The Van Buren press., 1902-05-17
Crawford County Officers Make an
important CAPTURE.

Crawford County Officers Make an
important Capture.
Considerable excitement was created
Wednesday when word was received
here that P. R, Davis. the well-known
Fort smith Wholesale groceryman. had
been seriously If not fatally cut by a
burglar who had invaded his residence
at an early hour that morning.
The following from the Fort Smith
Times gives graphic account Of
the encounter:
This morning at o. clock PR. Davis
Of Reynolds, Davis & Co. who lives at
22l North Eighth street, was awakened
by a creaking sound made by loose
board in the floor Of his room. He at
once OWNED that there was an intruder
in the room, and grasping his pistol he
got out of bed. Receding footsteps led
him to the bath room, in which he cor
nered dark complexioned man, whom
he took for mulatto. With courage
GUS spirit he Immediately clinched with
the intruder and began beating him
over the head with the revolver. The
negro was the stronger of the two and
forced Mr.. Davis over the edge of the
bath tub, at the same time striking at
him, Mr.. Davis warding off the blows
with his left arm.
"Give up or will shoot you, ex-
claimed Mr.. Davis.
Don't shoot me. oh. don't shoot
me- but the struggle continued with
the force Of desperation. At this juno.
ture Winnie Bray, the white domestic,
who had been in the Davis family for a
dozen years, awakened by the sounds
of the scuflie, turned up the lamp in her
room and went to the assistance Of Mr..
Davis. She didn { scream, or faint, or
collapse In Mysteries, but she began
pummeling the negro with true Anna.
zonian energy. The negro finally, as
stated, turned Mr.. Davis around and
pushed him over the edge of the bath
tub and shot out of the door. Mr.. Davis
followed and as the man went down the
front stairs he shot at him five times
The thief went through the dining room
and out of the dining room door, which
he had left open to make sure OF his re-.
treat. He went around the granitoid
walk south, passed through chicken
screen gate, jumped the fence, and 1,
crossing the yard south, jumped the d..
viding fence between the Davis residence
and the Ernest Warren place and
reached the street through the front
gate. Investigation developed that the
man had been wounded, for all along
the walk were the bloody prints Of a
left shoeless foot and as the whole bot.
tom Of the foot was imprinted upon the
walk II was evident that there was a
copious flow Of blood from the wound.
The inference was that the man had
been most severely wounded, The
blood marks continued from the front
gate OF the Warren house to B street,
along B street TO Third, and there they
ceased, the presumption being that the
man at that point had either bound up
his wound and stopped the flow of blood
or had been met by confederates and
placed in q vehicle.
Strange 10 say Mr.. Davis didn know
he was cut until after the burglar had
|
room. Then he was found to be covered
with blood. Drs Eberle, Southland and
Gardner were summoned and an ex
animation showed that he had number
of ugly cuts on his left arm, stab
wound one and half inches deep just
to the leftof the heart, and which most
fortunately did not penetrate the lung,
aud slash on the left side Just above
the hip. The physicians expressed the
opinion that the wounds were not ne.
cessarily fatal, though complications
might arise.
Later suspicion fell on John viii.
liams, a colored gambler, and In
searching the house where he was liv.
Ing bloody clothing was found there,
confirming the suspicion, But while
the house was being searched Williams
walked past the officers and escaped.
Sheriff Pitcocks Office was notified
and given description and Deputy
Bean Winfrey having got an intimation
that the negro had crossed the river at
Fort Smith, got WI. Martin TO accom-.
pany him and the two left on the 8 AS
train for Cherokee. Before reaching
there, Mr. Martin and Mr., Winfrey
having taken seats on opposite sides OF
the car, Mr., Martin saw q negro by the
side Of the track who filled the descrip.
ton, and they had the train stopped and
walked back and placed the negro under
arrest, A wound through the calf Of
the leg left no doubt that the right party
had been caught, He was brought to
Van Buren, and placed In jail at the dis.
posal Of the Fort Smith officials. When
notified Of the capture by Mr.. Winfrey,
Mr. Davis friends told him TO show
their appreciation that they had subject
to his selection, the best pair Of revolv.
ers TO be found In Fort Smith. Beside
this, rewards had been offered amount.
Ing to 5000, which will 90 to the two
officers.
Chief OF Police Fuller OF Fort Smith
Justice Sam Edmondson and Ben Cru
vens came over Thursday TO arrange Ia
have Williams kept over here until feel.
Ing against him has time TO cool down
~ they feared II taken over there at
once mob violence might DO offered
him.
As y result OF the excitement caused
by the burglary and the temporary es'
cape OF the negro Williams, another
negro, named Carter, WAS shot md
killed by Fort Smith officers Thursday
afternoon IN the Poteau bottoms. The
officers were beating the thicket along