Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-15

BEYOND LIZ pRorr PARK.
The sound OF pistol shots rang through the
Camp" just before O'Clock last evening and
excited many Of the older residents 10 such an
extent that some Of them did not go TO bed
last night, but remained awake and discussed
the cause and result Of the shooting.
Policeman Archibald Mellen and a young
colored man named Charles Lomax were the
ones who did the shooting. and the latter is
now a corpse. while the officer 10 still on duty.
The Camp" rs heretofore mentioned In
several muir Ter cases. is the negro settlement
just north Of lie Droit Park. where the police
have to be constantly on the alert, and when
making arrests they often have TO resort to
violence. The streets in this place are unin-
proved and after q rain the mud is several
inches deep From the appearance of the
streets today they have not been cleaned in
many weeks, and their condition furnishes
ready material for stone battles and deadly as
sauits. The vacant lots and alleys about the
camp afford avenues Of escape for criminals
and renders the capture of an escaping wrong
doer an exceedingly difficult task.
WHAT CAUSED THE FATAL MEETING.
II was about 6:45 o'clock last evening when
the fatal meeting between the negro and the
officer occurred. Officers Mellen and Garvey
at o'clock. From the station on Z street they
proceeded in the direction of the camp and
had not been there many minutes before they
arrested three persons for being disorderly and
sent them to the police station. Following the
arrest Of solomon Page WINS that of his wife
Rodella, and when near 4th and Wilson streets
a colored man came around the corner and
when within fifty feet of the officers and their
prisoner he fired pistol shot at them. The
bullet passed through the back of Officer Gar
| van a a.aa4 a,,l l. A. al.
officer thought the piece Of lead had entered has
body.
CHASING THE MAN WHO FIRED THE PISTOL
The officers let the woman GO and Officer
Mellen, being faster runner than his partner,
was soon IN the lead in pursuit of the fleeing
| man. The officer lost sight Of the escaping
man when he turned into the alley, but it was
only for an instant He again caught sight of
him as he was running through a short alley in
| the direction of his house, and while in this
| alley the officers weapon was discharged.
Reaching the old shanty. where he lived with
| his mother aad sister, Charlie Lomax, the man
| whora the officer was pursuing, entered the
fr ont door, slamming the door in the officer s
face.
while doing so his pistol was again discharged
the bullet entering the door and embedding
itself IN the ceiling of the first floor. Finally
| the officer got the door open, and in this little
front room the fatal shot was fired. The colored
man. mother was in the room at the time, and
she begged the officer and her son not to shoot
but to no purpose, for each one used his pistol
THE FATAL SHOT.
Lomax had his pistol leveled at the officer
as soon as he entered, and made use of such
language as "fil kill you," so the officer says,
and then he fired at the latter. The officer re-
turned the fire and the colored man stepped
back and seated himself upon a box. He did
not speak, for the bullet had entered his head,
| and he died in fewer minutes than the whole
affair occupied. He still held his pistol in his
hand and the officer took possession of the
weapon and went to the station, where he
turned it over to Lieut. Gessford.
VIM. III. Young and James Flanagan were on
the street at the time of the arrest and they
saw the colored man shoot at the officer
When Officer Garvey reached the police sta
ton and removed his clothing it was ascer-
tanned that the bullet from the colored man s
pistol had passed through both his coats, but
had not broken the skin.
At the request of the dead mans mother his
body was permitted to remain in her house in
stead OF being taken to the morgne-
THE MAN KILLED.
The deceased was a mulatto twenty years old
and was not known by the police. He lived
with his mother and sister, and among those
who knew him he bore a good reputation. For
five years he worked for Mr.. Martin, mail
carrier, and recently be went to work TO learn
the carpenters trade with Mr.. Frank Plummer.
OFFICER MELLES's TESTIMONY.
Officer Mellen, who did the shooting. made
the following statement of the affair to his
superior officer: Last evening about Gas
o'clock Officer Garvey and myself placed Ro-
della Page under arrest for disorderly conduct
and while bringing her down 4th street in the
direction of the station a man ran down from
4th and Wilson street and when within fifteen
yards of us he fired a shot which struck Officer
Garvey in the back. / then let go the prisoner
and pursued the man who fired the shot.
followed him up 4th street to Wilson, east on
Wilson to alley on the south side of the
street. While pursuing him through the alley
toward his house tried to cock my pistol and
it was discharged accidentally. / followed
the man to his house, where he entered, slam
ming the door behind him. While trying to
open the door my pistol was again discharged
accidentally, the bullet striking the door,
glancing upward to the ceiling. / then got in
side and told Lomax that wanted him, that
he was under arrest when he presented the
pistol at me and said: Get out OF here; you
can't arrest me. I'll kill you
stepping back again said to him that be
was under arrest, when he fired one shot in my
face. l then raised my pistol and fired at him,
striking him in the head. After shooting him
took his pistol from his hand and went to the
station"
OFFICER oARvEY's STATEMENT.
The statement of Officer Carney reads as fol-
lows: about 645 O'Clock last evening Officer
Miller and myself placed Rodella Page under
arrest for disorderly conduct. While bringing
her down 4th street, and when about thirty
yards from Wilson street. man ran down from
the corner of 4th and Wilson streets, and when
within fifteen yards of he fired q shot,
striking me in the back, when Officer Miller
and let go the prisoner and pursued the man
who fired the shot. / was unable to keep up
with the man. and We came back 10 the patrol
box and notified the station that was shot.
Soon after reporting to the station heard a
distress call and several shots fired. When /
responded l found that Lomax had been
killed"
MRS. LoMAx's STORY.
Mrs. Lomax, the dead mans mother, who
was in the room when her son was killed, says
that her son came running into the house and
the officer came in behind him. Before enter
ing, she said, he fired a shot through the door.
When he came in she told him that Charlie had
not done anything and begged him not to shoot
There was SO much excitement there at the
time that she could not tell whether her son
fired at the officer or not. after the police
man shot my son." she said to a STAR reporter,
land my boy was dead, he dubbed him over
the head and face and I begged him not to do
it. Then he pointed his pistol at me and we
tussled about in the room. He finally left the
house."
IN THE POLICE CoCRT.
This morning Solomon Page was tried In