Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-23
MURDER CHARGED /.
AGAINST ST|GALI !.
BY GRAND JURY
Shooting of Hames by Police
officer Brings Indictment,
Also Charged Wit Attempt
ed Murder of Two Others.

After two-hour investigation, tho
Fulton county grand jury, Tuesday
afternoon, indicted Policeman E. c.
Stigall on a charge of murder in cons
nection with his Staying of W. H.
Hames, private detective, last Friday
evening at CORTLAND and Houstcn
streets.
Two other indictments, charging
assault with intent to murder in con-
nection with the policeman's shoot
ing of J. H. Kirk and Ernest StalH
ton, companions of Hames, also were
voted by the grand jury.
Alderman Jesse Armistead, chair.
man of the police committee of city
.council, was a witness Cuesday after.
noon before the Fulton county grand
jury.
Chairman Armistead had not been
subpoenaed as a witness, but hS
went into the grand jury room aftef
Solicitor General John A. Boyl1in ap.
peared at the door and inquired if he
wished to make a statement. After
leaving the room, Mr.. Armistead told
reporters he appeared in defense OF
Stigall
Kirk was the first witness, follow.
ed by Stanton. Other witnesses we3
DR.. o. 3. Bush, who attended Hamcs
at the Grady hospital before hid
death last Friday night; j. T. Will.
kerson, of 101 Peachtree building
and Mrs. H. H. Ivey and Mrs. M. T.
Roberts, of 166 CORTLAND street.
Ernest Stanton. one of the two
men wounded by StigaI, was in this
witness room, wearing a bandagd
on his forehead, while J. II. Kirl
the other wounded man, wa}
brought from Grady hospital. TIA
blood-stained clothes taken froli
Hames' body were brought to til
solicitors office by the victimi
brothers, L. G. Hames and J. r.
Hames. They declined to discuss TIL
case. Kirk was the first witness
called.
Attorney w. S. Coburn appeared
at the courthouse and announced I'd
newspaper men that he was asso
ciated i'll the prosecution.
Witnesses Called
Among the group of witnesses Wild
were subpoenaed in the investigated
were f. o. Harris, of SIS Mill avenue;
J. T. Wilkerson, of 101 Peachtree
building; A. G. McLain, Of 270 High,
land avenue; Mrs. Sarah Glazier, a
81 Houston street, and ]. H. FrencE
of $50 CORTLAND street. &
The testimony of j. T. Wallace.
the automobile salesman who was a
| companion Of Stigall when he shot
the three men, was expected to PLAY
a prominent part in the evidence u
be sought from a large group Of
witnesses, but he was not called
Summoned to police headquarters
| Monday afternoon for questioning
/ Mr.. Wallace admitted that he was
| standing close enough to Stigall
| to receive powder burns from thd
| policeman's gun.
Statement Withheld
Captain r. o. Sturdivant. head OF
the plain clothes squad, withheld
| Wallaces statement unit. it Waa
| presented for grand jury considera.
ton, but gave a few details to res
porterS.
According to Captain Sturdivant.
Wallace declared that after the
shooting, Stigall got in the sales.
mans car and rode off, leaving
Hames lying on the ground. Wal.
lace also stated, according to Cap.
tain Sturdivant, that one Of tho
men grabbed at Stigall just before
the shooting and that after thu
shooting, he thought he saw pis4
TOT in the left hand of Kirk, one
of the three men shot,
Captain Sturdivant pointed, how
ever, to the fact that Kinks lett
arm was broken in two places by
the bullets from Stigall's pistos
stating that under such circun"
stances. manifestly. it would hav4
been impossible for the wounded
man to have held gun.
AS the grand jury investigation
opened, it was learned that detec,
tives are working on the theory
that the meeting between Stigai
and Hames was pre-arranged, and
they are seeking to establish sonel
thing definite concerning this phasi
of the case.
StigaII Still Held
Stigall has been held in the Full.
ton county tower since his arrest
Saturday on murder warrant
sworn out in municipal court by
L. C. Hanaes, brother of the dead
man. He has not been suspended
from the police force, but is being
marked up "absent," and Chief
beavers SIdlCo IIloL llO 0SIAOIl W''A
be taken pending the grand jury
investigation. M
1t has developed that the woman
sought as a third passenger in Mr.
Wallace's car just before the shoou
ing was not in that automobile, but
passed the scene of the shootins
about o'clock Friday afternoona
riding in her coupe. Mr.. Wallace
and Officer Stigall were riding to-
gether when the policeman got out,
oaccost Hames and his companions
according to the police investiga
ton. The automobile salesman hal
picked the officer up at Five Points,
Officers assigned to the case arN
continuing to question every avail
able person named as a witness ID
the shooting and their investigation
is expected to continue for several
days.
COUNCIL REFUSES TO
BACK POLICE COMMITTEE
i. HlT