Evening journal., 1891-08-04
MVEY'S UNLUCKY SHOT.
FIRED ONLY TO BRIGHTEN. BUT
UNFORTUNATELY STRUCK.

fortably All Day-The Bullet Not
Located sIcvey and witsil at the city
HalI-The Detectives Very Sorry.
The shooting of Henry Pryor, colored.
by Detective Bernard J. McVey, which
was described exclusively In the last
edition of the EVENING JOURNAL yester-
day, was purely accidental on the officers
part.
The crowd of colored men and bows
were playing q game of sweat in
the marsh, near the works Of the Har-
Ian and. Hollingsworth Company, when
the officers came upon them. Accord
ing to McVey's version, he laid his hand
on Pryor's shoulder and attempted 60
arrest him. Pryor with the others broke
away and both detectives discharged their
revolyers with the object Of soaring them
into surrendering. Pryor sat down on
tine bank and when the officers came up
they ascertained that he had been shot.
Early In the morning both Detectives
MeNey and Witsil went to the house OF
Robert Smith, No. 1403 Rodney street to
get description of the burglars who
robbed Mr.. Smiths house on Saturday
night. After having been satisfied III
that respect they left aud took bes-lins
for the Delaware Pulp Works. where a
man named Amos Tucker had been en-
| ployed at one time by Foreman Thomas
Berchall. Tucker they suspected, was
the same man who robbed Mr.. Smiths
house, and they wished to discover il
| possible, something of his whereabouts.
Ihey had received complaints about
crowd OF colored men and boys who spend
their time playing "sweat" and shooting
crap on the old marsh lane leading to
the pulp works. Employees at the pulp
| works and others had complained that
they were annoyed by the crowds Of
colored men who conRregated there from
day TO day and had became nuisance SO
the detectives determined that on their
way they would endeavor to surprise the
gamblers For this purpose they asked
and received permission to 90 through
the yards of the Harlan and HollinQs-
worth Company. The gate leading from
| the yards through which the officers
emerged, opened close TO the spot where
| Pryor and his companion were playing
the games. Pryor was sitting on small
wooden bridge when Mcvey laid his hand
on him and said that be wanted him.
Pryor broke away and both detectives
yelled at him to stop.
McVey fred three shots and Witsil
two. McYey claims that his shots were
| fired low with the Intention Of throwing
the bullets into the ditch, while Witsil,s
were fred in the air. Pryor ran along
the ditch for about 300 yards and then
got ont and sat down on the bank When
the officers came up he said: II am shot.
ga chair was procured and both officers
carried the wounded man to the house of
Joseph Slnex on Liberty street. Witsil
remained with him, while McVsy tele.
phoned for the patrol wagon. Sergeants
Cham bers and Ingram went TO the SPOT
and both officers gave themselves up.
By this time large crowd had col
lected about tbs house where the wounded
man lay, and the colored people sho we'd
great excitement When the wounded
man was taken to the City Hall another
| CROWD collected about the place. but were
refused admission to where the wounded
man was. DR.. A. B. Harris aud DIR
| George A. Steinicken made a brief ex
animation of the wound and then ordered
his removal to the Homeopa hic Hospital.
where DR.. j. n. Rile and corps of sur
geons probed for the ball, but were IN.
able 20 locate it,
Meantime Sergeant Chambers went
with the detectives to their homes where
the matter was explained, and then both
came to the police station. They were
qusrtered in ths chiefs ofise on the sec
ond floor and made as comfortable as pos
sible.
Detective McVey was very much grieved
over the unfortunate course affairs had
taken and be had the sympathy OF All
who saw him, and in particular Mr.
Wit5il, who sympathizsd deeply with Nc
Vey in his mental suffering.
Attorney General Biggs aud both bis
deputies, Thomas Davis and Charles NJ.
Curtis, were out of town so that the po-
lice were unable to ascertain whether tue
officers should bs released on bail or not
Under the circumstances there was no
alternative but to hold them and they
we're held ever night
William Pryor, the wounded mans
father, who lives at No 2 South Market
street, went to the police station in the
pstrol wagon with his son. he expressed
both sorrow and indignation at the
shooting. He at first denied that his son
was married, but again admitted that he
had lived with a woman next door to
where the father lived.
The wounded man, Henry Pryor. is a
well-known gambler, and the practice OF
playing sweat" or shooting craps"
among colored people has increased
lately so as to become nuisance. The
ofiiceys have been after them, but have
seldom been able to obtain sufficient evil
dsnce to secure q conviction as the
colored people are too shrewd. = Nobody
as rule keeps the game, but each
throws the dice and they bet on the re-
suit. 1t was only yesterday that McVey
had man before Judge Ball for the Of
fense, but the evidence was not sufi-
cient to secure q conviction.
Messrs. McVsy and Witsil have re-
mained at the Office of the chief of police
all day. There is no guard over them or
anything to indicate that they are prison
ers A number OF persons including ex-
Mayor Harrington called upon them this
morning and expressed their sympathy.
McVey lis very much troubled and re-.
ceives every evidence of the condition of
Pryor with anxiety.
AS the bullet after striking Pryor In
the groin took an upward course, It is
thought that it might have been
ricoehetsshCt which struck him. The
doctors made an examination of the
wound to-day and after again probing
for the bullet, concluded TO give up the
search. 1t seems to be located in the
abdomen. The man isresting easy and has
never lost consciousness since being shot.
Had the wound been caused by q ricochet
after the bullet had glided off the stone,
McVey's first shot must have been the
one which did the mischief 1t was fred
when Pryor was only a few feat awav