The New York herald., 1922-06-29
WARDS CONFESSION
NULLIF|ES Inquest.
Coroner in Report Details
Finding of Peters's Body
and Gives Deductions.
HAS WEEKS APPROVAL
Defense Still Seeks Jack
and Charley Needed
to Bolster Case.
PROSECUTOR sKEPTICAL
Grand Jury Likely to Quit To-
day Without Hearing
George s. Ward.
PROSECUTOR sKEPTICAL

Coroner Edward F. Fitzgerald filed
a report yesterday on the death OF
Clarence E. Peters with the clerk OF
Westchester county in White Plains
in which he declared Peters came to
his death by pistol shot" and that
said pistol discharging said bullet
was in the hands Of one Walter S
Ward"
This report dispenses with the Cor
oner's inquest, which was postponed
when the Grand Jury undertook to
investigate the Ward Peters shooting
and indicted Ward for murder.
COrOncr's Report of Death.
The report by the Coroner states:
Having been notified by the State
Police of man being found dead on
the road leading to Chappaqua at the
foot OF a road known as Eckardt lane
near the north end of Kensco Reservoir
in the town Of North Castle, on the
morning of May 16. 1922. and on going
to- said place found a man lying on the
side Of the road at said place. shot
through the heart and who was later
identified in my presence by his uncle,
Earl N. Hardy Of .Haverhill, Mass, as
his nephew. Clarence f. Peters of
Haverhill. and having ascertained from
the Sheriff and District Attorney of
this county. and also In my presence
the statements from the attorneys of
Walter S. Ward that he had shot and
killed Clarence e. Peters. and in view
of the fact that said Walter S. Ward
has been indicted by the Grand Jury Of
Westchester county for the killing Of
said Peters and is now being held in
the common Jail of Westchester county
without bail awaiting trial upon said
indictment and no further inquisition
being deemed necessary by me, / find
that Clarence +. Peters came to his
death on said day at the above men,
toned place. that his death was caused
by violence and by pistol or revolver
shot wound, as described In the autopsy
ordered by me and sworn to by Drs.
j. F. Black and Henry r. Vier OF White
Plains. N. Y, which bullet passed
through the heart and body of the said
Peters. causing death as aforesaid /;
that the said pistol or revolver dis
charging said bullet was in the hands
of one Walter s. Ward.
II further find that the said Clarence
T.. Peters was shot by the said Walter
S. Ward and that he, the said Walter
S. Ward, is responsible for the death
of Clarence f. Peters"
Inquest Not Needed, Says Weeks.
Supplementing this statement is an af-
fidavit signed by District Attorney
Weeks. in which he says that "the cause
Of the death of Peters having been as
49, H. I,,rx nd In
dictment found. an examination before
the Coroner is not necessary"
Accompanying the Coroner's report Is
the autopsy statement. signed by Drs.
Black and Vier. 1t states In part:
"A well nourished man about 25 years
old, with no recent scars or signs of vio-
lence except circular penetrating
wound three-eighths of an inch in diame-
ter in the center of the abdomen, &C..
ard concludes Death was caused by
shock caused by hemorrhage following
said penetrating wound"
Allan II. Campbell, attorney of record
for Ward, said yesterday In answer to a
question:
I'VE are conducting a thorough search
for Charley Ross and Jack. There are
scores Of detectives working on that
angle. We simply have 20 get them be-
tend that there was no backmall and
that these men are figures of the mag-
ination. We must find Jack and Charley
even IL the whole story of the blackmail
comes out"
The Westchester May Grand Jury.
which indicted Ward for murder will
meet to-day. No witnesses have been
subpoenaed and the Jurors will proba-
bly, be dismissed by Justice Morschau-
ser. The witnesses IL failed to examine
In the Ward family are Wards father.
George S. Ward, president of the Ward
Baking Company. and his mother-in-
law. Mrs. n. Willard Curtis of Brook
lyn. Both have remained out of juris-
diction of Grand Jury subpoena.
Weeks scouts Wards Version.
District Attorney Weeks. II is said.
Is inclined to throw the entire Ward
version of the shooting overheard and
work from a more or less theoretical
basis. BY one thought to know pretty
closely what NJ. Weeks has in mind II
was said that the District Attorney
does not believe the following state
ments in Wards story:
l. That blackmailing operations di-
rected against Walter s. Ward led up
to the shooting.
z. Tnat SuCh Dlackmail OveR RtfOnS
as were involved were based entirely.
or even largely. upon race track oper-
ations.
3. That Peters played a principal
part in the blackmail plot. or was more
than n messenger boy for the princi-
pals at most.
T. That Peters threatened Ward In
such way az to Justify the use of by
Ward of his automatic pistol and the
killing of Peters.
Over and above and around all this,
the District Attorney Is said to be ex
tremely skeptical of the version given
by counsel for Walter S. Ward of the
events Immediately leading UP to the
shooting--the long ride with Peters in
the Ward motor and the lone rendez-
vous with two other men near Kenslco
Reservoir.
In fact. II was said yesterday that
Westchester county authorities have
virtually abandoned the search for
Ross and Jackson. being strongly of
the belief that these two men are non
existent.
Ward was reported to be on the
verge OF a nervous breakdown in the
White Plains jail. He was attended
by DR.. Jay l.. Strong, the Jail physi-
clan, who declined TO comment on his
condition. The prisoner. It is known
has complained of having nothing to
do In jail Yesterday Warden Hill set
him to work peeling potatoes and slic-
ing bread. at which job the young
millionaire 1sn c,,6 baker proved proficient the