The morning times., 1896-08-24
+PMMER GIVES HIMSELF UP
Murderer Of 0nie Sloan Now
- Behind the Bars.
SHOT IN SELF DEFENSE
Raid. q CoIored Man Fifty Cents to
Drive Him to the Station House.
Tells the Story of the Shooting and
His sdlSsqdent Wanderings-Both
Men Were Single.

aNShuC anu stIttl
southwest, Saturday night, surrendered him
seltto the policeauthorities yesterday after
noon at $50 O'Clock.
Officer Shannon, of No. precinct, was
standing at the corner OF FLORIDA avenue
and Seventh street when lie saw a covered
buggy approaching from the Brightwood
road, at the northern Terminus OF Seventh
street. The driver u colored man, stopped
the horse ON the opposite side OF the street
and came over to Shannon. He told the
officer that the man still in the buggy
-wantet- surrender himself for killing
a man. Shannon Immediately coujecturcd
that the man in the buggy was the person
wanted for the killing OF Sloan, SO he lost
no time in crossing the street and placing
him under arrest.
The officers conjecture was correct,
for. when he took his prisoner to the sta
tion, he gave his name as John Palmer,
sa wing that 1t was he who had shot Sloan
Palmer tells Il straightforward story. and
his statements substantiate, in the main.
the story as published in The Times ycster-
day morning. To Times reporter, who
interviewed him in his cell at No. sta
tion, Palmer told the following story:
lie III S1onI
sloan, Guy Bethel, and myself came
from Conneisviile, Pa, where we had
been WORKING three or four weeks on a
gravel train on the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad. welert there because work was
dull and came here Saturday afternoon.
Just before We crossed the bridge we left
some clothes In a saloon at Jackson City.
All three OF Us then Cane TO Washington
and went Gown near where l shot Sloan.
'Sloan had a sweater with him. He
wanted some money, SO tod him l would
loan him % cents if he would let ne keep
his sweater until he paid me back the
quarter. He said all right and / gave
him the quarter. Then he went into a
house In an alley Il oGse alleyD, whero he
spent the money and came out again
He came up to me and told NE to give
hi III The sweater, / said: Not until you
Civ me my quarter Then We Commenced
to quarrel 1 guess We kept it up for
fifteen minutes, when Sloan pulled n
pistol. fired at me, the ball hitting me
in the left jaw. Then l out with my
gun and shot him in the head When
l saw him fall to the ground got scared
and run. / didn't run because l wanted
10 Stt ava iut
was scared for what 1 had done"
e~' -PALMERs FLIGHT.
Palmer's accuunt of his flight is rather
indefinite, as he is not acquainted with
the city. bIt he evidently ran into Marble
Hall alley through the Nall, thence on to
b street, at its juncture with Pennsylvania
avenue, where he was grapplei by Richard
Smithson. a private watchmaI, but broke
away from his grasp. Then he wentthrnugh
an alley" to Missouri avenue until he
reached the Bota niCal Gardens. where
he turned down Third street into Maryland
avenue, and then into the Capitol grounds.
By this time he was entirely free Of
pursuers, so he walked through the grounds
TO the Baltimore and Ohio railroad tracks
Here he laid down near some freight cars
and went to sleep. He woke up with the
rain. and decided to follow the track lead
ing north OF his journey after that Palmer
says:
II walked from o'ciock till about =
when l came TO a colofed mans house, and
told him that wanted something o eat.
He asked how / got hurt, and told him
what I had done. He says:
lyon ha better 90 back and give your
self up"
II says: If You will take me back
I'll give you fifty cents. He said he wonid
ani I gave him the money. don't tnow
his name nor where he lives-I only know
that he lives ont that way n good p,ece,'
pointing toward the northeast.
DO you feel sorry for shooting sloan?''
asked the reporter.
Yes: l feel sorry" Palmer replied.
but had to kill him or he would have |
killed me-"
N SELF LF-DEFENsE.
It would seem from Palmer's story and |
the story of Bethel, locked up at station |
No. as a witness, that the shooting was |
in selfdefense.
Two shots We're undoubtedly fired. as |
both men declare, for one entered sioan's |
head, while the other IN itie a cash in Palm |
er's left jaw. 1t is scarcely probable that |
Palmer shot himself. for the bullet hole |
would Indicate that the shot had entered |
from a pistol in some other mans band. |
But the question arises, if Sloan SHOT |
Palmer in the jaw, where is S!oan's pis- |
tol? The officers have Palmer's weapon, !
IL 3S-caliber bulldog. but they have been |
unable to nud a trace OF sloan's pistol, |
which Palmer says Sloan bought in Con- |
nelisrille Bethel backs Palmer TIP in this /
statement also. Some one-of the bysta nd |
ers must have picked up the pistol, as it |
la on the street and carried IL off There |
is but one discharged shell in Paimer's
gun.
The man. John Phillips, who is con-
fined at No. 6 station, Palmer says,
grabbed him by the wrist as he was
through Marble Hall alley and
gave aid 10 him in escaping from his pur-
suers. He had never seen the man be-
fore, he stated.
Palmer is OF medium build. about five
feet eleven inches tall. and OF y br0wnish
He lis unmarried, and gives his
age as twenty-five. His home is in
Brunswick county, Va.
The dead maB..,ihe prisoner says. is
also single. They had not met before
they were working On the gravel train
Up to the time of the killing nc quarrel
some words had passed between them.
Palmer will be held at No. 3 station
10 await the. result OF the corcner's in
quest at the Sixth precinct morsue today
At O'Clock. Or. Hammett, the coroner
will CONDUCT the inquest.
Fought Over Bottle of Beer.
An alley betyeen First and l. streets |