Evening star., 1896-12-04
London Shears Killed While Beating
Policeman Curry.
A DESPERATE FIGHT FOR LIFE
The Affair Nearly Leads to a Vio-
lent Outbreak.
DEAD MAN \ PREACHER

| ored on @ street between "a and 81 streets
southwest, at i O'clock this afternoon.
! Shears was resisting the officer and beat
ing him with his own baton. when the
fatal shot was fired The dead maa called
himself the Rev. London Shears. and was
a Well-known character in South Nash
| ngton, where he preached occasionally
about the streets and supported himself
| by doing odd jobs. His pious calling did
not prevent him from being well known TO
| the police and he has been arreSJed a
| number of times on various charges.
He was discharged from jail few DAYS
| ago. whore ne haa served a sentence for
committing an assault. Tie tragedy this
afternoon occurred in the house 2l2 q
| street southwest, where Shears lived with
| his wife and family. Complaint was made
| TO Officer Curry, whose beat Was in the
n.iehborhood. that there Was a man in the
Shears house kiinE his whole family. and
tie policeman went TO the house to ascer-
| tain the nature of the trouble.
| Attacked the Officer.
tpon on,eriag the premises ana approach
| ing Shears, the latter threw him III upon
the officer, sticking his fingers in his eyes
| ard grabbing his baton
He wrcsted tn, club from the policeman
| ana proceeded to beat him brutaIIy over
II,
and the officer was soon PROSTATE on the
ground. The club rose and fell again and
again, and Curry realized that he was In a
desperately critical condition, and that his
maddened assailant meant to kill aim with
out mercy. With great effort he man.
aged 10 reach his revolver. and drawing IL
ne pointed upward and fired. The bullet
struck Shears in the center of The left
temple and passed into his brain. He fell
backward and droprcd dead. The noise of
the fisnt had attracted a crowd ana word
| was sent TO the fourth precint station four
blocks distant on T. street for help. Sev-
eral officers hurried 10 the scene ami found
| the dead body of Shears while his victim
was lying PROSTATE with the blood stream
| ing from the wounds in his head officer
Curry could not walk. and was taken to the
fourth precinct station house in the patrol
wagon.
| CurrH's Wounds.
Police Surgeon iiickling was summoned
and dressed the wounds There were three
ccep cuts on the skull, laying bare the
bone, and numerous bad bruises raised
humps where the scalp was unbrok, n. The
| officers face was badly scratched ami he
Was Ia an exhausted condition. Dr. Hick-
ling did not make an examination for frac-
tGrC. Tut stated that Curry's wounds were
quite serious and directed that he be ahso-
luiely quiet. Tho officer taken TO his
residence, ~ 10Th street northwest, where
ne resides with his young wife anu family.
The house where the killing occurred is a
two-story frame shanty ard in its front
| window there MAS big sign Rooms for
Rent London Shears mad lned IN The
house for a long time, and although a min
| lister of the gospel, as above noted. he had
more than EOr.ri ,.Sp,rippre 4 ,tr.psas
not ordinarily supposed TO Toe committed by
one " no wears tne cloth. In his immediate
relghborhood ho loved and feared
alike. but now tndt he is lead only good
words are spoken for him.
Danger OF am Outbreaks.
In front of the house this aft, moon sew
eral hundred people, mostly colurea. as
semblei and discussed the affair. only the
bright array of blue suits and brass but
tons. ii is thought prevented an outbreak,
for the colored people, both men and wo-
men, were loud IN their denunciation OF
what the officer had done.
He was drunk, was heard on almost
every tongue, ami the women were espe-
cially anxious THAI the killing of Shears
should be avenged in some way Six DO
licomcn, under Sergeant Barry's command,
had possession of the house, in which a
number of coloreG people had also gath
erec-
Mrs. Shearss was wild with excitement
and refused to be comforted or quoted.
He came in my house and killed my hus-
band for nothing she screamed, and made
other statements, blaming the officer for
her bereavement. To get connected story
from her about the affair was impossible.
DR. Childs appeared at the house after
some time had elapsed. and ministcred to
the sick and excited woman.
Scene OF the Tragedy.
The kitchen in which the tragedy was
enacted showed plain evidences of having
been the scene of a severe struggle. In the
small room were two tables, a stove, sofa
and several chairs, and blood. stains showed
;hat the officer or the dead man had come
in contact with mere than one article of
furniture. The dinner table was set and
loaf of bread that was still on the table
was fairly saturated with the crimson fluid
In the rear of the room missing window
sash, with broken glass and splntered
wood, bore further evidence of the severe
conflict.
Just how the window became smashed
the witnesses tell different stories. One
colored woman declared that the officer
had jumped through The window, while 9th
ers said it was smashed during the tussle.
Approval OF Curry.
The policemen and the white people were
a Unit in declaring that Officer Curry had
only done his duty and his action was ap-
plauded on every hand The residents in
South Washington who have been familiar
Will, the contempt which the criminal
classes in that neighborhood have had for
police officers. as well the laws in the
past. and who can recount numerous in
stances Of assaults upon officers declared
tnat Officer curry'S action should he emil
lated 10y every other officer on the police
force as matter Of protection OF their
part.
Currys reputation an officer and a
citizen in the fourth precinct is excellent
and he is regarded as one OF the bes; men
on the entire force. one of the officers at
the fourth precinct said to a Star reporter
this afternoon that the reason thar .,olice-
i.leI an " Washington sc frequently allowed
themselves to be nal.rea led by prisoners
whom they went 10 arrest was thal they
preferred 10 be beaten up than 10 stand the