The Indianapolis times., 1927-01-29
BY Eldora Field,

Tj0lcs star Corrc sDoPdCnt
DANNILLE, Ind, Jan. 29.-Who |
TO believe.
Gene Alger IS. Butler University
student, on trial for the alleged |
murder OF John j. Buchanan, Indian !
apolis Negro trafficman.
OR Edmund y. Boyer, proprietor |
of the Beyer house. who hid in Il I
closet with Alger when Buchanan
was shot and killed.
AIger. witness in his own be-
half Friday, swOre Buchanan fired
first through door of the closet
and that he fired back i'm self-de-
fcnsc-
Boyer. State witness, swOre
Aiger fired first; that his gun
rOared when the officer ratified a
hook OH the door.
To aid the jury, which will de-
eide Alger's fate the State this
morning called eighteen witnesses,
most Of whom were to testify as to
the reputation of Boyer for truth
fulness. Their testimony was halted
at noon by adjournment of court for
the weekend.
Prominent Men Called
Some Of the witnesses, all Of In
| dianapolis, who. testified were; Hen
ry Kahn, president of the Kahn
Tailoring Company; Harry r. Bur
net, president of the Burnett -Binford
Lumber Company; Lewis p. Horton,
general agent of the United State
Casualty Company; Ralph *. Smith,
vice president and cashier of the
Fletcher American National Bank;
Orien StierWalt. secretary-treasurer
of the Stierwalt and Hanson unc1
Tailors. and Frank b. Ross, former
probate judge.
Several Of the character witnesses
also declared that Boyer had told
them that Alger shot first.
Defense Scores
The defense scored when Judge
Edgar Blessing ruled that Boyer
| could not be used to impeach the
testimony of Defense Attorney Fred
King.
King testified Friday that he had
a conversation with Boyer in which
| the hotel man told him that Buch-
anan had fired first.
Boyer was put on the stand this
morning to refute this, when the
| defense objected and was sustained.
Examination Of the new witnesses
will continue Monday With final
arguments yet 70 be heard, the
case is not expected to go to the
! jury until late Tuesday or Wednes-
| day.
Genes Story
! Gene was calm Friday afternoon
when he took thte witness stand to
tell the story which he hopes will
save himself from punishment.
Gene remembered clearly all the
events up to the shooting of the
officer in the Boyer House, 225 n.
Capitol Ave. that morning Of July
! 3. But he told the jury that az he
fled from there he climbed over a
| wall, fell. that his body became
numb, that the next thing he knew
he was in the city hospital at In.
danapolis several days later with
his mother and father and a gill re-
porter talking to him.
No Recollection
He declared he had no recoilec.
tion Of running down an alley from
the Beyer House, of climbing on
the running board of an auto at
Illinois and Ohio SITS. ordering the
woman driver to drive like HI, of
being shot, taken to the city hos
pital. He said he did not remem-
ber signing confession to the
shooting
Gene began his testimony with a
brief personal history of himself.
Early on the morning of July 9,
he set out to find work, he said. He
carried a suit of overalls with him.
He did not tell that he had a gun,
too.
First he went to Kingan's. There
5, was no job there. Then he went to
the State highway department at the
Statehouse. lie was unsuccessful
there, too. So he walked out on Sen
ate Ave. to Ohio st. and stopped near
the curb where the Chevrolet auto
of Alvin Ford was parked.
He said Jerry Strole, Butler ath-
lete, passed him and nodded to him"
did you see anybody else?' Gull
ley asked.
"Alvin Ford"
Did you insert key into the
lock of the car
mo, sir"
Ford's First Words
What We're the first words that
Ford said to you?"
"'What are you trying to do, steal
this car?'
" No, sir, I told him.
"It looks to me like it,, he said.
He showed me a badge and said:
Come along with me- We started
east, he holding my arm. AS we
walked along, 1 told him I thought
it was my fathers car. He said it
was his car. l had thought he was
an officer and was trying to scare
me. He took me to an officer. The
| officer asked me my name. [ told
him. Then Ford told the officer he
was a horse thief detective. Then
we walked back to where the car
was.
Feared Arrest
81 told the officer l hated to be
arrested as l was going to school
and it would count so against me.
Damn your school, he said.
THAT sorta took the wind out of
my sails. So I said nothing more"
Alger then told how he was taken
to the tire store, how he was told to
sit behind a railing, how he heard
the officer call the police station and