The New York herald., 1922-06-08
WARDS TALE STANDS
WITH GRAND JURY'S
NQURYNEAR AMEND
White Plains Investigators
Still Seek Nature of
Blackmail Plot.
HAVEN'T INKLING YET
Reticence May Be Only
Cause of Indicting
Slayer Of Peters.
WARD, sR., rs NOT CALLED
Judge Intimates Danger of
kidnapping if Cunningham
Is Released.
WARD, sR., rs NOT CALLED

Although the Grand Jury at White
Plains has considered the Ward case
for only one day it seems to have al
most finished it's investigation. It may
end the job to-day; If not. it Is likely
to adjourn to next Tuesday
Obviously the jurors are bent on
covering every inch Of ground. The
trouble is that there is little ground
to cover Having formally verified
the fact of Clarence Peters's death and
of Wards acknowledgment that he
shot Peters in self-defense, the jury's
task is to hear witnesses who might
help to establish the truth or falsity
Of Wards story.
The only reputed witnesses of the
shooting are those two expert van
ishers-Charley Ross and his brother
in blackmail, Jack. In the Ward story
they fired at Ward from their red
Stutz after Peters fell on the morn
ing of May Is. They then disappeared
in the direction of Chappaqua and
from the ken OF man.
Tests Put on Wards story.
With Charley and Jack lost to view.
District Attorney Weeks, in advising
the Grand Jury. seeks first to test the
probability OF manner in which Peters
was shot and the circumstances. This
heN is doing by summoning the persons
who found the body and who examined
the place along the State highway near
Kensico Lake. where 1t was found.
His next plan is to check up Wards
movements on the night of the killing
and see il they were as represented by
Ward. This he has done by calling
Mrs. Ward and the household servants,
and they have sworn that Ward did go
out In his car on that night and tina.
he did not get home until about 4:3C
o'clock in the morning. This testimony,
given on Tuesday. agrees with wha.
Ward has said
Unless the District Attorney has other
witnesses UP his sleeve about whom he
has said nothing. the testimony is un-
contradicted. So far as known. the Dis
trict Attorney does not have the name
of any other person who saw Ward on
the nlgnt IN question.
Next, the Grand Jury would give a
good deal to know the nature of the
blackmailing which, says Ward. drew
$4,000 from him. and which was of SC
serious kind that he was willing to
drive through the dark countryside al
l;fe's lowest hour to see II he could no,
persuade the blackmailers to hold of
for while their final demand for $751;
has received no inkling as to the reason
for the extortion. Those who know the
reason are just as determined as they
were on the first day that it shall never
be known.
1t seems now that II Ward is indicted
1. will be principally because of his re.
fusal to tell his secret 1t is said rnof-
ficially in White Plains that SONS oi
the Grand Jurors hold that they cannon
be satisfied he fired in self-defensei un.
less they know exactly why Ward and
Peters were together.
It Is also believed that Ward would
stand indictment and trial rather thar
relinquish the secret. and that he feels
sure such an indictment would be dis
missed on the ground that q prims
facie case had not been established
or that after hearing the evidence a
Judge would feel compelled to direct
an acquittal
Although the Ward lawyers have added
nothing to their statement of May %
II is assumed by some observers that
they believe the presumption of inno-
cence, to which every defendant is en-
titled. reinforced by the fact of Wards
voluntary surrender when the authori.
ties had no idea that he was involved
will be too strong to be offset by any
evidence the State may produce.
Grand Jury Resumes To-day.
The Grand Jury did not meet yester.
day. but will resume its work at 10
o'clock this morning. II was rumored
that Mrs. Ward, whose testimony on
Tuesday was full Of "I do not knows
and IT can't remembers" would be
recalled to-day District Attorney
Weeks declined to state his intention
either as to Mrs. Ward or Jim Cunning.
ham. the material witness now in the
White Plains jail.
Cunningham. who processes to have
second hand knowledge that Ward sho'
one Bill or Joe Jackson as we'll a.
Clarence Peters, has told so many diff
ferent stories that the authorities ap.
parently do not know quite what to dc
with him. His counsel, Maurice J. Nc.
Carthy, had him in court on habea'
corpus writ yesterday and asked Justic,
Seeger to release him outright. or fail
ing that. to reduce his bail. which Il
now 5000. The Justice asked the law
yer TO reduce his argument to a writ.
ten brief and submit II to-day.
Cunningham says he can help find
Charley Rogers and Jackson IL he 4:
free. That the District Attorney doubts
this Is suggested by the fact that he II
trying to keep him in jail until the value
of what Cunningham has already told
can be determined.
:, II is supposed that one of to-day'i
witnesses will be Lieut.. Eugene Roberts
of the State police. stationed at Troor
KS barracks near Gedney Farms
Roberts went to the spot where Peters's
body was found on May 16 and made q
careful examination. He has said righi