The times., 1899-06-13
THE POLICE DISTURB
SMOKERS OF OPIUM
A Citizen Runs Amuck With
a Revolver.
Major Sylvester Conducts an In
vestigatiOn.
Men Drown Reality in the
Drug of Dreams.

amuck with revolver, which he fred at
Intervals, and policeman in citizens
clothes, minus his coat, in hot pursuit,
was witnessed by frequenters of an opium
den in Four -anda-half Street. above
Pennsylvania Avenue. northwest and per-
sons in the neighborhood last Friday at
ternoon. The principals to the affair were
the son of a well known merchant in
Pennsylvania Avenue and Policeman OPP
penheimer of the Fifth precinct. The
proprietor of the opium den is William,
better know as Billy McGovern. His
place is well known to opium smokers in
this and other cities While there were
vague rumors concerning the trouble afoat
Friday night, nothing definite could be
learned concerning it until last night, as
every effort was made to keep the matter
quiet.
| Now the matter is public property and
the greater part of the details concerning
it are in the hands of Major Sylvester. He
was informed of the matter shortly after
| the occurrence and at once ordered an in
vestigation, which is even now in prog
ress. The result of the investigation will
not be made known until after Saturday.
| be brought up before Trial officer Pugh
| on charges and even before that time sew
eral arrests may be male in connection
with the affair.
AS soon as Major Sylvester was made
cogniZant of the facts in the case he or
! dered that warrants be secured for the
! arrest of the parties concerned in the
! trouble and for Billy" McGovern. The
police have been endeavoring to serve the
warrants but 1t would appear that the
persons wanted have left the city, as at
/ late hour last night no one had been taken
| into custody.
The trouble referred to occurred in the
| opium den conducted by McGovern, which
was. until last Friday, located in dingy
looking building on the east side of Four
and-a-half Street northwest, just above
! Pennsylvania Avenue. 1t had been in eX-
| istence for long time, and was known
| TO be a resort for opium smokers of all
! classes. The den was situated in a rear
room on the top floor of the building.-
pair Of narrow steps led up to it. The
! place was quietly conducted and well pa
tronized. There was nothing about the
| exterior which would indicate what was
| going on inside. Persons supposed to be
| eminently respectable and persons who
! were known not to be respectable fire.
quented the place. AS rule order pre-
vailed and the police have had no trouble
| with it.
In fact, while there have been complaints
made about the place on one or two occa-
| sions there was never sufficient disorder
there TO warrant raid until Friday. Then
/ there was SO much excitement and general
| disorder that the reserve of the Sixth pre-
cinct was called out to quell what they i'm
agined was a riot with at least one IL not
number Of fatalities. Rumor had it that a
fight had been in progress during which
policeman and citizen had clashed and
| fired at each other with intent to kill and
that the witnesses to the shooting had
| taken hand causing the fight to become
general. 1t was further stated that one
man had been killed and others wounded
The shooting was plainly heard in the
| street, and a large crowd had congregated
about the place when the police arrived.
| An investigation was at once made with
the result that it was found that the ru-
mors CT death and wounding were ground
/ less. 1t developed. however. that a revol-
Yer had been fired and that Policeman On
penheimer had pursued the man who did
the shooting.
The excitement and disorder created by
the shooting was OF such a character as
to warrant the police in closing I'D the
opium den and warning the proprietor TO
get out. He complied willingly, as did the
man who did the shooting, and all the
others who were in the place at the time
]
to did not wait to be ordered away but
skipped out when the trouble began. At
all events no arrests were made. and il was
thought that the matter would be hushed
up.
When the report of the matter was made
by Lieutenant Kelly, of the Sixth precinct
to Major Sylvester he sent for Policeman
Oppenheimer and asked for a statement re-
garding his part in the affair. Open
neimer did not deny that he was in Nc
Governs place, but claimed that he went
there to obtain an umbrella which was his
property, He stated that he had loaned
the umbrella to a friend over a month
previous and had made several efforts to
reobtain possession of IT.. He failed to To-
cate 1t until he was informed by the tor-
rover that it was at the opium den. Op-
penheimer claims that it was to obtain
the umbrella that he visited the place. His
version of the affair was that while in the
place he had occasion TO remove his coat
and go into a room adjoining that in
which he left the garment. While lie was
in the room the citizen referred to got
possession of oppenheimer's revolver, and
being in an intoxicated condition took de-
light in discharging it. 0ppenheimer
heard the shots and rushing into the room
aimed to obtain possession of it. The ciu-
zen fed down the stairs and the policeman
pursued him.
| Inc noise OF lne shooting ana the sight
of the policeman in pursuit of a fleeing
man armed with revolver was the occa-
sion for the widest kind of excitement
and a number of persons attracted TO the
scene had different versions of the affair
which had been going on inside and what
led up to it. Word was sent to the Sixth
precinct stationhouse, and a much eXag-
gerated account of the affair was given
The result was that the police patrol was
hurried out and a squad OF policemen de-
spatched in it to the scene of the shooting
When the police arrived they found a
larger crowd than had been described. but
were gratifled to find that while there had
been shooting no one was injured. They
then pursued the course re,ated above.
Major Sylvester was seen last night in
reference to the matter. and stated that he
was making thorough investigation of It,
He had in the first place a greatly exag-
gerated account OF the affair. and was
pleased to learn upon enquiry that it had
not been more serious.
The major stated that he had talked
with Policeman Oppenheimer. and learned
from him the facts stated above. Open
heiner he said. though recent acquisi-
ton to the force, was regarded as a good
officer. and bore excellent reputation.
He said the man had come to him particu-
larly well recommended. The fact that
notwithstanding the reputation OF Open
heimer, Major Sylvester had ordered an in
yestigation and trial after hearing the
statement of the man would indicate that
he has not accepted the statement made,
and is not willing to until he has all the