The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-11
RAINEAR STILL LIVES
POLICE CONFIDENT THAT WILLIAM
sIsi,Is, A NEGRO, SHOT HIM.
Police Believe Judge Cox's Light Pun
fshments Are Responsible, In Part,
for Pistol Carrying.

The police claim to have positive informa-
ton that the man who shot Owen Rainear
Saturday night is William Simms, young
negro of the hoodlum type, who was ar
rested two years ago by patrolman Hart
for shooting with intent to kill. Simms
has no fixed habitation, so the police say,
and lives first in one place and then In an
other For this reason 1t is difficult to To-
cate him. The detective force spent the
day looking for him yesterday. visiting all
the low negro dives and haunts where GRIM
inals, fleeing from the law, are harbored.
1t is claimed that several persons will be
able to identify Simms as one OF the col
ored men with whom Rainear had trouble
at the merry go-round Saturday night. The
police say that one witness, who saw the
shooting has been found, who will testify
that the shots were fired by Simms.
Owen Rainear is still In very critical
condition, but seemed some better yester-
day. He revived. to a certain extent, from
the shock Of the gun wounds in his back
and brain, and was able to talk and seemed
to recognize his friends, although he could
not converse coherently for any length Of
time. Last night he was restless and suf-
fered much pain. To a Journal reporter he
said that he did not know who 1t was that
was colored man. He was unable TO say
whether he could identify his assailant and
was of the opinion that the man who shot
him was not one of those with whom he
had trouble at the merry -go-round Satur-
day night He talked incoherently when
questioned and his family believe that when
he has recovered a little more fully he will
remember more of the circumst ances sur
rounding the attempt to take his life.
Scarcely a day passes that several persons
are not arrested for carrying concealed
weapons. Colored men and white rowdies,
razors, are captured and taken before the
police judge, where they are generally pun
y 1shea py TN, the inf1ictlon OF nominal fines.
kirk, presided over the Police Court, It was
the custom to infict a heavy punishment
ing concealed weapons. The records of
cases disposed in Police Court for the
past twenty days shows that the highest
penalty inflicted was a fine of $50 and
| costs. In many cases the culprits were fined
| 81 and costs, several Were discharged and
one or two were fined s. and costs. The
limit OF the statutory penalty for this de-
| meanor is fine not exceeding $500 The
| police believe that the infection of a heavy
me IN some of these cases would have a
| salutary effect and would tend to break
| up the habit OF carrying deadly arms. Near
| ~ every day reports are received of shoot
| ing scrapes, and in every instance IL turns
| not authorized to arm themselves. Several
| months ago negro was shot at a bah in
4 w est lHuldIdpOllS DIV anOller or his race
Last Sunday Robert Love killed George An
| derson with revolver in a quarrel over a
| crap game in the river bottoms. and on the
same day two or three other colored mer
hred shots at patrolmen Aulhall and Robin
son when the officers attempted to arrest
\ them for gambling with dice, near the canal
Then there was the shooting affair Saturday
4 night.
| Last night word was received at the sta.
\ ton house that one colored man, actuate6
1 by Jealous passions, shot at another negro
| who was in company with a woman or
| North New Jersey street. For a time col.
ored men were afraid to carry razors anc
| revolvers, as they knew they might have tc
| go to the workhouse for six months or q
| year TO serve out a heavy fine If they were
| caught with weapons in their possession
| Now, Judging from the light fines inflicted
they have come to believe that at best they
| VIII not have to go to the workhouse fo,
| more than fifteen or twenty days and have
been emboldened by that knowledge to carr,
dangerous weapons