Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-25
bonner DESCRIBES
CAPTURE OF BOLDLY
Philadelphia Detective Tells OF
Arrest in Lodging House
at New York Trial
ARMS EXPERT TESTIFIES

| op'tfut DfSputtN 70 E.teHtNU PHONC is'"b''
New York, Jan. %. - How Luther
Boldly, the Negro slayer of Detectives
Francis,J Buckley and William A. Nil
ler' was captured in n lodging house III
Philadelphia, was told today TO the jury
at the trial of Boldly before Justice
| the Supreme Court. This dramatic
story. told by Policeman Charles Il.
Bonner, of Philadelphia, who made the
actual capture, and .the exhibition OF
the bullet pierced clothing of Detective
! Buckley, marked the taking of testi-
mony.
Boldly is being tried OH the indict.
ment charging him. with the murGer. oi
detective Buckley. At the conclusion
of the present trial be will he tried FOL
the murder Of Detective Miller.
Just after Bonner had taken the stand
the defendant. through his counsel. told
one Of the newspaper men that It was
not Magistrate Amos Scott, the Phila-
delphia Negro police justice. hut Police
man Bonner who took him into custody
Bonner Tells of Capture
Bonner testified that on December
20, the day the slayer was arrested,
he was ordered to go to the office OF
Magistrate Scott. With Scott. two
other Negroes and one white man. he
went to the three story tenement at
2O3O Rodman street. They had learned
that Boldly was asleep in room on the
second floor. Bonner led the way.
Near the second floor landing he saw
the barrel of revolver pointing Out =
ward from partly open door This
door opened up into II room on thG
right of the hall. lie went into
room on the opposite side.
He saw Boldly through the pdrtly
opened door of this room sitting on the
edge of the bed. Before the Negro wa.
aware of his presence. Bonner had
Boldly covered. Boldly looked up. amazed
at the sight of the revolver, and made
no attempt to resist
well. | am the man, Bonner tcsti-
fed Boldly said.
The captive asked permission to put
on his shoes. This was denied. He
was led from the house l., his stocking
feet. lie had no hat and was clad only
III an outer shirt. undCrshirt and trOus-
CrS. lin was hustled into n patro
wagon which was waiting outside the
/ house and taken to tho station house.
WOman's Clothing Found
! Underneath the bed in Boddy's room
Bonner said, he found thG woman,
clothing in which the prisoner had cS-
/ capped. This was shown to Bonner by
the States attorney and he identified
| il. piece by piece. While the police.
man was identifying the clothing. Boddy
| turned around and smiled at his wife
Bonner testified that later at head.
quarters in the City Hall. Philadelphia
Boldly confessed
On cross examination Bonner ad.
mitted that he grabbed the pistol, which
was pointed out of the door of tn,
room opposite that in which he fount
Boldly.
He learned later, he said. that T
man named Hopkins had attempted {,
scare him off. The witness denied thaI
he wanted to get Boldly to the polio,
station. and to take all credit for til,
arrest.
Il am a police officer and not a gal.
lery player. Bonner answered whcr
! asked if he did not seek to make us,
| OF the fact that he had arrested Bodd,
to gain promotion. lie admitted. how.
ever. that he had been promoted since
the arrest.
Captain SOuder Testifies
Police Captain Alfred !. Souder. il
charge of the Philadelphia detectives
identified 4 statement alleged To hav,
been mad" and signed by Boldly confess
ing the double murder. He identified
one of the signatures as that of Bodd,
and another as his own.
After considerable opposition on tn,
part of counsel for thc defense Boldly .,
alleged confession was read TO the .ur,
by District Attorney Banton and az.
,,l 4 4
went back on the stand after the moor
recess.
In this alleged confession Boldly tell
OF the incidents leading up to the shoot
ing. II" says his tcmufr ilarcd up whrr
the two detectives were taking him I,
t4lc station house to question him re.
ELrdins tho Rhodes shooting. and that
he dr'w his revolver and began firing
/ The thoughts of the manhandling which
! he Savs. he knew hc would have re.
Crivcd had he gone to the station hous,
50 unnervcd him that he lost his head
lie had bean grillCd on previous 0C"a
SiOnS.
/ Sender, on cross examination. tcsti'
| fed that after his arrest on January .
no effort was made to force Boldly tC
say anything he did not want to say
Every statement in the alleged con.
fossion he gave voluntarily. SOudel
said.
Henry NJ. Butts. expert on firearms
for the police department, with the ait
of tn" bullet pierced OvercOat worn by
the detective on the night of the murder
showed that Buckley was in the act o.
drawing his revolver from holster
when he was shot down. This wa'
after Boldly had fired upon Detective
William \. Miller. for whose murder
he IS to be tried at the conclusion o
the present trial.
. Butts told the jurors that the position
Of the powder marks not only on th
OvcrCoat, but also on the inside coat
proved that Buckley had difficulty il
getting his pistol out of the holster
The weapon, he said apparently haC
become caught in the folds of the insid,
coat and exploded, for there was th
mark Of one bullet which Boldly haC
not fired.
TaXiCab Chauffeur Sworn
Adam &. Adubato, the chauffeur VIII,
drove the laXCab which carried Tn,
young Negro in his wild flight across
New Jersey, was placed upon the stan,
when the trial was resumed today, III
pointed out the defendant aS the man
dressed in wOman'S clothes, whom IN
had driven across the State only bc
cause Boldly had threatened to xiii him
On cross examination by Morris Knr
mig. chief counsel for the slayer. he dc
MED that he was reluctant to testify I,
anything that might help Boddy's de
fcnsS. because he had been threatened b.
the Newark police.
The witness denied that he had bee,
warned by the Newark police to d
: everything possible to injurc the dc
tendant. lie admitted that he had
hrOther ON the NeMnrk nnLicn fnrnn 49,.