The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-30
POLICE CAUGHT IN A TRAP.
OFFICER HODGES NEARLY BEATEN
TO DEATH IN A DARK ROOM.

HIS Arms PiniOned by a Powerful
Negro and His Face Made a Tar
get of by His AssaiIant-TwO Ne
gro Women Pounded the Omcer
With Chalr-Omcer HalfOrd's
Timely Rescue-A Detail From
the Barracks QueIIed the Trouble.
Policeman W. D. Hodges was severely
beaten last night. In fact. It was gen.
orally reported that he had been killed,
and there was great excitement in the
eastern section Of the city as a result.
Hodges was walking CASTOR street
about 7:30 o'clock when ne was called upon
by a negro woman to arrest Henry Smith.
colored. The woman said that Smith had
beaten her little boy. She had sent the
boy, she said, into a yard in Gordon stree:
lane to get water from a hydrant, when
Smith, who was in the yard, seized the
boy and beat him severely with a rope.
Hodges went with the woman at her re-
quest 10 make the arrest.
There is row Of houses in Gordon
street lane, between Price and East Broad
street, known as Bryan row, and Smith
lived in one of these houses. Hodges
went into the yard and knocked on the
door Smith was evidently expecting a
policeman. When Hodges knocked on the
door it was suddenly opened by Smith,
who seized the officer around the waist
pinoning his arms to his side and pro.
ceeded to but him in the face with mis-
head.
Anybody who has ever seen such a per-
fOrmance knows what a powerful weapon
negros head is when used as a batter
ing ram. This is a favorite method Of
fighting with the tough element of the
colored population, and a blow delivered
in this manner is even worse than a blow
from the fist. Smith was evidently an ex-
pert In this sort Of business and he got in
some very severe work with his head on
Hodges face. Hodges was dragged into
the room, where he was set upon by two
negro women in addition to Smith. His
club was taken away from him and
thrown out of a window while one of the
women beat him over the head with a
chair. The room was a very small one
and hemmed in as he was the policeman
had no chance to use his pistol. He would
in all probability have been Killed had it
not been for the timely arrival Of Police
man Halford, who lives nearby, and hear
Ing the rumpus proceeded to the assist
anee Of his brother officer.
When Halford entered the yard the two
men were struggling towards the door.
Hodges was braVely endeaVoring TO drag
Smith out, but the latter had the best Of
| the fight and threw the policeman into
the yard. Halford promptly presented his
pistol at Smith and called upon him to sur
render, which he did. 1t was we'll for
Smith that he surrendered promptly 9TH
erwise II might have Jared badly with him.
Inc report that policeman was being
| killed in fight inside a house In the lane
| spread rapidly in the neighborhood and
! someone telephoned the police barracks
| Sergt killourhy, who received the mes
| sage, did not wait for further particulars
but notified Chief McDermott who was in
/ his office, at once. The chief called to
/ the three policemen, who were In the
| yard, to come with him, and taking them
/ IN the patrol wagon he hurried TO the
scene as fast as the wagon could 20
/ Orders were left for the detectives and
other policemen in the neighborhood to
follow as rapidly as possible. When the
chief arrived at the scene Halford and
! Hodges were leading Smith out OF the
| yard, Rebecca Smith, his wife, and Ma
| ria Clarke, both of whom took part in
the assault, were also arrested. Hodges
/ SAID that there We're one or two other
! men in the room, who joined in the attack
! on him, but the fighting was so fast and
! furious that he was unable to get a good
! look at them, and he had no idea who
/ they were, or If he would be able to
identify them should he ever see them
/ again.
Hodges was pretty badly done up Be
/ sides being generally bruised up about
the face and body, the skin was broken
| over his right eye, as if by blow from
| some heavy instrument and there was a
| cash on his right cheek, which might
/ have been made with a knife or with some
| other instrument He had hled freely
/ from his wounds, and there was consider
| able blood scattered around the room in
which the fight occurred.
! The prisoners were taken to the barrac X 9
/ and Hodges was sent to his home nearby
| where his wounds were dressed by DR..
| Silverman. His face will hardly make a
| pretty picture this morning. What with
! two very black eyes, two cuts and in
! Vulnerable bruises, he will hardly have his
/ photograph taken to-day This ended
| Hodges duty for the night, and he will
probably take couple of days off to re-
| cuperate.
The three prisoners were taken to the
| barracks, where they were locked IN on
| the charge of assault with intent 10 muir
| der. Morris Strange, a colored man who
ran up just at the time of the arrival of
| the police, was also arrested but was re-
! leased later when il was found that he
! had no connection with the affair. A
! crowd of several hundred people gathered
| In the neighborhood and there was great
| excitement for a time the general i'm
| preston being that policeman had been
| Killed. The police acted very promptly,
| there being thirteen officers on the scene
within few minutes after the alarm had
! been received at the barracks.
| Smith is in the employ of Walthour q
| Rivers, real estate and renting agents
and has been with the firm for several
years. He had a difficulty with a police