Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-02-21
NEGRO BANDIT HELD
BLUECOATS AT BAY
Barricaded In clearinghouse
Defied the Law.
SMOKED OUT AND THEN KILLED.

Defied the Law.
SMOKED OUT AND THEN KILLED.
Almost a Repetition of the Charles
Tragedies of Two Years Ago Occurs
In New OrIeans-City Was Thrown
into Great Excitement.
New Orleans, Feb. 20-After hold
a posse Of blue coats at bay for several
hours during which scores OF shots
were exchanged, Lafayette Sims,
desperate negro, was killed by the
| police early this morning in negro
boarding house situated on South Ram.
part street. The room in which he
was besieged had to be set on fire
and the fire department. called out be.
fore Sims could be driven from his
post. AS he attempted to escape
still carrying his gun, he was shot
down. The body was taken to the
morgue without any demonstration
from the mob of several thousand ne
groes, who crowded the vicinity of the
tragedy. Intense excitement pre-
vailed while the siege lasted.
Origin of the Trouble.
The origin of the trouble was trivial
Sims occupied a room in the boarding
house in which there were seven beds
On retiring last night he locked the
| door and when the landlord early this
morning asked him to open it so that
another lodger 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, Through
the aperture Sims shot a pistol out
of one hand and lantern out of the
other of Officer Windstein, who tried
to enter. Thereupon additional DO.
lice were sent for and the house sur.
rounded.
From that time until daylight a great
crowd hung around the besieged house
expecting repetition of the Charles
tragedies of two years ago. Captain
Boyle, who was In charge of the police
squad, however, disposed his men SO
that while they might be within a po-
sition to shoot they would be in no
danger of being shot.
Refused to Surrender
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.
mo, I won't" he replied with an
oath. I'll shoot if you don't go away.
am not going to leave here. They'll
burn me in oil. They'll fry mel"
1t was found that Sims piled some
of the furniture in the room against
the door and was prepared to fight
for his life. AS the landlord and the
officers retreated the desperate fired
at them, but his Workmanship was
bad, his only weapon being a pistol
All efforts to induce the prisoner to
surrender having proved abortive. Su.
perintendent Hounee decided that
there was nothing to be done but to
smoke the negro out after making the
necessary preparations to protect sur.
rounding property from destruction by
fire. Accordingly an alarm was turn.
ed in and a portion of the fire depart
ment brought to the scene.
Efforts to Smoke Him Out.
A quantity of cotton, oil and sulphur
was sent for, the cotton rolled into
balls and saturated, match applied
and the blazing substance hurled into
the room, avenues OF escape being
guarded The furniture in the room
caught quickly. filing the place with
smoke and flame. Sims hung on to
his hiding place until he was nearly
suffocated, and then made a break to
escape. AS he appeared at the door
with pistol Patrolman Fred Smith.
who was armed with a winchester
rifle, fired at him. His aim was true
and the negro staggered, mortalIy
wounded. Instantly other policemen
fired on him. He had scarcely fallen
to the floor when he was dead. Then
the firemen ran a lead of hose into
the building and extinguished the
flames, and the body was dragged out
lifted into a patrol wagon and driven
through line Of excited negroes ia
the police station.
Guilty of Some Past Crime.
1t is believed that the negro resist
ed arrest because of some crime com
mitted in he parishes though land.
lord Cain thinks he was mentally un.
balanced. He had acted queerIy for
two days From the first ATTEMPT ia
enter the room Sims insisted that the
police wanted to murder him. While
the fire was burning he was heard
praying for deliverance. Just before
he was smoked out he shouted that
he would rather be killed than taken
alive. An examination of the room
following the tragedy showed that
Sims had gotten possession of OF
f1cer Winsteins revolver after shoot
ing it from his hands The neighbor
hood in which the affair occurred is
a rough one. It is barrel house cen
ter and trouble has frequently occur
| ed there Sims was a tall. black
we'll built negro, He had been EN-
| ployed in railroad work at Harrahan
More Troops for Philippines.
San Francisco. Feb 20.-The trans
port Fitzpatrick viii sail on Feb. % for
Samar with the Fourteenth infantry
| The men are to take the place of the
First infantry. The Logan sails on
the last day of the month and will