Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-05
Hobo Kelly Tells Senate Com
mittee Of Wanton
Killings
ASYLUM WITNESS SPEAKS
BY the Associated Press


deaux, where was sent up for three
months for going across the street-out
Of ms area--to got two egg sand
wiches." he said. While at the prison.
Duner continued. he saw n sergeant
while drunk kill prisoner for asking
for slice of bread. The sergeant, he
rdded, was not court martialed as FAR
ms he knew.
John Fitzgerald. Of Pennsylvania
who was locked up for being drunk. was
named by Duncr as the prisoner killed:
The sergeant he said. was named
Cooper.
Duner also gave the names n Wit.
nesses,- saying $50 Negroes and 200
white men were present. 1--WE ware
going to mob tho sergeant, but there
were too many automatiCs. hr con-
tinued. Later. the colonel. big
Pollock. came up in his limousine and
asked il anybody there saw rhc shoot,
ing. Seven of us stepped forward and
they put US right away in solitary on
bread and water"
There was a great outburst of cheer
ing when Duner. explaining that he mad
come here TO testify nt his own ex-
pense, declared:
II am 100 per cent American and
there are few of us left -
NnoWn as hODO heilS. FAMOUS tramp
Senator Watson suggested that mas
much as Duncr had cone here at his
own expense it might be proper for the
committee TO pay his travelling expenses
Chairman Brandegee said the question
would be taken under consideration. As
the crowd. which had chcered the wit
ness. went out for lunch. they surround
cd Duner and asked his trade
II am Edward Duncr, known also as
Hobo Kelly. the famous tramp" he
declared as bunch of motion picture
operators seized him by the arm and
dragged him toward the light.
Two witnesses who were called to tcs-
tify as TO the accusation that Major
Heroine l.. Ople. of StauntOn. Va, had
\ shot two soldiers in France, were OK e
cused after il was developed that they
had no personal knowledge of the mat e
ter. They were Horace Cooke and
Claude Brcedon. both of CovIngton. Va.
Asylum Witness Tells Of Killing
A moment later. however. Lemuel O.
Smith. Of Dublin. Va. who has been
In an institution for the insance since
the war. declared he saw Major Opie
shoot soldier.
"Wbile in a dugout with three com
rades and four German prisoners" said
Smith. Il saw Major Oplc take n gun
and deliberately shoot man. The man
Opie shot was William WOolwine. He
was shot in the dugout, about the mid
die of it. Opie was ten steps from
Wpolwinc.
"what did Major Opie say?" he
was asked.
He said: I shot him; take him
out. -
TEhnt was said before the shoot
"Not word was passed. Ma jor
Opie gave no reason
'1Iow many shots were fred"
''One. 1t hit Woolwine in the chest
He was dead when we picked him up.
Taking the witness. Senator Watson
told Smith to compose himself and not
to be afraid Of Major OpiP or anybody
else in the committee room.
Have YOU any personal grievance
against Major Opie?'
.'None whatever"
Witnesses Repudiate Smiths Story
Osborn Ellison, of Pulaski. Va. men
toned by Smith as having been in the
dugout with him at the time OF the
Woolwine shooting. declared he was not
present. never saw Major Opie shoot
any soldier, was not with Smith and
never saw him but once.
Lee Collins, of Dublin, Va. next
called said he was not In with Smith
In the dugout, and did not see Major
Opie shoot Woolwine or anybody elseS
William j. Eskew. also of Pulaski
Va. of the 10th Infantry. testified he
was not in the dugout whore Smith
said Woolwinc was shot. although he
had been named. like the preceding
witnesses. by Smith as having beer
present. lie also dIsclaimed ever seeing
Major. Opic shoot soldier.
War Department records were nrc- .
sented by Colonel Bethel. showing that
Bennie +. King was killed in action
September 20. 1918. Testimony had
been given before the committee that
King had been hanged.
Heard Nothing Of Opie Shooting
Charles +. Cox. of Lynchburg. Va,
first of the witnesses for Major Opie Il
be called, testified that he never heard
OF the alleged shooting Of Il soldier By
the oficer.
81 was constantly with Major Obi,
until he was wounded" said Cox, "nnC
never once heard rumOr that he hat
been accused of killing anybody"
Howard Fifer, of Staunton, Va. saiC
he was with Opie on October and 0
: MIS- the days mentioned by those VIII.
HdNt fFuNeu lle MAYOR OF SnOOtlng one
or more men.
n. 'Did you see Major Opic fire riff,
in reforming his lines the officer,
counsel asked.
Yes. StragGlc.s were coming II
and Major Opic ordered them 70 halt
As Homc were going forward Mnio
Opie took a rife and fired two or thrc
times into tho hillEdcs to get the NJ
tention of the stragylers and TO stoI
Them. No one was shot and | cam
here to swear to that"
Did Major Onie fire in the directIo,
OF the stragglers:" Chairman Brandc
gee asked.
No, sir; he fired in the other di
rrection. lie fired twelve feet ahead o
did you hear later that somebod
was shot?''
mo, sir"
Fifer said he had heard no report
about the major shooting a runner.
DIR. Fred Nosburgh, of Garfield \
u, who was medical officer at Maio
Opie's headquarters. was called. II
declared he had never seen Major Oni
shoot gun, and had never heard of IN
alleged killings until the stories wcr
printed IN newspapers two weeks ago.
Major Opie's adjutant-Beverly [
wilkes. Of Richmond. Va.-declare
pe never heard Of the major shooting n
unlisted man. Woolwine. he said. wa
u. not Opie's orderly, as other witnessC
N had asserted
Ever hear rumors of Major on
\ khostingl a runnec?'
nv II did not. "
I'll. 4