Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-02-21
Apparently Insane Whim Results
in Tragedy in a New
Orleans Hotel.
NEGRO LoDGER IS THE VICTIM
Refuses to Surrender, Shoots at the
Officers and Is Finally Smoked
Out with Sulphur.


for several hours, turing which scores
of shots We're exchanged. Lafayette
Sims, desperate negro, was killed by
the police early yesterday in negro
boarding house situated in South Ram
part street. The room in which he
was besieged had to be set on fire and
the fire department called out before
Sims could be driven from his post.
AS he attempted to escape, still carry
ing his gun, he was shot down. The
body was taken to the morgue with
out any demonstration from a mob of
several thousand negroes who crowded
the vicinity of the tragedy. Intense
excitement. prevailed while the siege
lasted.
Sims Was Good Shot.
The origin ii the trouble was triviaf.
Sims occupied Il room in the boarding
house, in which there We're seven beds.
On retiring Thursday night he locked
the door, and when the landlord early
yesterday morning asked him to open
1t so that another lOdger might he
admitted Sims refused. Then the land
lord sent for the police Efforts to
persuade Sims to open the door failed.
and hole was smashed in it, Through
the aperture Sims shot a pistol out
of one hand and lantern out of the
other of Officer Windstein. who trieN
to enter. Thereupon additional police
We're sent for and the house was sur
rounded.
Afraid They Would Fry Him.
After the additional police had ar
rived on the scene the negro landlord
and an officer again went TO the room
and pleaded with Sims to come out
and surrender.
No, l won't" he answered with an
oath. ''Tll shoot if you don't go away.
l ann not going to leave here. They'll
burn me in oil. They'll fry me-"
Sims had piled some of the furniture
in the room against the door. and was
prepared to fight for his life. As the
landlord and the officer retreated the
desperate fired at them without do
ing any damage All efforts to induce
the prisoner to surrender having
proved abOrtive Superintendent Jour
nee decided that there was nothing TO
he done but to smoke the negro out.
An alarm was turned in and portion
of the fire department brought to the
scene
Smoked Out and Shot to Death.
A quantity of cotton. oil and sulphur
was sent for. the cotton was rolle0
into balls and saturated with oil. Il
match applied and the blazing sub
stance hurled into the room. every av-
enue of escape being guarded by po-
lceman. The furniture in the room
caught quickly. filling the place with
smoke and flame. Sims hung on to his
hiding place until he was nearly sur
focated, and then made break to es-
cape. As he appeared at the door Pa
trolman Fred Smith fired at him. The
negro staggered. mOrtally wounded. In
stantly other policemen fired on him.
He had scarcely fallen to the floor
when he was dead.
Had Captured a Pistol.
The firemen ran a lead of hose into
the building and eXtinguished the
flames and the body was dragged out
and driven through a lane of excited
negroes to the\police station. Exam
ination of the room following the
tragedy showed that Sims had gotten
possession of Officer Winstein's re-
vOlver after shooting it from his hands.
ravenousIy on me 'tfnder-Iike material
of the lower floor. had completely cut
off escape. There followed Il stampede
for the windows. the only means or
exist left.
The street below was now filled with
a crowd scarcely less frantic than the
{lespairing ones in the fast-burning
building. 1T was like Dore picture
of inferno sprung to life" said one
spectator. in describing the scene. The
flames. looking red from reflection
against the snow. lit up the pale.
drawn faces of the people in the WIN
dows with glow that was unearth-
.Iy." The victims were literally driven
by the flames to jump. Nearly every
one of them fingered 10 the last mo-
ment, urged by the people below TO
wait as long as possible in the hope
of assistance.
Then a cry would tell that the fire
had reached them. or the smoke had
made it impossible to breathe. anc
one after another jumped. some to the
street. and some more fortunate. to
the roofs of buildings adjoining. In
short space of time the street was filed
with men and women. bruised. bat
tered. broken-limbed apd half-craZed.
All were in their night garments. In
an hour st. Luke's hospital contained
fifteen injured. while many more.
chiefly those who had escaped with
comparatively slight hurts. were be
ing cared for in buildings near the
scene of the disaster. Some who
jumped owe their lives to the fact that
their falls were broken by telegraph
wires which interposed in their down
ward flight.
A number Of the guests who We're
Continued on Page Eight.