El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-09
KiIlinu OF John Woods.

that officer Joe Rogers bad shot and
killed John Woods, notorious dive
keeper of Juarez.
The scene OF the killing was at the
back or side gate of the deceased mans
property on Mesa Avenue, very near
the door of the Episcopal church.
For two or three years back Woods
has been keeping dive on the other
side of the river. He had to move out
of Ell PasO because the police were
making il too hot for him, so he moved
over to Juarez and had been doing
business there.
He still lived on this side of the river
or at least called FL Paso his home.
Last night after leaving Juarez in an
intoxicated condition he was driven to
this side in the hack of Billy Davis,
and instead of going on home as he
usually does he got out down town.
Reports OF the affair start when
Woods was in the rear OF one OF the
San Antonio street saloons getting
drink with some friends. He began to
quarrel in the Palace saloon with Joe
Miller, who works in that place, and
they went out on the side walk and
continued the rowing. They went
from there down to the Silver King;
after stopping there on the sidewalk
for few minutes they went on further
down the street and sat down on some
empty boxes.
Officer Rogers came along behind
them fearing that trouble was going to
come, and sat down on the door sill of
the saloon near the two men. Present
| ly Miller got up from the box and went
in the saloon, supposedly for glass OF
| water. He signaled for the policeman
to follow, which Rogers did, and while
inside Miller told Rogers that Woods
| was armed and had tried to pull pis-
toll on him in the Palace, but was pre-
vented from doing so.
Policeman Rogers went out on the
sidewalk to disarm Woods, but he was
gone. On looking down the street he
saw him going around the corner and
up Mesa avenue. He followed Woods,
and after getting near him called to
him twice, but Woods kept on going
and finally Rogers caught up with him
near the front of the church. He stop
ped Woods and told him
that he wanted his gun, where
upon Woods jumped around, and pull
ed his gun, cooking it at the same
time. The policeman had a large black
walnut walking stick with him and to
keep from shooting he tried sto knock
| Woods down with that, but the stick
broke over Woods's head. The officer.
seeing that the blow had no effect, had
to shoot Woods in self defence. The
gun used by the officer was OF 30 cali
Der.
After having shot Woods, Woods
| being down, the officer blew his whls-
tie, which together with the shot, attrac
ted the attention of Policeman George
Coles. That officer was the first to ap-
pear Oh the scene: on coming up he
found Woods dead and Policeman RO-
gers waiting for a policeman to sur
render to. After little while Night
Captain Taylor came up and asked a
few questions: he refused to disarm
Rogers and told him to appear this
morning for an examination. Officer
Rogers then went on about his business
and finished the night at work as an
officer.
| The body of the dead man Was turn.
ed over to Undertaken Ross and this
morning at eight O'Clock the inquest
was held over the body at the under
takers; Justice DarwoOd presiding.
The inquest resulted in verdict that
the dead man was John Woods and that
he came to his death from the effects
of shot fired from q pistol in the
hands OF Police Officer Rogers.
The officer was examined this morn
ing at @ o'clock before Justice Oar
wood. George Harvey and j. Good
Represented the state, and Charti Pat
terson and John Storms represented
the defendant.
The first witness called by the court
was Joe Miller, the man who had
given the officer the information that
Woods was arme and who was rowing
| with Woods before he was killed. Al
ter having been sworn. he said:
81 met John Woods last night about
lIl:3O in the Palace saloon. We were
both drinking and we got to rOwing
some; we went out of the Palace on the
sidewalk and started on down San An
tonic street and stopped in front of the
Silver King. Then we went on down
to the Acme. We were talking Of
something he had told me about, and
he kept acting as if he had a gun. We
sat down or some boxes in front of the
Acme saloon. Then l got up and
went inside to get a glass
Iof water: went in the
door first and Mr.. Rogers came right
behind me- 1 told him that Woods
} had a gun, then he went out of the
went back out on the side walk. They
were both gone when l got there.
started on down the street toward.
Mesa Avenue and when l got to the
corner | saw flash and heard the
shot and l ran over to the place where
it was. When l got near Policeman
Rogers called out to me, "JOe, is that
IyOu? Come here and see this man;
think ne is dead l went up close anC
, there was Woods lying on his bach
with mis- feet towards the street and
/ his head near the fence. He wa
seemingly dead. | started to pick VI
the sixshooter, when Rogers said
Don't fool with that: wait till some
policeman comes"
Then the prosecution began to eros:
examine the witness but nothing new
was developed in the cross examina
too.
: Officer George Coles was the mex
; witness called, as he was the first of
ficer on the spot after the shooting. AT
ter being sworn, he said:
ST was in trout of Charman's ciga
store when 1 heard the shot and l wen
. off in the direction of the shot as fas
, as l could run. l guess l must hav'
, got there about three minutes after i
,, was fired, and found the dead man lay
ing there on the sidewalk and Police
, man Rogers near by" Witness SAID
, further that on his arriving there
Rogers told him that he hat
tried to get Woods gun away from hin
and had hit Woods over the head will
lii ial1 nd ho