Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-08-06
HEROIC MEANS on CAPTURE
Affecting Negro Mortally Shot
by an Officer.
1.-THE LAW SAYS IT IS MURDER
Detectives McVey and WitsiI
Held in Custody.


I mbsheineahor--ihe Oficers Regret Tho
M shooting--rhey Eirod Into the Air.
Shortly after 2 o'clock Monday
y .fternoon, Henry Pryor, young col
q pred man, was shot by Detective
Bernard j. McVey and dangerously
wounded. He is now at the Homoeo-
epathic Hospital and the doctors cannot
tell for another "a hours what his
4 chances of recovery are.
The shooting occurred in the marsh
q lot, lying between Marsh Lane and the
r railroad, just across from the Harlan &
Hollingsworth Company's lumber yard.
Detectives McVey and Witsil were on
their way to the pulp works to investi-
gate a possible clue to the Smith rob
berry, and they went down through the
Harlan & Hollingsworth Company's
S4 yards for the express purpose of taking
Y a look across the marsh, complaint
n having been made that colored men
were in the habit Of assembling there
~ almost daily and INDUCING in gambling.
"a AS they emerged from the lumber yard
they saw Pryor busily engaged i'll a
game of "sweat" with five or six white
4 boys, whose ages range from IL TO 16
M years.
b AS the officers approached the crowd
A scattered and ran, and both detectives
gave chase to Pryor. The latter started
across toward the railroad, and in at
tempting to jump across ditch that in
n tervened, fell into the water. 1t was
then that McVey fired at him first, and
1t is probable that this was the shot that
took effect. Pryor scrambled out of the
ditch and ran on with the officers in
pursuit, until he reached the Whining
ton & Northern railroad, where he sat
\ down until the officers came up.
Learning then of his injury the de-
tectives procured chair and carried
him to the residence Of Hezekiah Will
liams, of No. 121 West Liberty street,
where he was placed on q sofa.
Detective McVey Immediately sent
word Of the occurrence to the police
station by telephone, and Captain
Francis ordered the patrol wagon out.
He also sent Sergeant Ingram to the
scene of the shooting.
On the arrival of the patrol wagon
the wounded man was placed on a
etretcher and put in the wagon, when
he was taken to the police station. Quite
crowd had meanwhile assembled
around the house and there was consid-
able excitement among the negroes who
were there.
VERY SERIOUS WOUND.
At the police station Pryor's wound
was examined by DR.. A. b. Harris, act
ing police surgeon, and DR.. George A.
* Steinicken. They found that the bullet
had entered the right side just above
the groin,and had apparently penetrated
TO the abdominal cavity. The wounded
man appeared to be getting very weak
although he was not at that time suffer-
E ing much pain. The doctors pronounced
his wound very serious one and of a
character that may produce death
n A large crowd quickly gathered
around the police station, but all were
IA kept ont except officers and reporters
1t was at first attempted to carry the
wounded man up stairs, but the
"a stretcher could not well be taken up the
VA back stairway, and he was placed on the
M floor at the rear of the main corridor
After the examination by the physicians
he was taken in the patrol wagon by
Sergeant Ingram. Dr. j. Harmer Rile
the surgeon in charge, prohcd the wound
as far as the mans strength and condi.
ton would warrant, hut could not locate
the bullet. The patient was made as
comfortable as possible for the night.
W THE DETECTIVES IN CUSTODY.
Both detectives agreed that under the
circumstances it would be best for them
to be in the custody of the law and SC
"a surrendered themselves to Sergeants
& Ingram and Chambers. In company
with the latter they first proceeded tc
their homes, and after aequainting theil
lN families with the circumstances of the
M case, went with Sergeant Chambers t.
the police station, where they were
placed in Chief Blackburn's private
office. Later in the day successive at
tempts were made to find Attorney
II general Biggs, Deputy Attorney genera
III Davis and City Solicitor Curtis, in ordel
to ascertain If the detectives could b,
released on bail, but all three of thest
officials were out of the city and so tn,
Il two men had to spend the night at tn,
IN police station.
M WHAT THE DETECTIVES SAY.
M Monday night Detective McVey mad,
E for publication the following version o
the shooting, which was corroborated by
# Detective Witsil;
"This morning we (meaning Detec
NJ tive Witsil and himself) went out t.
"A Robert Smiths house on Rodney stree
"A and got description Of the men whC
H robbed the house on Saturday night
"The description of one of the mer
answered that of Amos Tucker, who a
one time was employed by Thomas Biz
chall who was foreman at the Delaware
N pulp mills yard, and we were gonl
there to see him and ii possible to ascor
III tain his (Tuckers) whereabouts.
"But previous to this we had beer
a8 notified by workman at the pull
VA mills that almost every day some col
WI ored men played sweat and shooting
XII crap on the old Marsh lane leading I,
the company's works.
swell, when we started to the mill
A to see about Tucker, we thought W
would also, if possible, catch the mel
who made practice of gambling on tn
road. To get good view of the gam
blers we went to the office of the Har
" Ian g. Hollingsworth Company an,
asked permission to go through the com
~ pany's yard so us to enable us to get
s# good view of the gamblers and catcl
f them while playing. The request wa
KIM granted. We got key at the stabl
n which opened the gate on the old Marsl
road and exactly opposite to wher
* Pryor was playing his games.
va "When the gate was opened we saw
vi Pryor sitting on small wooden bridg
over the old tan ditch. | went to hin
6& and told him wanted him. ! seize'
him and he broke away and iumpe'
4 into the ditch. He ran rapidly up tn
80 ditch and | yelled TO him to stop. II
kept running rapidly away from me an,
MA when he did not stop at my calls drey