Evening star., 1896-12-07
POLICEMAN ExONERATED.
killing of Shears Was Justifiable, Ac-
cOrIinX to Jury.


Policeman Edward Curry of the fourth
precinct, who shot and killed London Shears
while engaged in arresting the latter at his
home in South Washingto ton Friday. was ex-
onerated by the coroners jury. After The
Stars report in the case closed Saturday
several additional witnesses were exam
II ed. One of the witnesses was Maria
Slaughter, stepdaughter of the dead man
She told the jury of the officers visit TO the
house because, he said, he had received
complaint that thare was trouble there.
After being assured that there mad been no
trouble in the house, the officer, she said.
used bad language and threate to arrest
everybody in the house. IF you say anoth-
er word,' witness said he told Shears, ~ ii
arrest you, because You are always disturb
ing the neighborhood.
Then she said they clinched and she went
upstairs with her baby. While up there she
heard two shots fired.
Annie Williams. colored woman, who
was visiting Jane Shears when the affair
happened, said that London Shears and his
wife We're talking about renting a house.
She heard Shears tell the officer he was
going to throw him out. Shears was pulling
a the officer. and dNshe thought they would
kill each other. The officer told Shears
that he was regarded as nuisance in the
neighborhood, and when Shears called him
a liar the trouble commenced. Buckets.
she said, were overturned, the window was
smashed and there was lots of trouble.
The policeman she said, "asked Shears
If he was going to take the law in his own
hands, and Shears said he wasn't bothered
about the law.
She heard the shots fired. but was not
looking at the men at the time. She said
that when Shears and his wife were talking
the husband got angry.
Henry Rankin. a colored man who said
he had been arrested twice and sent to Jail
for violating the policy law, was severe in
his evidence directed against the officer.
He said that the officer used profane and
threatening language. and that the witness
urged him for ten minutes to put the pistol
In his pocket. But the officer, he said, in
sisted thai he would carry or kill the
colored man. He did say however. that
Shears took the officers club and struck at
him with it. He said that the officer had
been drinking
Policeman Michael Muller, who was the
first officer to reach the house after the
shooting occurred. declared that officer
Curry was sober. Curry gave him the pis-
tol. saying: MY God. Mike, they tried to
kill me and came near succeeding"
Witness described the scene in the room.
which he said was evidence of the severe
struggle that had taken place.
DIR. Arwine, who was called to the house.
declared that the officer was perfectly So
Ter. He heard statements made concerning
his condition and he took particular pains
to notice him. Witness had also seen him
on the street earlier in the day and knew
he was sober then.
Gertie Rankin, colored. gave evidence in
corroboratlon or What her father had said.
Jennie Meredith, colored, who was in the
house soon after the shooting, told the jury
when she reached there the policeman was
exhausted. He told her that he was nearly
killed, and she thought he was going to
faint.
Lawson Holmes, an elderly colored man.
and others gave evidence, and the officer
made statement, telling of the trouble as
he said it had happened Complaint was
made to him. he said, by A. j. Darden, an
insurance collector, and 1t was for this rea-
son that he went to the house. He told of
the arrest and resistance on part of Shears.
who he said got possession of his club
Shears had him down and was on him
using the club when he fired the shots. He
denied that he lad been drinking The
shots he said he fired to protect his own
life. The jury found that the shots were
fired by the officer in the discharge of his
duty and in protection of his life. The kill
ing the jury said was justihable.