Evening star., 1896-12-05
Coroner's Jury Investigating Death of
London Shears.
BULLET PENETRATED THE HEART
Difference of Opinion as to Officer
Cury's Act.
THE WITNESSES CALLED


pass upon the killing of London Shears,
the colored preacher and law breaker
whose death resulted from a bullet wound
of the head inflicted by Policeman Curry
as stated In The Star yesterday afternoon
| The jury met at Lieut. Kely's police sta
tion on New Jersey avenue where the
morgue is located. Shears dead body was
In the morgue, and the crowd of colored
people who gathered about the station were
anxious to get a glimpse of the dead mans
| face. 1t was after O'Clock when the jury
| men viewed the body and were sworn to in
quire into the manner Of the mans death
| Yesterday afternoon, soon after the un-
fortunate tragedy was enacted. and while
| the crowd of excited colorcd people about
the house of the dead man were discussing
the event, Col. Perry Carson arrived, and
people who were i'm the crowd say that he
was strong in his condemnation OF the
| act of the police officer, while, on the other
| hand, many Of Shears neighbors thought
that the colcred minister had only gotten
What he merited. Even some of the col
ored people EXPIRE ssed themselves as be-
lievlng that the policeman had justifiable
cause for The shooting, but a large ma
! jority of them were against the policeman.
As published In yesterdays Star. Sergeant
Barry and number of policemen were on
| duty about the house where the crowd had
gathered, and most of them remained in
the house for some time. No effort was
ma. - 10 disperse the excited crowd that
obstructed the sidewalk and roadway.
Gradually. however, this crowd dispersed,
| so that last night only few We're left on
| the outside of the house, although the call
ers at the house were numerous.
PoIiccman's Condition.
Policeman Curry's skull is not fractured,
SO Police Surgeon Hickling told a Star re-
porter this morning. There is one cut and
several bruises on his head and his face is
scratched. While his wounds are painful.
| the doctor says they are not dangerous.
| The statement made by the cclorei people
| that the officer was under the influence of
/ liquor is denied by the officers and surgeon
who attended him. and some of the resi-
dents of South Washington say that he
showed no sign whatever OF having been
drinking. That Shears and his wife were
il dulg;ng in some loud talk is admitted hy
people who We're in the house at the time
| the officer appeared at the back door.
| Shears had given the police trouble from
| time to time for at least two years. so that
! the officer was not at all surprised when he
was told of trouble there. The house was
| not on Officer CUrIy'S beat but when COM
| piaint had been made 1t his duty to
| arsw'I the call. This duty he was at
| tempting TO perform when he was roughly
handled, and when he claims he used his
pistol in self-defense. The officers over
coat is fairly saturated with blood. and his
badge and brass buttons also stained
with the crimson fluid.
f. NJ. Hewlett and Milton NJ. Holland,
| today upon District Attorney Birney, and
requested Mr.. Birney 10 have some repre-
sentative of his office at the inquest They
| represented to M. Birney that the news
| paper accounts of the shooting were not
entirely accurate, and they urged the dis
trict attorney to either appear at the in
| quest or send some one of his assistants,
that the coroner's jury might have the BEN
eft of such assistance in determining Po-
| iceman CUrry's responsibility as Mr. Bir-
neyS office might give Mr. Brney assured
| them that his office would be represented
| at the inquest.
| The Autopsy.
| Deputy Coroner Glazabrook's autopsy re-
realed the fact that the bullet had not en-
| tered the mans head, as wound had indi-
| Gated. but had entered The right side of
the back near the shoulder and had pene-
uated the heart. Death was. therefore, in
Simultaneous. The abrasion on the left side
| OF tfie dead mans face, which was thoueht
yesterday TO be a bullet hole, proved TO be
| a cut. and IL had been inflicted with some
| piunt instrument possibly the officers
| club, and possibly by falling against the
| table or chair in the room when the bullet
struck him.
Jane Shears widow of the dead man. her
| daughter and several other colored women
were on hand at the station long before The
hour set foi hearing The evidence while
| the numerous spectators on the sidewalk
| also assembled early.
/
| The jury for the inquest was summoned
from South Washington by the police of
| that section and was composed of r. w
Anderson, Joseph Bailey. J. A. Thrift. NJ.
c. Gallaher, Nimrod Porter ami Thomas
| Manning. The witnesses who had been
| summoned We're Jane Shears widow of che
| dead man: Maria Slaughter. step-daughter
| OF Shears: Henry Rankin. Gusiie Rankin
| DR.. James T. Arwine. J. j. Hayre Jcnnie
/ Inlr ID I'LL,
| Isaac James Police Surgeon Hickling aud
| Deputy Coroner Glazebrook
| j. NJ. Kicks the colored attorney asked
| the coroner to await 1he arrival of Mr.
/ Shilling, who appeared with him for the
defendant.
who is the defendant" the coroner
| asked him.
| The officer. l suppose" was his response.
f. NJ. Hewlett was in attendance 10 look
after the familys interests, and Assistant
| District Attorney Jeffords represented the
| government. Several coored men had
various excuses to he present at the hear
| ing, but they were noi permitted to do So
| There were TWO colored men on the jury
Policeman Curry's lateness in reaching
| the station necessilated delay in the
| proceedings.
The Widow TestiGcs.
Revs. Walter Brooks and J. w. Howard
| and Saloonkeeper Key appeared before the
| taking of evidence was begun. and they
| were permitted to remain i'm the room and
| hear the evidence.
| Policeman Curry, with his head entirely
! covered with bandages and his face ter
| ribly scratched, reached the station about
| 2:3o o'clock, and Mrs. Shears, the widow
| of a little more Than twenty-four hours,
| was sworn soon after to give her tesu-
| mony. She had quieted down since the
citing time of yesterday. and. after telling
the coroner that she was the dead mans
| widow she testified that she was at work
ironing yesterday when her husband came
| home TO dinner. He told her that he had
| rented a house out near the boundary and
| wanted her to go with him.
! Il told him all right she said, and she
\ also told him that she wanted TO pay her
l landlord Nhat little she owed him.
| He was talking little loud, she said, but
| was not quarreling. When she saw the Of
ficer running across the lot she thought he
| was after the boys. But he came 10 her
| house and asked IL Shears had assaulted
her or Mrs. Williams, who was in the
| house, and when told that he had not. he
| said: I've got - - notion to arrest
| the whole crowd of you.
Continuing. she said the officer turned to
Shears and threatened TO arrest him.