Evening star., 1927-04-13
RULE TELLS STORY
OF FATAL PARTY
SAYS One of Barbee Group Hit
Him-GirIS Testify as
Defense Witnesses.
~ = Sal corresnondent.

ing the stand in his own defense to-
DAY. Richard Henry Rule. charged
with manslaughter in the fatal shoot
ing Of William J. Barbee. jT, at a Hal
loween party on the Colcsville pike
last october. told the jury that he
onlv intended to fire into the all. to
frighten the group, Of when Bofpee
was a member.
Rule. neatly dressed IN a gray SUIT,
had been seated throughout the three
davs of the trial. with his mother ana
father beside him and moved prompt
~ 10 the witness chair when his law
Yer called his name. Rule spoke calm
II and with little hesitation as he un-
folded the story Of the preparation
for the Halloween party OF he ana ms
friends that was in progress when the
other group Of Washington boys or
which Parbee was one, stopped at the
Rule cabin to inquire for dlrecllons
to a fraternity dance Barbee ana ms
friends thought was being held in mat
neighborhood.
Saws One Hit His Leg.
RuIe testified that several OF the
bows and girls in his party We're seat
ed in an automobile on one side OF
the house when Jesse Ward told him
of the approach OF crowd up the
hill and suggesting that it looked ike
trouble.
Rule said that when he got TO the
front of the house there were about
4 fellows gathered around the porch
steps. Rule said he started up the
steps OF the porch to see what they
wanted when some one at the foot or
T-s4 IL % Ia Loo q
explained he had on Scotch High
lander costume for Halloween night
and that it left part Of his legs un-
covered.
Rule said he did not like their atti-
tude and turning around on the steps,
said: IF YOU are looking for trouble
just keep that sort Of thing UP.
Claims He Was Knocked Down.
Rule said it dawned on him that
he was responsible for the girls and
some Of the younger boys who were
there that night and that If he did
not do what was expected of him
there might be greater trouble. He
said he swung at one of the group
around the steps, but does not believe
he struck him. The other youth
countered with q blow that landed,
Rule testified. Rule testified he fell
on his back and sought to hold the
arms Of the other man because he
had never been in a fight before and
wanted to prevent any more blows
being landed.
Some one hit me on the side OF
the face before I could get up after
we had been separated" Rule told the
jury. He said some one else on one
side of him swung again and at this
point he said he remembered having
the pistol in his pocket and that his
first thought after he had been struck
was that If he could get the gun out
and fire the one shot into the air 1t
might give him a chance to get back
10 the house. He said while he was
wrestling with the one man the pos
session of the gun never occurred to
him. He said that as he started to
take the gun from his pocket to raise
it in the air it caught in the corner
Of the pocket and he gave it q harder
jerk IN order to get it out and that
it went off before he got his arm
fully raised above his head.
Did Not Know Barbee.
did you aim the gun at any one?"
Attorney Welsh for the defense asked
Rule.
mo. tried to aim it in the air."
Rule answered. A sign Of emotion
seemed to rise in the witness when
his lawyers asked him If he had
known young Barbee oreif he had ever
had anything against him. Rule re-
piled that the only time he had ever
seen Barbee was when his picture
was in the newspapers.
Rule will be cross-examined by the
prosecution this afternoon and 1t is
possible the case may be concluded to-
day.
Two Girls Testify.
Two Of the girls who attended the
Halloween party as guests Of the boys.
including Rule, were put on the stand
this morning by the defense and told
how they were celebrating Halloween
with music when the other group Of
which Barbee was one came up to
The cabin rented by Rule and his COM
panions as a camp. The girls were
seated in a parked automobile at the
side of the house and were unable to
rell exactly what happened in front Of
the house before the shot was fired,
except that Jesse Ward had come to
the machine and told Rule anT several
other boys that a crowd was coming
up from the road and that they had
better come around front because it
looked like trouble.
The girls who testified this morn.
ing were Nancy Ianson, 17-year-old
student. and Frances Tagg2rt, a 16-
year-old schoolgirl.
Heard Vulgar Language"
Miss Ianson said it was a costume
party and they all had on masquerade
dresses, except Miss Virginia Tag
CART, who is % years old and who was
chaperon OF the party. Miss Ianson
testified they had apples, cake. cider
and a small quantity Of wine that one
member Of the party had brought
along.
Miss Ianson also testified that she
had heard some vulgar language"
She was asked where It came from
and answered, cit came from that
crowd approaching the house" She
said that after the boys IN their party
went around to see who was coming
up from the road she heard "a lot of
swear words and that she heard
Dick Rule say, "Cut out swearing;
here are ladies present" She was
not able TO see from the automobile
what happened after that.
Denies Being Engaged.
Under ton Miss Iansor
told States Attorney Cissell she haC
visited the camp 8 number of times
last Summer with the others. Mr.
CUT OUT All
r--t Nkn IT,.