The Washington times., 1929-12-17
TEN SHOTS
FOIJND|N
SHIRT

BALTIMORE, Dec. 17.-Mys-
terry surrounding the killing Of
Private Eldridge w. Sapps, 20, at
Fort George G.. Meade, December
8, developed yesterday, when the
father of the dead man made
statements differing from the Of
fetal version of the shooting is
! sued at the time by officers at
the fort. !.
When James r.. Sapps, 600
block Walpert Ave., opened the
bag containing his sons effects
which he received Thursday, the
day after the funeral, he said, he
found his sons shirt with 10 bull
let holes showing where shots
entered the body and as many
holes where they left the body.
Only One Shot Reported
At the time of the shooting it
was reported at the fort that
Private Sapps had been shot
once. That statement was reaf-
firmed there yesterday.
Snaps asserted yesterday that
he had been refused permission
to see his sons body until after
1t had ben prepared for burial. He
and his wife, the stepmother of the
soldier, and his nephew had gone
to Fort Meade Immediately after
hearing of the shooting, he saw
only the head and throat, above
the places where the holes in the
shirt indicated the shots had en-
tered the body.
Suspicious Aroused
II had no suspicious that what
I was told was not true until after
/ got home with his things the day
after he was buried" Snaps as
serted when we came to look
over my wife picked up his shirt
with blood on it, and then we saw
all the bullet holes with blood
around each one"
According to Snaps, whose ac-
count was confirmed by his
nephew, there were six bullet holes
in the torso and two In each arm.
''It is poSsiblel that he had his
arms crossed over his body so
that the same bullets passed
through the arms and the body,
but there were at least six separate
9fibss," the father said. II have
done o lot Of shooting in my time,
although I never practicer on
human beings, and I know holes
when I see them, :
KNOWS Nothing Of Shirt
capt. Archibald A. Fall. adju-
tant at the Tort. denied all knowl-
edge. Of the shirt which sapps
says he received. He asserted
that only one bullet had entered
Private Sapps' body.
a report Of the circumstances
surrounding the killing has been
sent TO, the headquarters of the
Third Corps Area, In Baltimore.
Captain Fail said.
Private Ebert Witt, who Is
said to have engaged Ii an argu.
nnent With Private Sapps concern
the possession Of q pistol, Just
prior tn the killing, Is being held
by the military authorities. Pri.
vate Raleigh Miller is reported
to have taken the pistol from
I witt, after the shooting, and to
have struck him on the head
with the butt, when Witt, appar
entity dazed, started to run away.
Witt was taken to the post hos
pitaI. where several stitches were
taken In his head.
Capt 10. M. Culp, who ir1YeSti-
gated the case. said the three
soldiers and Private Harry u.
Rutherford, who was with them,
adloitteds drinking while off the
reservation. but denied they were
drunk.
Enlisted Under Age
According to Sapps, his son
had enlisted when he was under
age and recently had completed
his first hitch and had reinlisted
because he liked Army life. His
discharge showed an excellent
record and he had won honors
for craftsmanship. he said.
SappS came to Baltimore from
Virginia about four years ago.