Evening star., 1897-01-09
EXC H A N GED SHOTS
Night Clerk and Burglar Fight I
Duel.
Mr. Trodden's Narrow Escape From
Death-The Burglar Is Still
at Large.

The burglar who shot two holes in the
helmet of Policeman Pearson at lexington
early yesterday morning was initiated this
morning by colored burglar, who was
caught In the act of making wholesale
haul of silverware at the Hotel Jefferson,
corner of Louisiana avenue and 9Th street
northwest. John 8. Trodden, night clerk
at the hotel, Is the man who had the un-
comfortable experience with the burglar,
and there are two bullet holes in his hat
as the result of the combat. The affair
happened about 2 o'clock, and caused con-
siderable excitement. The hotel is a new
one, handsomely fitted. and the new silver
ware was what the burglar wanted. In the
cafe on the first floor is where the clerk
and burglar met, and where they ex-
changed pistol shots. There are street
doors on both Louisiana avenue and 9Th
street, and pedestrians on both streets
could easily have seen the buffet from
which the colored burglar had taken q
quantity of silverware and piled 1t on the
floor, preparatory to taking it away. Then,
too, the hotel is only a few hundred feet
from police headquarters. This made the
burglars conduct all the more daring.
1t was about 1 o'clock in the morning
when Mr.. Cannon, friend OF the nlght
clerk left the hotel to go home, and then
the clerk tried all the doors and windows
on the first floor. He found them all Sc
cure, and about thirty minutes after MS
1FlenQ naQ gone lTOuueIi went uo"h0
stairs to the boiler room to lcok after the
fire. His duties in the boiler room detained
him possibly fifteen minutes, and while
there he heard what appeared to be sus-
picious noise on the ground floor. He re-
NAMED quiet for few seconds, and, con-
Guiding that the noise had been made by
the shrinking of the new timber used IN
the office, he resumed his work ABOUT tne
boiler. Presently he heard another NOISE,
much louder than the first. and then ne
concluded he would go up and make 1ull
investigation. Ascending the steps, he soon
reached The office, where he found every
thing in order, and then he proceeded to
the door between the office and cafe. In the
latter room he saw a big colored man, In
a STOPPING position, before the buffet. ana
On the floor near him was the pile Of silver
ware. including knives, forks, spoons and
soup tureens.
What are you doing there?" asked the
much surprised clerk.
A bullet sent in the direction Of his head
was the only response, and this was fol-
lowed by a second bullet. The clerk, who
was also armed leveled his weapon at the
fleeing colored man. and fired two shots.
but so far as is known the pieces of lead
went wide of their mark Out through the
open door on 9th street the colored man
rushed and soon disappeared. When the
colored burglar had gone Mr.. Trodden dis
covered what a narrow escape from death
he had made. One of the bullets had pass
ed through the crown Of his fedora hat.
and the hat had been scorched because of
the short range at which the firing had
been done. Policemen Elliott and Whalen,
wlo were on duty in the vicinity of the
hotel, were called in, and the premises
were carefully examined. The entrance
had been effected by means of a duplicate
key. Used in the 9th street door. Mr. Trod-
den Is certain that the door had been fast
ened, for he tried it shortly before he went
down to the boiler room. Later in the
morning Detective Boyd and Precinct De-
tective Hartigan called at the hotel and
heard Mr.. TroddenS account of the eXcit-
ing encounter with the burglar. He de-
scribed the burglar as big black man,
but could not give any further description
OF him, for he had seen him under such
exciting circumstances, and then only for
a short time.
Although four shots were fired only one
had been fred from the clerks revolver.
This bullet had struck the floor and glanced
and was found where 1t had dropped ON
the carpet. hole in the wall near where
the clerk was standing indicated where one
of the bullets from the colored mans pis-
tol had struck, but no trace of the other
bullet could be found. Speaking of the
affair to a Star reporter Mr.. Trodden said
1t was jus. about 2 o'clock when the shoot
ing occurred. He told of having heard the
suspicious noise and at the time he con-
cluded to go upstairs and make an inves-
tigation. He realized that the noise was
made by the rattling of the silver. The
silverware that had been piled on the floor
the burglar had taken from the buffet, and
it was worth considerable money. Before
firing the shots at him the burglar did not
say word The detectives are investi-
eating the case but as they have not
good description of the man they hardly
hope they will be able to get him.
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