The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-07-25
JUSTICE TURNS
BLIND EYE TO
LYNCHINC QUIZ
No Effort Made to Find
Members of Mob Who
Slew Farmer.
BY JAMES w. BELL
Times stan Writer

PRINCETON, KY, July %. -
Don't worry, mother. I'm innocent.
I'll be home in June after my trial
Those we're the last words Wal
ter Merrick, AZ, Caldwell county
farmer. spoke to his family. For
on that night of May 81 mob took
the law into its own. hands and,
giving him no chance to prove he
was innocent, hanged him.
He did come home in June, but
as a dead man." Mrs Andy Bush,
his mother and the last person to
talk to Merrick before he was muir
dered, said.
He was innocent and everybody
knew it. That's why he was
lynched," his mother Says. They
knew ne would come clean at his
trial and that's why they got shut
of him
Hid Dynamiting Guilt
The case is not closed to the 81
year-old mother, who, despite her
years, is still able to do an active
JdA u Ill lhtiAllAlt5 a ldl III.
Though nearly eight weeks have
elapsed since the lynching of her
son and Caldwell county officials
apparently have done nothing to
capture the lynchers, she still be-
heves somehow they will be
brought to justice"
The men who lynched Walter
were the ones who didn't want the
truth of the dynamiting of the
sP'Pool' store to come out" Mrs. Bush
said
Merrick was awaiting trial on a
charge of placing a time bomb I'M
der the general store of Willard
P'Pool merchant of Hopson, ten
miles south Of Princeton, on Feb. 8.
P'Pool and Harold Nabb, -, were
in the store when the bomb went
off and we're hurt badly. Both are
recovering. A German police dog
followed a trail a mile from P'Pools
store to Merricks home and led to
the arrest of Merrick.
Il think I could pick out almost
every one OF 'em chat was in that
mob Mrs. Bush continued.
No Probe by Law
But have any of the officers in
Caldwell county been out here to
ask me if I thought I could? No.
Nary one.
LAS far as I can find out, they
haven't done a single thing to find
out who these lynchers were, and l
don t think they're aiming to-"
Mrs. Bush was the first one who
told her son Of the dynamiting OF
the store.
Merrick had been to Cadiz, twelve
miles south of Hopson, on the Gay
of the dynamiting A number OF
persons saw him there and so testi-
fed before the grand jury.
Merrick rode past his mothers
home as he returned. From her
house he could see the smoking re-
mains of the P'Pool store.
Looks like you had a fire here, y
he said to his mother.
Son, the store is all blowed to
pieces" Mrs. Bush said.
Anybody hurt?' Merrick asked.
Jack P'Pool," his mother replied.
Justice Makes Amazing Find
Merrick then rode off in the di-
rection of the blasted store, Mrs.
Bush said.
Inside an hour after the blast,
400 persons were at the store, look
ing over the place, tramping
around" Mrs. Bush said.
Half of EN- got there before the
officers. Yet, from all these foot
prints they managed to pick out
Walters and let bloodhound, that
the officers said at his trial really
was a German police dog, follow a
trail to his home.
Because Walter and PPool didn't
get along, he was brought under
suspicion, I believe.
"All his life, Walter did nothing
but work on a farm.
I'm telling you this because /
did know Walter and what he was
able to do, not because he was my
son-he didn't have sense enough
to make a bomb and put clock on
1t so he could go miles away and
then have IL explode.