The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-13
WINGED A DESPERATE
ANDERSON POLICE HAVE A LIVELY
SKIRMIsH WITH THIEF.
He Set Fire to the DOxey HOuse-He
Shot Policeman and Was Later
Found Dying of His wounds.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal
ANDERSON, Ind, June IA bold at
tempt was made last night by colored
man to loot the Doxey Hotel. in this city,
and his remarkable escape and nerve have
left Night Sergeant Pritchard, of the po-
lice force, in bed with a bullet through his
leg The attempted robbery was we'll
planned. The thief had got into the sam
pie rooms and taken all of the catches off
the doors, raised the windows and tern off
the screens. He had also removed OBJ
stacles in windows of the closets. He then
went into the basement of the hotel and
started fire. He evidently retired then to
the alley and awaited developments. The
fire created the excitement in the office he
had intended But the night clerk, Mr..
Clark left the Office in charge of Night
Policeman Stratton before going into the
cellar He also caught sight OF the man,
who had entered the office, and put the Of
hCerS on his trail.
The negro went out through his opened
windows and then came in through the clos
cts to make his raid on the safe, but as he
did so he was kept busy lodging bullets.
He turned, and, facing Stratton, shot twice
at Nun, both shots lodging in the easement.
Stratton shot twice at him. The desperate
then hid behind fancy cigar case and the
officers in chase ran through the office and
out again into the alley. He was discovered
by colored porter and then giving up his
attempt to loot the safe, in which there
break for liberty. Covering his face and
presenting his revolver, he dashed past the
porter and following the officers, went out
into the alley, and before they discovered
him he was going toward the river, down
the Ninth-street hill.
The police followed him, and Pritchard,
on a bicycle, attempted to overtake him.
He almost caught up with him at the Ninth
fired point blank at him. He missed and
then turned and ran under the tunnel.
Pritchard dismounted, and the two men,
facing each other at about thirty PAGES,
emptied their revolvers at each other. A
year ago Pritchard had his right arm shat
tered by negro and he had to shoot left
handed. His aim was defective On the
other hand, the stranger seemed to have
the poor shooting eye Of a Spaniard, and
of his shots only one took effect. The ball
entered the officers leg.
The other officers came up as the fellow
was going down into Riverside Park Off
Ger Rodgers took a shot at him he was
going over fence, and he uttered a groan
and dropped. But when the officers arrived
he was missing. The place was surrounded
and they narrowed in, but found nothing.
1t is now thought that he crept along
ditch to the opening of the city sewer into
twenty shots in all were fired. The fire at
the Motel was put out without damage to
the building. Pritchard is under the sur
geon's care. He was just reviving from the
arm torn away by a negro who empted
shotgun into him.
The police got their man tonight. He
was found lying out in the woods bleeding
and both serious. He was very weak but
when he saw the officers he attempted to
shoot them. They covered him, and finally
he threw up his hands and surrendered.
The officers landed him in Jail. He gives his
name as Elisha Smith and his home as Gin
cinnati.