Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-04-25
THE EVENING STAR, Washington, D. C. - Al


ness said he sat within three
fleet of them.
4. A classmate of Barbara's
said the Grimes girl showed her
two wallet pictures of boy "she
called Eddie" The witness iden-
titled the pictures as those Of
Edward L. tBennie) Bedwell. She
said that Barbara told her ed
die" was a hillbilly and that one
LOT her sisters took Eddie away"
from her.
There is another factor, too.
which makes the sheriff and his
people reluctant to dismiss Ben
ME as a suspect. Lie detector
tests indicate that he was impli-
Gated in the crime.
George w. Haney, the sheriffs
lie detector consultant, is a for
mer associate of Russell Chat
ham of Vienna. Va. one of the
Nations leading polygraph au-
thorities.
"Ihere was never any doubt in
my mind that Bonnie told the
truth when he said he knew the
Grimes sisters and disposed Of
their bodies" Mr.. Haney says.
Lost Words
When Chicagoans talk about
the Grimes case, some surpris-
ingly contradictory statements
result.
Mr.. McCarron. the coroner.
implied in an interview that
Bonnie had simply been given
the third degree. "They kept
him for week and brainwasl1ed
him." this official said. HE
would have confessed to any
thing. So would you-s so
would l."
Mr.. Adamowski. the States at
torney. was asked in another
interview whether he thought
Bonnie had been pressured into
a confession. mo, he wasn't"
came the reply.
The States attorneys basic
position is not hard to UNDER
stand. however. He clearly feels
that he could not secure a con-
viction with the testimony of
his own medical experts against
nm. And a prosecutor. by the
rules OF the game, should not
seek an indictment unless he be-
llieves he can convict.
Whether Bonnie will be con-
lvicted of anything in Florida, Of
course, remains to be seen. The
case there is similar in many re-
spects to the one in Chicago
from which he now appears
safely extricated.
The Florida charge is that he
raped 13-year-old girl and held
her prisoner in trailer for three
days. Another girl was similarly
attacked and held by an un-
identified friend of Bennie's. it
is alleged.
Orders Extradition
Gov. Stratton of Illinois as
serted in ordering the extradi-
ton that evidence produced at
"a special hearing on the matter
showed that Bonnie was in
Florida at the time of the al
legged crime March 9, 1866 and
that the girl identified Bonnie
as her attacker. The girls
mother, the Governor said. iden-
titled the suspect as the person
who had requested permission to
date her daughter after he had
met her at carnival where he
worked as a roustabout.
Coroner McCarron, on the
other hand. pooh-poohs the idea
that Bonnie figured in the Flor
ida case.
He didn't have any more to
do with that case than you did"
Mr.. McCarron told this reporter.
And SO the mystery remains.
interviewed Mrs. Grimes the
other day in her home. 1t was
strange to think that the States
attorney had never once bothered
to talk with this woman on who's
testimony Bennie's entire scien-
titic alibi depended.
At the inquest Mrs. Grimes
had embraced Bennie's mother
and, according to the news re-
ports. said: Il know your boy
didn't do it."
Now she sat in her tiny living
room, where she had been play
ing cards with three of the chill
dren and a neighbor. A big po-
liceman. assigned to the house.
read newspaper on the sofa.
Il never said Bennie Bedwell
didn't do it," Mrs. Grimes told
me.
That's the way things have
been going in Chicago.