Evening star., 1903-09-01
INVOLVED IN "A ROW
WILLOW TREE ALLEY RILED BY
AN OFFICERS VISIT.
Officer and His Assistant Hurt and a
Woman Shot-Police Court
Sequel.

Policeman James H,t Fletcher Of the
fourth precinct, after placing Mary Her.
bert, colored. under arrest In Willow Tree
alley southwest yesterday afternoon, was
set upon by the denizens of the alley, who
inflicted upon him serious internal injuries
James Springman, the expressman of South
Capitol and u streets, who went to the
officers aid, was also badly beaten. and
for nearly an hour the officer and Mr..
Springman were at the mercy of a mob of
about 200 persons, and were pelted with
rocks and stones Fletcher's revolver and
baton were taken from him. Five of the
participants. after a hard struggle, were
arrested by the reserves from the fourth
precinct. who rescued Springman and
Fletcher from their assailants They were
taken to the Emergency Hospital for treat
ment, as was also Mary Herbert, who was
shot with the officers revolver during the
mixup
Four Of the rioters were tried before
Judge Scott Of the Police Court this morn
Ing, the conviction of three followed and
the small fine Of $50 was imposed on each.
with the alternative of spending three
months In jail as the equivalent. The
fourth defendant, woman, was dismissed
there being no evidence against her.
Story as Told by Witness.
There was large number of witnesses in
court for the government, and the testi-
mony given by them was to the effect that
a colored man had some trouble with Nor
rfs Wurzburger, who conducts store on
Az street southwest. The matter was re-
ported to Policeman Fletcher, who went to
Willow Tree alley with Wurzbureer to
learn the name of the man who had hesn
implicated In the trouble. The officer STEM
pea inside OF back yard. leaving Wurz-
burger outside of the gate, when the Her.
pert woman attacked the latter. and
immediately the denizens of the alIey
which for years has been the source of a
great zeal OF trouble to the police, and
which Is daily represented in the Police
Court, poured out of their front doors and
a riot of considerable proportions ensued
The prisoner was taken from the officer and
ne was struck repeatedly with rocks and
bricks. He attempted to retain hold of his
prisoner by fighting his way through the
crowd of colored people with his baton. but
that weapon was taken from him. and as
last resort he drew his revolver and dis
charged 1t into the air for the purpose he
claims, OF soaring off the mob and attract
Ing assistance.
The crowd was somewhat subdued at the
sight OF the revolver, and Fletcher man
aged to regain possession of the Herbert
woman, and had reached the mouth of the
alley with her. when he was again set upon
by the crowd. Springman, who happened
to be passing. went to the policeman's aid
and another hand-to-hand struggle ensued
with Sprfngman and the officer fighting the
mob. The officers revolver was taken from
him, and during the struggle the Herbert
woman was shot in the foot.
Reserves Summoned.
The reserves arrived from the station
house about the time the woman was shot
and the crowd scattered, but not before
Eliza Blackburn. Alice Blackburn, Annie
Franklin, Annie Allen, William Cameron
and Charles Edwards, colored, had been
arrested.
The claim made by the defense was that
the officer had no right to make the ar
rest without a warrant and that they only
went TO Mary Herbert's rescue after she
had been dragged through the alley and
shot by the officer The court ruled that
the evidence for the government was con-
elusive, and that the statements by the de-
PENDANTS were untrue.
All OF the women with the execution of
the Franklin woman, who was discharged
from custody, were fined for assaulting
the officer Cameron and Edwards who
are charged with having made an assault
on Springman, demanded jury trial. and
their cases were continued until a later
date. Cameron was also charged jointly
with the woman in assaulting Fletcher
and asked for a jury trial on that charge
Before imposing sentence Judge Scott
remarked that 1t was not the purpose for
any one to question an officer as to wheth-
er or not he had a warrant, but to 20 along
and later make protest to the proper per
son,