The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1948-09-16
GRAND JURY EXAMINES FORTY FIVE
PERSONS; NINETEEN ARE INDICTED
Indictment of MansIaughter
Against Edward Schmidt and
Murder Indictment Against
Golden Kirk Are Among Total

Nineteen indictments and present
ments were found by the September
Term Of the Garrett County Court
after having examined forty-five wit
nesses. The jury adjourned Tuesday
evening after having been in session
for two days.
Edward G. Schmidt, Oakland, was
indicted on charge of manslaughter
in the death of John Bachtel, Jr., 16,
of near Red House, according to
Dwight Slower, States Attorney.
Slower said murder indictment
also was issued against Golden Kirk
in the death of his stepfather, and a
robbery indictment against Marvin
Leonard Wilhelm, Kitzmiller.
Young Bachtel died June IA in Po-
tomac Valley hospital from a gunshot
wound in the head and officials re-
ported Schmidt, member of the Oak
land town council, mistook him for a
grounding and fired, fatally injuring
the youth.
Officials stated at that time that
Schmidt had been grounding hunting
and fired when he saw the youths
hair, thinking he was the animal.
Golden Kirk, %, of Deer Park, was
indicted for murder in the death of
his step-father, Walter Messenger,
Bergman, w. Va, on March 25. Kirk
was arrested shortly after Messenger
was slain by three blasts from a IL
gauge shotgun at the Kirk home dur
ing heated argument.
Wilhelm was indicted on a robbery
charge. He is alleged to have held up
Harold Bachtel, Red House, brother
of the youth who was fatally shot in
June, on route 219, near Oakland
Saturday night, after hitch-hiking
ride.
Other indictments revealed by
Slower include the following:
Vincent DeRose, Republica, Pa,
indicted on a charge of breaking into
TIE home of Rev. Delbert j. Combs,
Grantsville, and taking a quantity of
clothing, camera, suit case, etc.
Chester Goodwin, indicted on
charge of selling whiskey to minors.
Harold Dewitt, indicted on three
separate charges of forgery.
John R. Miller, near Grantsville,
indicted on charge of assault with
intent to rape.
Donald Richard WEIGH, Ira Paugh
and Marshall Tasker, indicted on a
charge of burglary of the Gusta NJ.
Paugh store near Vindex.
Lee McRobie, indicted on charges
of selling beer to minors and also on
allowing minors to loiter in his place
of business near Vindex. There were
other indictments in which the per-
sons involved had not been appre-
hended.
The entire report of the grand
jurors follows:
To The HONORABLE THE JUDGES
VI liz ClhCOIl OOOhI YIN
GARRETT COUNTY, MARYLAND:
The Grand Jurors for the Septem-
Der Term, 194S, hereby submit their
report as follows:
During our deliberations we have
had before US and have examined
forty=five witnesses and have found
nineteen Presentments and nineteen
Indictments.
Pursuant to the charge delivered
to US by the presiding Judge, Chief
Judge Joseph D. Mish, we have care
fully considered the evidence brought
before us, and have been governed by
our obligation as Jurors and our duty
to society on insisting in the enforce
ment of the Laws, in our action in
each instance.
We wish to call attention to the
splendid effort that is being put forth
by the law enforcement officers to
detect, apprehend and punish Offend
ers against the law.
We have inspected the Court House
and various County Offices and find
the records in the several offices to
be well kept and in good kept condi-
ton. We also find that the Court
House is in excellent and we'll kept
condition. We respectfully recon-
mend that the Treasurer of Garrett
County be given more office space in
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