The times., 1898-07-02
SERIOUS SHOOTING AFrRAY.


/
Two Persons Wounded by Revolver
.---4 Shot
A serious shooting affray resulting in
injuries to James Hardy, a white boy,
and Walter Brooks. colored man. took
place yesterday afternoon on d Street
near Tenth. Brooks Is but slightly wound
ed but the boy is in the Emergency Hos
ptal and his condition is regarded as
serious.
The circumstances of the shooting. as
gathered from a number of witnesses. are
that Brooks made assault with pen
knife on Edward l.. Springmann. the ex-
pressman. who has an office on ID Street
in the Hutchins Building. 1t is said
that Brooks, chased Springmann into his |
office and that the latter to defend himself |
secured a revolver from his desk and |
turning on the colored man fired four |
shots.
1t was at a time when the street was |
crowded with newsboys and some of them
were in the doorway of Springman's Of |
flee. Among them was Hardy, who Is
employed by the expressman to take
| newspapers TO Camp Alger. Hardy heard
revolver. AS ne did SO he received one
! shot in his hip and fell to the ground
CRYING II am shot! Oh, I'm dying"
| Another shot hit Brooks in the hip
| He endeavored to get away but was cap
| tured by w. p. Leech, who hurried into
| the office.
| A large crowd gathered and Policeman
| Hartman and Yoe were quickly on the
/ scene They at once hurried the hOV TO
| the Emergency Hospital, while Spring
mann was taken to No. l police station.
| Brooks was also taken to the hospital.
but released by the physicians and locked
| up at the station as his injury was not
| considered in the least serious. Coroner
Carr, who is the visiting surgeon at the
hospital, was summoned and probed for
the bullet in Hardys hip. but was una
Bile to secure it The Lad became very
| weak from shock and loss of blood and
| IL was decided to postpone any further
attempt at an operation. Coroner Carr
said last evening that Hardy was
riously injured. but he could not say
that the injury was necessarily fatal 1t
| was believed that the ball had taken a
downward course, but this was not GER
tain. When 1t was seen that Brooks's
injury was only superficial. he was placed
in patrol wagon and conveyed to the
station. where he was locked up.
1t was noticed that Springmann had a
slight wound in his neck and blood had
flowed down upon his collar. He ex-
planned that this was nick made by the
point of the knife held by Brooks. AS
yet the knife has not been found. but
there are witnesses who declare the col
ored man had one and tried to use II.
James Maupin stated to a Times reporter
that he saw Brooks when ne lunged for
ward with knife in has nand and at
| tempted to cut Springmann. He was GER
tain that he saw a knife in his hand.
William Gottschalk, who keeps a cigar
store at No. zoos Pennsylvania Avenue
was another witness. He was in the Of
flee at the time of the shooting and said
that he the colored man plunge his
hand al Springmann. 81 did not see A
| knife, though he might nave had one.
| said Gottschalk.
Sprngmann decided last night to give
a Times reporter an account of the oc-
eurrence and remarked that IL the
only statement that he had made OF the
affair.
Brooks was standing in front of the
! office and ! demonstrated with him about
crowding the doorway" he said.s HE
buys papers TO sell in the Pension Office.
I told him ne ought not 10 crowd around.
but should take his turn with the others.
This seemed TO anger him and he moved
toward me. i stepped backward into the
office. and as ! did so he came at ME, re-
marking, - - -. I'll cut your d-n
throat At the same time he plunged
the knife at me and the point just prick
ed my neck Thinking he was again COM
ing after me. grabbed my revolver and
! shot at him. I hardly knew that l had
shot the boy. The poor little fellow
Why. he was one of my own boys and I
wouldn't have had anything happen TO
him for anything in the world
. Policeman Hartman said: 81 was in the
doorway of the adjoining office when
: heard the shots, ! rushed into Spring
mann's office just as the ooy fell and
: Springmann was firing the last two shots.
/ | They came right across my face and
Springmann inquired II didn't hit you.
did I. Hartman? That fellow tried to
r ! kill me-"
After an investigation two charges of
/ | assault to kill were lodged against Spring
mann. The question of bail was brought
: | up by friends. but owing to the serious
condition Of the boy 1t was decided to
5 wait until the case came up in the Police
' Court this morning.
= Lieut. Amiss said last night. after an
/ | inquiry, that the policemen will probably
: lodge a charge against Brooks
q | Mrs. Hardy. mother of the injured boy
| lives at 66t Massachusetts Avenue north
a | east. She went to the Emergency Hos
. | pital last night and saw her son. who was
: able to give quite clear account of the
| occurrence. He appeared very weak. but
n the pnySlclanS nau every nope OF MS re-
: covery. To his mother the lad said: MIR.
Springmann had to shot at Brooks as the
i latter was trying TO kill him with a
| knife"
/ Mr.. Springmann has a desk in the
Hutchins Building in a room occupied by
the circulation Departments. He has made
d himself unpopular with a certain class of
3 negroes by protecting small boys from
: them during the rush for papers.
y He is the proprietor of Springmann' s
:. Express and bears an excellent reputa-
n I ton.
$ When Camp Alger was first established
g and supplies for the soldiers were lin
: tied he volunteered to deliver free any do
a nations that might be made. 1t was
r largely through his instrumentality that
: the sick soldiers received their first con-
a signment of ice.
u