Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-22

Last night the lecture room of the Metropol-
itan Baptist Church, on II street, was crowded
| rom the door to the pulpit with men and women
who had gathered in response to a call for q
mas meeting 10 discuss the circumstances at
tending the killing of Charles Lomax by Po-
liceman Mellen in Howardtown a week ago.
The meeting was opened with prayer by the
Rev. II. S. Laws Of Pittsburg.
Rev. Robert johnson, pastor OF the church,
presided, and in calling the meeting to order
he said thai the blood OF one Of their number
had been spilled and he wanted tho matter dis
cusscd calmly and without any excitement:
The meeting, he said, was to be gu orderly one
as ne would not have any other kind Of q gath
ering in his church. He thought the matter to
be discussed WAC as to whcro and under what
circumstances the shooting was committed. 1t
is Claimed, he said, tina. Mr.. Lomax was not
justly killed. The people, he snid, are not
asleep, nor are the churches asleep.
I'VE have cleared out this part Of the city,"
he said. mot 'Helrs Bottom, but Paradise
HILL Tho people who are calling il 'Helrs
Bottom are twenty years behind the time"
Tho chairman said he had read the printed
accounts Of the shooting and all he had
to say was that if there was any one who would
come forward and say that there ic a hole in
the house made by the bullet from Lomax's
pistol he would say that the officer was right.
REV. DIR. LEES REMARKS.
Rev. DE-. Lee of the Fifth Baptist Church
was the first speaker, and he said that the linz
tied time would not permit him to make
speech In ten minutes, he said, he could not
give expression to his thoughts. lie said that
this community ought TO be the place where
no man should be known by his color and
where justice should reign supreme. I'm
fortunately, he said. such is not the case. Re-
fefrinS to the shooting the speaker outlined the
circumstances as heretofore printed and said
that from personal inspection Of the property
no thought that the weapon q scif-cocker
and the policeman had his finger on the frig-
ger. Inside the house, he said, he found where
blood stains on the floor had been covered
with ashes. referring to the statement that
Lomax fixed a shot ne said that Lomux could
not have fired at the officer, for the bullet
would either have struck the officer or entered
the wall. The whole truth, he said, was that an
otfcer had been shot and the policeman started
In pursuit Of the crowd. He followed Lomax
and entered the house, supposinS he was pur-
suing the man who had fired the shot Upon
entering the house, SO the officer SAYS he be-
gan hiring. After giving in detail the circum-
stances of the shooting he referred to the kill
ing of u policeman several years ago. when, he
said, the officer was killed a fool.
A MANIA FOR NEGRO BLOOD.
Bravery withou. prudence he quoted, sis
madness" In that case, he said the man ran
to room and gave warning that he would kill
any man who entered. The officer entered and
was killed Referring to the officer in the case
under discussion he said he seemed to have a
good 1t would have been different, but his
record, the minister said, was not good. An
officer, he said, should not be brute and a
lion. but he should be a man deserving of re-
spect ana then every good citizen would re-
spect and assist him. The speaker said that in
his Investigation he saw no truce of a
nounced the beating of the man after
the pistol had done its work. He said he
had heard that the officers removal had been
requested, but u man who makes the largest
number of arrests of slx-months' d,children
and negro children at that, is considered big
oicer In this city. while in other cities the man
who makes the fewest arrests and has the quiet
est beat Is considered the best officer. These
remarks, he said, do not apply to all the Off
GERS, as some OF them are good men. The min
lister said that Officer Mellen was coward and
ought to be removed from the force and per-
United to drive a coal cart. He said some one
had intimated that this meeting would stir up
things and put many of the officers lives in
jeopardy, but that is not So
We are all willing to help good man when
he makes an arrest, only we want the man to
be an ofticer and not o coward" He suggested
that committee be appointed to wait upon the
Commissioners and ask for the officers removal.
for his removal, because l do not believe in
turning mad dog from your own yard and
putting him on your neighbor."
Mr.. MILTON HOLLANDS INVESTIGATION.
Mr.. Milton NJ. Holland was next introduced,
and he told Of having made a personal investi.
cation Of the affair. He referred to the arrest
of Solomon Page for merely talking to the
officers and said that when Pages wife, who is in
delicate condition came up, she too was placed
under arrest and dragged along the street like
dog. Then II was, he said. that George Page,
noble boy would have done. when the Page
boy comes back and surrenders," he said, Il
for one will help to defend him."
The speaker then condemned the action of
the officer in killing Lomax and said he would
not admit that Lomax had fired at the officer.
They were in close quarters and if the pistol
had been discharged it would at least have
burned the officers coat Nobody was there"
he said, except the policeman who killed
Lomax, and why is it not possible for the Off
Ger TO have fired the pistol after he took i. out
of the house?"
Speaking OF the verdict Of the coroner Jury
he said he was told by member Of the jury
that he did not sign such a verdict He said
that when the case was under discussion the
question was asked il the fact that Lomax had
pistol in his hand did not justify the officer
The coroner said yes" In this instance he
said the coroner was mistaken.
Mr. Holland suggested that something must
be done besides meeting here and speaking
Something, he said, must be done toward having
the rights Of the colored people more respected
He thought committee should DO appointed
to wait on District Attorney Cole and have him
present the case to the grand jury Another
committee. he said, should wait upon Congress
and ask for the repeal of the army and navy
clause governing police appointments, so that
native-born citizens can be made guardians of
the peace instead of SO many people who are
strangers in this community as well rs in the
country, and then lots OF this brutality will
cease.
LAWYER HEwIETTs vIEwc.
Lawyer Z. II. Hewlett was the next speaker
and he began his remarks by saying
that good law-abiding citizen bad been fouily
murdered. Ho referred to two other instances
in which policemen used personal violence
toward coloTel people. In one case he said.
Policeman Sanford shot a colored man for
nothing and he was fined SIS by Judge Miller |
Mr.. Hewlett said he called the attention of the
Commissioners to the case and their response
was: This is not case for judicial invesu-
CATION" In the other case he said, Police
man Cooney assaulted a respectable colored
woman-a member Of the Nineteenth Street
Baptist Church-and he, too was fined s25 by
Judge Miller.
ut is often said," Mr.. Hewlett continued.
that the colored people constitute tho crimi- |
ual class, but from personal observation say
that of every ninety-niEe persons arrested
scventy-fiye Of them should never have been
arrested
Il, cn0clusinp bo s,iI hat vrbac ~