The record-union., 1896-08-10
TOLD A VERY FISHY STORY.
Three Youths Say Murderer Graves Shot
at Them.
Another Report is That a Water
melon Gardener Did the
Shooting.

Since the night of July 10th, when
Daniel Graves shot and killed Joseph
Mitchell at Twelfth and P streets,
scores of reports have been sent in that
Graves had been seen In different parts
Of the city, and as many tiresome and
futile searches have been made by the
Sheriff's officers and members of the
police force.
Yesterday afternoon, however, a re-
port of that kind was brought in which
seemed to bear the stamp of truth,
and as a result, Captain Ash and Off
GERS Maley, Douglas and Katzenstein
made another of those futile searches
for the murderer.
Three young men visited the Police
Station and told a very straight story
as to how they had seen Graves on the
public road near Mohr & york s
slaughter-house, about mile east Of
the city limits, near the M-street road,
while out riding. One of the number
said he knew Graves quite well, hav-
ing worked with him during the strike,
two years ago. When they met him
yesterday they stopped, and the mar
rator said:
Hello, Graves, don't you want a
drink
NO" replied Graves, I'm not
thirsty. You fellows want to give pe
away, don't you?" And with that he
drew two revolvers from his pockets,
one white-handled and one black. and
fired three shots after the buggy as
the young men drove off. All Of the
bullets, he said. passed through the
buggy top.
After the young men had told their
story Patrol DRYER Fitzgerald (who is
an expert on everything pertaining to
firearms), examined the alleged bullet
holes in the buggy top, and his verdict
was that a stick might have been
poked through the oilcloth, but bullet
never.
However, Ash, Maley, Douglas and
Katzenstein hired conveyances ana
started for the scene, promising to meet
the three young men at Twenty -eighth
and M streets, but only one OF them
kept the appointment, owing to the 1acl
that Sohad, the liveryman, to whom the
rig belonged, had been Informed that
the animal was being abused, and he
claimed his property on the street.
The third man, however, got there
and escorted the officers to the scene Oh
the alleged shooting. He told a very
straight story, but as fate would have
it. house stood within thirty or forty
yards of the spot, and In the house
man and a woman had been all day, ana
they had heard nothing resembling pfs-
tol shots Then, too, a great many per-
sons residing in the neighborhood had
seen the three young men in the buggy,
but none had seen Graves or anyone
who looked like him.
It was learned by the officers on their
return to Twenty eighth and M streets
that one of the three young men, whose
name is Schofield-the only name the
officers thought to get, by the way-had
there stated that he and his companions
had bought some watermelons from an
italian gardener and refused to pay for
them, whereupon the gardener had
taken a shot at them," but they did
not propose to let anyone have the
laugh on them.
Then it was recalled that one Of the
three had said at the police station,
well, we won't have to pay for those
holes, anyway"
At any rate, Graves was not found,
though the entire vicinity was secured
by the officers, but in the face Of all the
circumstances Officers Douglas and
Katzenstein profess to believe the story
of the nameless trio. and contend that
Graves was actually seen as stated.