Evening star., 1897-07-26
ALMOST A TRAGEDY
Play Of Two Youths Today Ends in
Sorrow and Suffering.
ONEIN CELL, fHE OTHERINHOSPITAL
James Crawford is Stabbed by
William M. SwindeIIs.
THE STORIES CONFLICT

Skylarking between two young men who
| have been intimate chums for several
years nearly ended in a tragedy at the
| Center Market shortly after 10 o'clock
! this morning. William NJ. Swindc,s Of
| 12S 11tn street northeast has been working
| for j. K. Mangum. the produce dealer for
several years, and James Crawford of l.
street between 18th and 14th streets north
east has been similarly employed by Will
| lam A. Thompson, the fruit dealer, whose
stand in the E street wing of Center Mar
ket adJoiIs Mangum's. Both youths have
always been understood to entertain a
warm regard for each other. Their amuse-
mehts nave been the same; they have been
inseparable companions, and nothing
pleased them better than to play pranks
| on each other
This morning was a dull one in market.
ard the boys concluded to make some lem
| onade, Crawford according to Mr. Man
gum, his employer, furnishing the sugar
and Swindells the lemons The latter
had large sharp knife with which he bad
cut the lemons and with his cou,panion
WAS out ON b street. The market dealers
sIy they were cutting up, playing as they
,iMays dld. Sw1ndells started into the
stand, and hearing Crawford coming he
nlhd turned and held the knife out. At
that moment Crawford had miscaieyousIv
strtck at Swindeils. The movement of
the dow, it is said, brought his nody for
ward and the keen knife entered Craw
lord breast just below the shoulder.
"a great stream of blood gushed out end
Gla"lord ;,llss'' 10Y fell with scream. There was
iiiiieoidtely great excitement among the
marhetmen, and a big crowd gathered
SW1hdeHs, utterly Mortified at the result of
.ne Playing, sank a bench and burst
n,, r' - -, tears. oiiicer Hooper was quickly
oi the scene and arrested SwindelIs and
seht crawford to the Emergency HosnitaI
AL 'he Irst precinct patrol wagon.
swindclls Tells His Story.
S"lndells was seen Immediately after the
occurrence in his cell at the first precinct
station house. His eyes were Redeemed hv
tears. and he shook like an aspen.
we nave always been good friends and
never mad any trouble" he said, between
MS sops we had been talking about go
ing down to Colonial Beach together and
S,a Me s9t 10 skylarking, as We most always
uia. started into the market with the
open knife in my hand, and half turned as
went through the door, Jim had struck
at me, but didn't know it, and the knife
went INTO him. Oh, it's awful; it's awful"
What the Marketmen Say.
Ihe Star reporter, leaving the station,
went directly to the market, where a group
OF market dealers were deploring the acci-
dent. There was a universal opinion that
1T was nothing else than an accident
Ihey are both good boys said Mr.
Mangum, "and they were continually cut
tlng up with each other. Crawford has
been with me six years, and Swindells was
ms constant companion"
-. II m more. than sorry" said Mr.. W. A.
thompson. "They were mighty good
vTyar sly 10, ,.lrf rf,,rr
1t was terrible accident because l am
convinced there was nothing but the most
friendly feeling between them"
Officer I. F. Sullivan, the policeman on
duty at the market said he had seen the
boys playing together few moments be-
fore the occurrence, and had laughed at
their pranks.
There was general regret among the deal
ers over the event. as both principals are
very popular in the section where they
worked.
Extent of the Wound.
When Crawford's wound was examined at
the Emergency Hospital it was found that
he had sustained an ugly cash in the right
shoulder, but high enough up to escape
the lungs. The knife had gone in between
the muscles of the neck and shoulder to a
depth of about one and one-half inches,
and had made a clean cut of perhaps three
inches in length. Luckily for Crawford the
the shoulder, but 1t did sever a large super
ficial vein, and but for the promptest kind
of skilled attention at the hospital, he
would have bled to death in short time.
AS 1t was, everything with which he came
in contact was covered with the crimson
fluid, and the operating room at the hos
pital presented the appearance of a slaugh-
ter house. DR.. Bahr, one Of the physicians
at the hospital, performed the necessary
operation of tying the veins which had
been cut, and, after the wound had been
bandaged, Crawford was put to bed.
Gives n Different Version.
Crawford tells quite different story of
the affray from that furnished by Swim
CELLS. He says that there has been quite
a little bad feeling between himself and
Swindells for some time, and that the cut
ting this morning was the climax to
quarrel which he had with the latter over
some sugar. He tasted some of the sugar
which Swindells had at his stall, and in
banterng tone said that it was no good.
Swindells then picked up the potato knife,
according to Crawford, and said that he
would stick 1t into him. Crawford told him
to go.ahead,' and after some few words, he
said, Swndells did go ahead with a ven
geance. Crawford did not know that he
had been stabbed until he started to run
and the knife fell out of the wound. He
says he struck at Swindells during one part
OF the argument. While Swindells says
CAAdl SidWAoIo IdH dSdlIiS the Iuere-
by infiicting the wound upon himself, the
latter says that that sort of talk is all
bosh. and that Swindells intended from the
first to cut him.
Crawford's wound is not dangerous and
not even serious with the proper kind of
care He will in all probability be able to
attend court tomorrow morning, when he
will appear against Swindells on charge
of assault with intent to kill.
SIGNS OF BETTER TIMES.