Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1898-04-14
ALMOST MURDERED.
Two Men Who Were Re cklessly As
Coll To-

tween twelve and one O'Clock Sunday
down at the corner of Laurel and Jeffer-
son Streets
Immediately, there were cries of two
men who had been shot, a quickly
gathered crowd and fleeing colored
man. Then the sudden appearance of an
officer, chase, later the bursting in of
an Orange street house, graphing in
the dark of a desperate man, and finally
the arrest and commitment to the lookup
OF the man who had done the shooting.
To intelligently tell the story, one
must go back a week. Must recall the
brawl out near Gouldtown, at what is
known as Buffalo Park, disreputable
beer place, where the toughest citizens
gather. There was fight out there one
week ego Saturday night, between gang
of men and women, and two of the
principals were Daniel Brodwater, a
white man, and William johnson,
colored. The story as told by those who
were present, indicates that while John
son was almost entirely blameless, this
men Brodwater was pretty well pun
melled by the athletic colored man,
Since that time there have been arrests
Of parties concerned in the disgraceful
brawl, and johnson was witness in
Justices Court against some of the
gang.
The hearing and the blows struck DUR
ing the fight, have rank led in the rum
bemuddled head of Brodwater, and for
days he has been going about the town
making all sorts of threats against John
son. The latter is clever colored fellow,
an employee of the Cohansey Glass COM
pany, and has a good reputation. Coun-
Gilman Butler, who is his foreman, speaks
most highly of him.
Broadwater who runs about with a
pretty tough gang, had arranged an in
terestlng program for last Saturday night,
and johnson was to be the victim of an
assault by him and his companions
Saturday night, Johnson, in company
with Thomas Mink went out to the
Gouldtown hall, at the invitation of Con-
stable Peter Custis. There was hg
social there, and Custis was fearful that
the Bridgeton gang might come out and
max % trouble. That's the reason Mink
and johnson were present. The Bridge
ton gang did not come out, and he
two colored men returned to town on the
last car, arriving here about midnight,
possibly little before. They went direct
to the restaurant of Seorium Du Bois for
bowl of oysters. While in the eating
house johnson noticed David Brod water,
Ben Kennedy, Lewden Wentzell, EN-
met Baker, and others outside He
realized that trouble was imminent, and
told Mink he had better go home and
escape getting mixed up in any fuss
Mink went outside and endeavored to
persuade the gang to leave, but they were
thirsting for trouble.
They had it when johnson came out.
AS soon as the colored man left the
restaurant, the Brodwater gang began to
close about him. He felt that there was
danger at hand, and he promptly drew a
revolver. He fired in the air once, and
the partially drunken fellows halted
Then they made another dash toward the
frightened johnson. He Immediately
fired two more shots, and turned to run
through Jefferson street.
Wentzell and Baker cried out that they
were shot, and this seemed to sober the
crowd and nobody felt sufficiently brave
to chase him down. Officer Woodruff
was in back of Hohenstatts Hotel at the
time, quellipg a little disturbance there,
and he hastily ran out in the street. He
was told that two men had been shot, and
when he reached the crowd they pointed
out the direction taken by johnson
Quickly following the colored man, he
went into Orange street to the johnson
home, near the meadows. All was dark
and still. Offer Lore appeared about
this time. ard with the assistance of
George Murphine and William Kinkle.
the front door of the house was broken
into. johnson was just inside, and he
made some show of resistance and was
evidently badly frightened Murphine
had him by the neck in moment, aud
the officers soon took him in custody. In
vestigation revealed that Johnson was
we'll prepared for attack. He had his
pistol and lot of cartridges on the table,
also a gun, and he afterward said he
would have killed any of the crowd had
they attempted him violence. When he
found the officers were after him he did
not want to do any injury. johnson was
taken to the lookup where he remained
until last night about seven O'Clock. when
he was relased upon two hundred dollars
bail for hearing this afternoon.
Councilman Butler became his bonds
man.
Wentzell found after the scrap that he
had been shot in the stomach, the bullet
. touching him lightly, and his wound is