The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-12-19
KILLED FARMER TO
PROTECT COED, IS
PLEA OF STUDENT
Charged With ManSIaughter
After ConfeSSing He
Shot MOleSter.
GIRL UPHOLDS STORY
Officials Indicate They Feel
Youths Action Was
Justified.

CLEVELAND. Dec. Britton
Dennis Young, youthful law school
student, was charged with man
slaughter today after confessing ne
shot a farmer to death while parked
with a coed companion along a
lonely suburban highway in Pepper
Pike village.
He waived preliminary hearing
and was bound over to the grand
jury under 81 900 bond
The charge Of Staying Carl Metel-
ing. 50. retired farmer and church.
man, was preferred against Young
after he explained to police that he
killed the man in order to protect
his companion, attractive Ruth
Better, 49, student at Flora Stone
Mather college.
Miss Better, pale and wan, APP
peared before police questioners to-
day and corrOborated Youngs story
that Meteling had tried to pull her
from the parked automobile and
was shot when he refused to desist
III his attempts.
Feel Shooting Justified
officials of Pepper Pike village in
Dictated that they felt the shooting
iustifiable, but considered it best
to file the manslaughter charges in
order that the case might take its
formal legal courSe through the
grand jury.
Don Young ST., father of the
youth and a prominent Norwalk
attorney, agreed to such procedure,
officials said, as did the youths
uncle. COngressman-at- Large Ste
phen NJ Young.
In statement to police, Young
told how he and Miss Better were
driving around" late last night,
and later parked their car alongside
BellcoWt road a paved highway in
suburban section containing few
residences.
He turned out the lights, he said.
and sat talking with his compan-
ion.
CHANGING out of a rear window,
Young noticed another automobile
had pulled up a short distance be-
hind. A man got out, he said, and
approached his machine.
Resisted and Scratched"
Suddenly a flashight shone in
our eyes Young was quoted as say
ing "A man yelled at us to know
why we were parked there without
lights. Suddenly the man jerked
open the door and grabbed Miss
Better She resisted and scratched
at his face.
L yelled at him to let go of her
and threatened TO shoot him if he
didn't do so. He kept pulling. I
ierked a gun from the pocket of
the car and fired once at him.
After the shooting. the youthful
couple got back in the car and
started out to find a police station
They drove to Shaker Heights, a
nearby suburb and walked into the
police station with the startling an
nounCement: I've shot a man
Sprawled at Roadside
Police accompanied Young and
the weeping girl back to the scene
of the shooting. Meteling lay
spraWled at the roadside A flash
light was on the ground beside him.
The bullet from YOung's gun had
entered his eye and became lodged
in the brain. causing instant death.
Meteling was identified by papers
in his wallet. and his wife was visi-
ted by police He lived three miles
away from the scene Of the shoot
ing. Mrs Meteling could not eX-
plain her husbands purpOrted con-
duct. and said she last saw him
when he left home earlier in the
evening to attend a Bible class at
their church.
Mayor A. w. Sinomson, Of Pepper
Pike, was called and Young told
him of the shooting. The mayor
said Meteling held no official status
in tine village and was not a special
officer or deputy empowered to stop
or question motorists.
Don Young Jr.. older brother of
Britton. and also a student at West
ern Reserve. said today his brother
had bought the gun about a year
ago and had been in the habit of
carving il in his car