Obituaries: Thad Ball, 1958, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: June 12, 1958 Winn Parish Enterprise News-American Coroner's Jury Investigates Negro Shot By Police Dies From Heart Attack Thad Ball, 26 year old Winnfield Negro, died about 3:45 a.m. Saturday of heart failure, according to testimony of doctors before the coroner's jury Tuesday afternoon. Ball died after being shot in the leg by City Police Lt. Cecil Alderman, who answered a disturbance call involving Ball about 2 a.m. Saturday. Dr. John Maxwell, pathologist at Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, performed an autopsy on Ball's body. He testified at the inquest that Ball's heart was enlarged 1 « times normal size, indicating a pre-existing heart disease. Dr. Maxwell said the heart was "ballooned out", and his lungs were filled with fluid, both conditions seen in heart failure. It was Dr. Maxwell's conclusion that Ball died due to a "pre-existing heart disease and sudden heart failure." Ball had been fighting with his common law wife, Helen Taylor, just prior to the shooting incident. Both Dr. Maxwell and deputy coroner Dr. George M. Rodgers testified that Ball had not lost any large amount of blood. Dr. Maxwell said the bullet failed to break any major arteries, entering the left thigh and going through both legs. Family Fight Testimony by Helen Taylor indicated that she and Ball, her common law husband, had had an argument and separated on Thursday prior to the early Saturday morning incident. On Friday night, she and Ball had met at a Natchitoches Parish tavern, each with different groups. They returned to Winnfield and became involved in a fight at Prentiss Williams' caf‚. She and Ball left in his auto and started toward their house and he hit her while they were enroute home. She jumped out of the car and ran to her sister's home, shouting to gain entrance. Ball caught up with her in the yard of the James McHampton house. Helen's sister and brother in law and Helen and Ball hit each other in the head with sticks. Helen broke away and got into the house. Ball came in behind her but she hid behind the door and he left to go get his car. He returned in a few minutes, threatening to "kill all of you" and picked up a large stick and began beating and kicking at the door of the McHampton house. McHampton's wife had called police, and Lt. Alderman and Patrolman Don Thompson arrived while Ball was beating at the door. Police called to Ball to drop his stick and he refused, saying, "you can kill me. I ain't going to drop it," according to several witnesses. Bell then turned toward Alderman with the stick and Alderman fired one time, hitting Ball in the leg. Ball then sat down on a bench on the porch, and later collapsed and fell to the floor. Police used Ball's belt to make a tourniquet for his leg, and summoned an ambulance. Ball was taken to General Hospital where Dr. Rodgers testified he was "wild and unruly" for about 15 minutes, and then became quiet. He died about 3:45 a.m. The verdict of the coroner's jury was "that Thad Ball came to his death ... on the morning of June 7, 1958 as a result of natural causes, that is, due to acute heart failure from preexisting heart condition, as shown by autopsy. We further find that the said deceased had previously been shot by Lt. Cecil Alderman, acting within his duties as a City Police Officer in making a lawful arrest." Members of the coroner's jury were Russell Smith, Ranel Brady, Jr., Ben Jackson, A. T. Drewett, and R. B. Tullos, with the inquest conducted by deputy coroner, Dr. George M. Rodgers.