The Missouri herald., 1922-05-26
NO ACTION TAKEN IN KILLING.

A dispatch from CarutherSville tt
the Cape Girardeau Sun under dat,
OF May IS, says:
No action had been taken late to-
night as result of the death in IA Men
phis hospital Tuesday night of j. :
Ledger of near Bragg City. who wa:
shot during 4 raid on alleged boo,
leggers by deputy sheriffs Jesse John,
son and III. ID. Gaines. Ledger's body
was turned over to relatives from Illi-
no;s.
Ledger was reported to have been II
convict at work on roads in this vi
cinity when released. He remained
here. living in a shanty three miles
southwest of Bragg City. The dep
uties went to Bragg City with war
rants for bootleEgers sworn out by B.
A. Mckay assistant attorney general.
against George Schoonover Sam Pat
terson, Andy Richardson, Allen Bill
lington. ". a. Smith, Minnie Riddle,
live at or near Bragg City.
Ledger was cleaning chicken, the
when they told him they had war
rant for his arrest struck at them with
the knife. They drew their guns and
he dropped the knife and endeavored
to secure a shotgun in another room
of the shack the officers said. Both
officers fred, one bullet taking effect
in the lungs. The wounded man was
carried on the shoulders of the depu-
ties for some distance to hand car
and was brought here, where he was
given treatment. Later he was sent
to a hospital at Memphis for an opera
were found at Ledger's, Sheriff Rob-
ertson stated.
Sheriff Robertson said tonight that
no inuuest had been held or any inves-
tigation of the shooting had been
made so far. The other seven persons
were arrested and are awaiting trial.
The taking of a human life is a
serious thing. In this instance 1t
seems 10 have been regarded very
lightly. A man shot down in his
home. Grabbed up and carried like
a hog on the shoulders of his slay-
ers. Dumped on handcar. Rushed
to Jail. Locked up in an iron cage
like a beast
Then, when the victim was dying
from his wounds, rough treatment
and neglect, he was carried to hos
pital in another State. There the
victim died. But he came to his
death from gunshot wounds intiict-
ed on his body in the State OF Mis-
souri,.
]. S. Ledger had relatives. Per-
haps he had a mother, sister, broth
ers. He was human. And when he
was dead they came for the body,
which they carried back to its native
State, and there inferred it to re-
turn to the dust from which 1t
came.
A bad man. Ex-convict. Boot
logger. Had knife. A dead man.
after killed, is always awfully bad.
But he was cleaning chicken. He
had a right to have a knife to do
that. Yet he ran when he looked in
to the barrels of the guns of the
strangers, to him, suddenly leveled
at him. AS he ran he was shot. But
what is the truth? No official in
yestigation. No answer. A boot
logger gone. They say he was that
"They say" Who knows?
The slayers go free. They may
in their valiant and vigorous search,
find another man cleaning chicken,
II they do. they have learned the
easy way to take care of him. Per-
haps, II they don't have a handcaT
handy, they will hitch mule to him
and "snake" him to jail. BOotiine
chickens must be stopped.
Bootlegging Is very bad 1t. IL
very common. Almost any man IL
likely to be accused of 1t. But there
are some crimes worse than boot
logging. The taking Of life is one OF
such crimes.
But the morals in Pemiscot county
have gotten SO badly crossed that
the innocent has to suffer more than
the guilty. Some lawyers will not