The New York herald., 1922-01-27

GOADED, B0DDY,
BY POLICE BEATINGS
Slayer of Two Detectives
Tells Tale to Try to Es-
cape Chair.
RUBBER HOSE USED
Negro Asserts HIS Was Of
ten Mauled Unmercifully,
Then Released.
JURY GETS CASE MONDAY
Justice Refuses to Change
Charge to Murder in Sec
ond Degree.

In an effort to save himself from
the electric chair, Luther Boldly, the
twenty two ear old negro who shot
and killed Detectives Miller and Buck
ley, took the witness stand yesterday
afternoon in the Supreme Court to tell
his story.
Sitting tensely in the chair, with
his eyes fixed on Herman Hoffman,
his counsel, who questioned him, Bod
dy, without emotion, testified that,
time after time, he had been beaten in
the back room of the West 135th
street police station, in the Harlem
"Black Belt" He had not finished his
long story when Justice Wasservogel
adjourned court, nor had he come to
the shooting of Miller and Buckley on
January as they were taking him to
the police station.
A point that Mr.. Hoffman stressed
was that on several occasions when
Boldly was questioned about some
crime Of the district and beaten no
charge was made against him in the
police station and he was released
without arraignment in court. Accord
ing to Bodily, the entire proceedings
were without any legal process.
First Beating by Police.
Boddy's first beating by tho police
was in January. 1918, when he was
eighteen years DID, he said. He remem-
bered the charge against him only
vaguely, but said he was taken into the
police station in West 135th street and
maltreated. When arraigned in court
later he was discharged.
Detailing the next conflict, he said:
"They picked me UP on suspicion and
took me to the police station. hadn't
done nothing. They just wanted to ques-
ton me-"
Were you arraigned in court on that
occasion?" Mr.. Hoffman asked.
mo. They just beat me-"
"Tell us what they did,
''They took me into the back room
theft. Then they punched me around.
At that time seven officers were In the
room. I was In the middle. They put
mo in chair like I'm sitting in now
and there was one officer on each side
and one in front and one in back. They
had about a foot of rubber hose nailed
TO broom handle, and they hit me
over the head with that-on the head
and shoulders"
Beaten for Half Hour.
"IIow long did they keep that up?'
1T seemed like all day to me, but I
guess Il was only about half an hour.
Boldly answered. Then they let me go
a couple of days afterward got out of
bed
Questioned about the broom handle
with the rubber hose, Boldly expla lined
that II was designed to leave little in
the way of permanent marks on pris-
oner.
Isoddy then told OF his arrest on a
burglary charge on June Fl, 1918, which
was later changed to unlawful entry; of
his questioning by Capt. Carey at Police
Headquarters and of the suspended sem
tence given by Judge Mcintyre In Cen
eral Sessions. At that time he was not
beaten.
The negro continued by telling of
being "picSed up by Detectives Broom
field and Scott, questioned, beaten and
released. In the course of his story OF
featings at the West 135th street police
station he said that once he had been
IN the pcnitentiary for violation of
parole at the time of the commission of
the offense for which they were accusing
ond questioning him. They beat him
before he had an opportunity to explain.
40 al n,. aufr, b,
Tit on the head with a blackjack in the
hands of a detective. or possibly the cap
tain OF detectives. he could not say
which. In other beatings he mentioned
the broom handle again.
Hit by Prisoner I'm jail.
While in tho penitentiary. Mr.. Hofr-
man brought out. another prisoner hit
-Soddy on the temple with a shovel,
Gashing his face and causing intenEc
TIN obbing pains in his head long after
ward
Before Boldly took the stand three
negro witnesses had testified In his
favor. One, Thomas w. Roy, said that
when nc went TO the schoolhouse where
Tho detectives found Boldly on the night
OF the shooting he heard the detectives
say:
You might as well come clean. Well
eei IT out of you when we get you over
20 the station. You know what you're
going TO get"
Detectives were questioning Boldly
obo ut the shooting of n negro policeman.
Clarence Jackson, negro laborer, re-
lated a conversation he had with Boldly
in the Tombs I'm 1919 In which Boldly
told OF one OF his beatings in the back
room OF the Thirty eighth precinct a
beating I'm which Miller, one of the slain
men. had taken part. william Bohan-
non. another negro told of having heard
the detectives threaten Boldly at the
schoolhouse the night OF the killings.
During the morning session Ella
Boldly, mother of the defendant. testi-
fed that one OF her sisters and a niece
had been taken TO insane asqlums and
that Boldly had epileptlc fits when z
years old. Louise Richardson, a sister
of Boldly, and Bessie McPhierson a
nerress. also testified as TO these flts.
At the close of the States case yes
scr0sy morning Morris Koeng. one of
Boddy's lawyers. moved that the charge
against Boldly be changed TO murder In
the second degree, as the state had
failed to show premedltation. This was
denied by Justice wasservogel.
At the time OF the adjournment jus
ticc Wasservogel requested the Jurors
10 be prepared to sit until o'clock to-
- rAA H. A.