The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-21
HIS ROOM A FORT
SIMS, A NEGRO. HELD 1T WITH
READY REVOLVER.
STOOD POLICE FORCE OFF
UNTIL HE WAS SMOKED OUT AND
SHOT DOWN.

Lafayette Sims Took Room In a
New Orleans Negro Lodging
HOuse-Wben the landlord want
ed to Put Another Ledger i'm the
Room Sims Wouldn't Open the
DOOr-The Police Were Sent For,
and He began Firins-The Row
Ended in Sims Death.
New Orleans, Feb. 20.-After holding
half a hundred policemen at bay for
several hours. during which scores of
shots were exchanged, Lafayette Sims
desperate negro, was killed by the
police early to-day in negro boarding
house on South Rampant street.
The room in which he was besieged
had to be set on fire. and the fire de-
partment called out before Sims could
be driven from his post. AS he at
tempted to escape, still carrying his
gun, he was shot down. The body was
taken to the morgue without any dem
onstration from a mob of several
thousand negroes who crowded the vi
cinity of the tragedy.
The origin of the trouble was trivial.
0iHo ONadbiNu a lOOAAi Al NiiN NiiA6
house in which there were seven beds.
On retiring last night he locked the
door, and when the landlord early this
morning asked him 30 open the door SO
that another ledger might be admitted,
Sims refused. Then the landlord sent
for the police. Efforts to persuade
Sims to open the door failed, and a
hole was smashed in it.
Sims Began shooting.
Through the aperture Sims began
shooting. One bullet knocked a pistol
| from the fingers of officer Windstein,
and a second shattered the lantern
which the officer carried. ThereuDon
! additional policemen were sent for.
and the house surrounded.
When reinforcements had arrived.
tie negro landlord and an officer
again went to the room and pleaded
with Sims to come out and surren-
! der.
! NO, | won't" he answered with an
\ oath. I'm shoot If you don't go away;
| am not going to leave here. They'll
| burn me In oil. They'll fry me-"
Sims piled some furniture In the
room against the door and was pre-
pared to tight As the lanlord and the
officer retreated the desperate fred
at them, without doing any damage.
1 All efforts TO induce the negro to
surrender having proved ineffective,
/ Superintendent ,Iournee decided that
! there was nothing to be done but TO
smoke him out. An alarm was turned
| in, and portion of the fire depart
/ ment brought to the scene.
They smoked Him Out.
A quantity of cotton. oil and sulphur
was sent for, the cotton rolled into
balls and saturated with oil, match
applied and the blazing substance hurl-
ed into the room, every avenue of es-
cape being guarded. The furniture IN
the room caught quickly. filling the
place with smoke and flame.
Sims hung on to his hiding place I'M
til he was nearly suffocated, and then
made a break to escape. AS he APP
peared at the door, Patrolman Fred
Smith fired at him. The negro stag
gered, MORALLY wounded. Instantly
other policemen fired on him, and he
fell dead.
The firemen extingushed the flames,
and the body was dragged out and
taken through a lane of excited negroes
to the police station.
Examination of the room, following
the tragedy, showed that Sims had got
possession of officer Windstein's re-
volver after shooting 1t from his hands.