Chap. 281.—An ACT for the relief of J. H. Corell. [S B 264]
Approved March 24, 1930

Whereas, on the fourteenth day of September, nineteen hundred and
twenty-nine, J. C. Dickinson, a deputy sheriff of Giles county. re-
ported to E. B. Hedrick, a State highway traffic officer, located at Pear-
isburg, in said county, that a strange and unoccupied Chrysler automo-
bile was parked by the roadside about one and one-half miles west of
Pearisburg, whereupon Hedrick got in his car for the purpose of going
to the parked car to find out what he could about it, and requested J.
H. Corell to accompany him, which he did. On arriving at the parked
car, which was headed towards Pearisburg, and, which bore a Vir-
ginia license tag, it was then occupied by a man whom neither of them
knew, and Hedrick got out of his car and went to the other car and
asked the stranger, who gave his name as D. V. Blankenship, to exhibit
his license tag and he replied that he had none. Hedrick then asked
him where he got his license tag and he replied that he ordered it from
Richmond, which statement Hedrick knew, from the number of the
tag, to be false; and, in the discharge of what he thought to be his
legal duty, he placed the man under arrest, got in the car with him for
the purpose of taking him and the car to Pearisburg with the view
to ascertaining, if he could, to whom the car belonged, and asked Corell
to drive his car in. When they reached a point about one-quarter of a
mile from Pearisburg, Blankenship suddenly drew a pistol from a
pocket in the car door and endeavored to shoot Hedrick, who caught
the pistol and at the same time, succeeded in pressing the horn button.
Corell, who was immediately in front of the other car, heard the horn,
stopped the car he was driving, leaped out and ran back to Hedrick’s
assistance, and when he got alongside the other car, Blankenship turned
on him and shot him twice, once in the neck and once in the shoulder.
Corell then succeeded in getting a rock, with which he struck Blanken-
ship on the head. At that time, Blankenship turned to Hedrick and
fired on him, the ball striking him in the body and passing through his
liver and one kidney, and endeavored to shoot him again, but Hedrick
struck the pistol and so turned it that the ball from that shot struck
Blankenship himself; and Hedrick then, although seriously wounded,
succeeded in shooting Blankenship, inflicting a wound which resulted
in his death; and, )

Whereas, it was found that Blankenship was wanted at other places
for crimes committed by him, and that he had stolen the automobile
which he was then driving; and,

Whereas, as a result of the wound so inflicted upon the said J. H.
Corell, who is a young man of very limited means, he was compelled to
eo, and did immediately go to Saint Elizabeth’s hospital, in the town
of Pearisburg, for treatment, where he was kept for a period of about
seven weeks, the cost and expense of his care and treatment at said
hospital amounting to the sum of five hundred, twenty-nine dollars
and forty-nine cents. Now, therefore, in consideration of the premises,

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That there
be, and is hereby appropriated, the sum of five hundred, twenty-nine
dollars and forty-nine cents out of funds in the State treasury, appro-
priated for the construction and reconstruction of State highways, to
compensate the said J. H. Corell for the cost and expense necessarily
incurred by him as a result of his assisting, and endeavoring to protect,
an officer of this State, in the discharge of his official duty, and that
the comptroller issue his warrant on the treasurer of Virginia, in
favor of the said J. H. Corell, for the said sum of five hundred,
twenty-nine dollars and forty-nine cents.

2. An emergency existing, this act shall be in force from its
passage. ,