling such
roads have advanced from an aver
age OF 1e.6 to 81. That is 243 per
cent gained.
These large advances reflect the
restoration 10 the stockholders In
these companies OF profits that for a
time were much shrunken or wholly
missing. They also reflect increased
confidence in the earning power of
the street railways under tho ruling
OF the United States Supreme Court
in relation to New York City's gas
supply. that confiscatory rates for
services rendered by public utilities
companies would not be permitted.
The result Is seen in the operating
returns of $50 companies for 1921,
as issued by the American Railway
Association. These cover more than
half the entire industry in the
country.
The net income OF s22,022,722,
earned in 1921. amounted to per
cent OF the total operating revenue,
whereas. in 1920. It amounted TO
only Is per cent A sl4,0o0,000
increase IN net income, gives greatly
increased purchasing power to the
railways and the results should be
seen both in the direction Of in
creased buying of equipment and in
improvement in electric railway
credit which has been at almost the
Evening journal., 1922-06-01
RErusEs TO p1oKER WITH poIsHEvIsM.

lC,EcRETARY HUGHES not only hits tho nail n,
y strikes at squarey and powerfully the head, bu
II Is his way strike without the slightest nde
cison or an hour Of waiting what
body else may think tho Rochester Post Ex-
press He and the President ordering our re-
ations with Russia upon the theory. solidy based on
lncontestible facts that the Moscow government ia
neither legitimate representative permanent, honor
able, decent Russian in any true sense OF
the word 1t protect life, property, the free
dom labor the nvolabiity OF contracts No deal
ings any kind with it be profitable safe and
we shall relations with It Notwithstanding
our deep sympathy for the terribly mstreated Russian
people Of which given and giving such tan
gble proof. We still stand ready, always have
been. Join with other governments in an inquiry
by experts into the economic situation in Russia
and remedies therefor but shall take part in
adjourned conference The Hague for the reasons
we and gave declining participate at Genoa
OF course the British premier knows quite well as
we DO and doubtless the inherent and in
durable unreaby and vicousness Of the Red regime
He that its communstic principles and policies
its untrustworthiness fasity its crazy theories all
of which have broken down. thievsh greed hunger
for power and callousness TO human sunerings have
wrecked the mighty empire But Lloyd George is in a
position where he feels that he must come to some
terms with the dctators; and having failed TO do
this. anything else of moment at Genoa, he pro-
rogues the foot another attempt
draw the great republic in to help him and other
governments pull their chestnuts of the fire.
The plan Genoa boils down TO attempt to buy
the Red gang in Russia by bribe which is called
open the empire foreign trade The de-
rnanded billion dollars at first, which was later re-
by one-half and proposes TO this money as
zees nt--to maintain its mighty army and It's propa-
gandsts of revolution in other lands. The boshevk
unta snied in derison at the proposition TO take 100
millions be decent; and the negotiations were vir-
tually a impasse when adjournment TO The Hague
was proposed But II any is given to Russia it
will be by nations which owe money-by govern
nents deep In debt In real sense there
tore any cash with which the Lenine is bought up
will out OF us.
Evening journal., 1922-06-01

feeding thousands OF men. women
and children who but for this assist
ance would succumb to their hard
ships In this work as in other re-
speots, the United States has made
a notable record. Europe has passed
through a crucial period and has
had to face the Generalization in
separable from a oon.ict like the
World War. But "a long pull. a
strong pull and pun all together"
would go far toward overcoming ad-
verse conditions. What Europe sore
ly needs Is burial of differences
and a combined effort to get out
OF the hole"
Evening journal., 1922-06-01
SAME PREJuDICE HERE.

rVNHE warning that Lloyd George sounded in his final
IL address to the Genoa conference had special ap-
pcaton to Russian delegates but Of his re-
marks would equally significant II addressed by a
member of to the nations that owe
money.
The first prejudice we have in Western Europe Is
this" said British premier that II you sell goods
to a you expect to get paid for them. The second
is that II you lend money TO man and he promises
to repay you you expect that he will you The
third is this that II you to a who has already
lent you money and say, VIII you lend me moreT he
will say to you DO you propose to repay mo what
gave your and II you say No, 1t is matter Of prn-
ciple with repay, there is the most extra
ordinary prejudice the mind against lending
any more money TO that person."
Some the countries heavily indebted to the United
States have Indicated little inclination TO while at
the time dropping broad hints that they would
like even further credits from this country Americans
have great prejudice against lending money under
such circumstances.
Evening journal., 1922-06-01
THE RUSSIAN BEHEMorH.

TENHE Moscow correspondent OF Paris newspaper in
Il forms that the Russian army is now about
100000 strong. and that corps ee is in process
of formation which will be maintained at the highest
standard OF efficiency The army possesses 1900 600
rifles. 1000 field 500 pieces heavy artillery and
10000 machine guns Thousands Of artillery shells and
millions Of rounds Of rife ammunition being turned
out every month by the Russian factories German
officers found throughout the Russian forces and
regular supply Of airpanes and pilots arriving from
Germany.
Meanwhile the Russians repudiating their debts
and demanding Of the allied governments that they be
granted loan Of billion dollars. The United states
was OF material assistance last in the formation
OF this huge military BY contributing 500 600 ooo
worth OF foodstufs for hungry this country
permitted the soviet officials concentrate their aten
ton on their military projects Far from winning the
thanks Of the sovies the United states is now accused
of hindering the economic growth Of Russia NV e..
policy of non-recognition.
Despite those depressing there are peopls in
United States who believed we should have been r.rrs
sented at Genoa, and who hold that we should now
send representatives meeting at The Haeue o+
it impossible for sane men to reach an
agreement with the Russians at Genoa and will be
equally hopeless expect any other result from, The
Hague, which meeting the soviet delegates will also
be The simple that nothing can be done
Russia until 1t has nilitarlsm put stop
the conhscaton property established basis for
credit otherwise as civilized nation
should. Russia give evidence of those reforms
without the necessity Of any conference in which to
talk over fact that Secretary Hughes clearly set
his refusing send American delegates
to either Genoa or The Hague
Evening journal., 1922-06-01
Street RailrUays
Situation improves
(From Daily Financial America

lowest possible point during the last
five years.
Interurban companies, the returns
show, have suffered more than the
city lines. This Is due TO the de-
crease OF travel in the citizens ef-
forts to economize in living costs. to
the reduction of salesmen on the
roads, and the greater amount of the
fares on the interurban line. There
is also the competition ot the au-
tomobile used moro and more by
salesmen and business men in travel
ing. The interurban lines also are
freight carriers and suffered losses
in this traffic in which the city
street railways are little concerned.
A hopeful sign in the interurban
field too, is the decrease in their OPP
Grating expenses which is relatively
greater than that OF the city com
panies. Interurbans more particu-
larlv than the city lines must look
to the resumption of normal business
activity TO increase their traffic.
Ahead of the street railways now
ia the brighter prospect OF a period
OF falling costs Of labor and mate
rial that should reduce operating ex-
penses and enable them to pay
fair return on the capital invested
in them. It is the time in which
careful and efficient management
should have the opportunity of
which It was long deprived in the
years of expanding costs and starved
revenues.