The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-05-17
DUVALL CASE
STEP BY STEP
Continued From Page u

| When the probers turned the
searchlight of their inquiry on NUM-
cipal affairs bailiffs attached to the
grand jury were unable to locate
Harvey Bedford and George S. Eli
oft, both formerly active in affairs
of the Khan and at that time doing
an insurance business in downtown
office building.
Bedford had been traffic inspector
in the police department and Elliott
had been the exalted cyclops of the
Marion County Ku-Klux Kla.
Families of both men denied all
! knowledge of their whereabouts.
Then they appeared as mysteriously
as they had disappeared and were
called before the investigating body
several times.
Rumors were in circulation that
the Khan had demanded written CON-
didates as to what they would do In
the way of patronage.
William H. Armitage, brother of
| James E., recently convicted by
Judge Collins for having offered a
member of the recent grand jury a
bride of $4,000 and a City Hall job.
was called before the jury. Armitage
had been very active in the Shank
administration and is said to have
gone down the line for Duvall."
William H. Freeman, member of
the works under the Shank regime,
who had been spoken of as a member
of that body under Duvall. was also
called. Freeman recently testified in
the Armitage contempt trial.
Among the many witnesses heard
were: William A. Boyce, Jr., city
clerk; Recreation superintendent
Jesse Mcclure; Clyde E. Robinson,
former partner of Duvall in the
Marion County State Bank and
county treasurer-elect to succeed Ed
ward A. Ramsey; City Councilman
Boynton j. Moore; Charles Clark.
now deputy county treasurer. who
had been a candidate for office; Otto
| Shelter, former superintendent of
the city asphalt plant; Police Chief
Claude r. Johnson; o. d. Haskell.
board of safety president and Board
| of Safety Member John A. George.
Former Officials Called
Herman T. Rikhoff, spoken of as
prospective member of the Duvall
park board, and former police chief
was called. So were Virgil Ferguson.
| fire prevention chief under Shank;
William Bailey, former cit yattorney,
and Ben Thompson, former council
president.
At the conclusion of the taking of
evidence much wrangling was heard
about the grand jury room. Its first
report was unacceptable to Collins
and turned down.
! A recess over the Christmas Holt
days was taken and when the inquisi-
torial body reassembled it made its
now famous nonindictment- report
which said among other things: ANY
other report than the foregoing Will
/ be impossible for the grand jury to
return under conditions as they now
exist in the grand jury"
Members of the first jury were:
Wilson Furnas, foreman; o. It. Cal.
vim, 1852 Central Ave; Hilary Morris.
6045 Ashland Ave: Joseph Schaf.
Columbia Club: William Webb. 1916
w. Washington ST., and Herman f.
Sprandel, 1875 Central Ave.
New Jury Called
Judge Collins Immediately issued
a call for the new jury, but it was
twenty-one days before one was as
sembled. F,ifty-two talesmen were
examined.
The jury was then composed of
/ John Collett, % E. Thirty-third ST.;
Charles L. Clark, 2514 Station ST.;
S. S. Sutton, Candy. Ind; Lee Will
liams, Candy. Ind; Charles Wheeler,
lily N. Talbot ST., and Claude A.
Aehey, Gal E. Thirty.third st.
This group of men did not take
any immediate action on the probe,
because Collins orders directed them
to clean up routine work before en-
tering the special investigation.
Then came a period when Deputy
Prosecutor William Sheaffer began
asking the group to take up the
probe. No action was taken and sud
denly Collett resigned, giving as his
reason i'll health. After a lengthy
delay James F. Chamberlain, 1886
w. Thirtieth ST., was selected to take
Collects place and Clark was made
foreman. Soon after came the resig-
nation of Wheeler. His reason was
age and physical condition.
i. p. Van Camp, r. r. X, after
more delay, succeeded him.
Evidence Read
Then the jury began reading the
evidence collected by the previous
jury. No witnesses were called. 1t
was reported from time to time that
the Jury was preparing to take up
new phases of the probe.
Suddenly the possibility of the
group continuing the probe blew up.
Grand Juror Achey in sworn state
ment declared he had been APP
preached and offered $4,000 and a
job by James e. Armitage, former
=. g it, l.