The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-23
AN OLD SOLDIER
FIGHTS FOR LIFE
Waylaid, Slugged and Robbed
BY 3 Colored People
HE CHOKED ASSAlLANT
Thinks Thugs Intended to Kill
Him.
HE CHOKED ASSAlLANT

Early yesterday morning it was report
ed to the police department that Ed. Da-
Wis, an aged colored man and an old SOL
der living on East Tenth street, had been
waylaid, slugged and robbed by three
colored people Monday night about IL
o'clock at the alley opening upon Tenth
street between Emporia avenue and ST.
Francis. and that he escaped with his
life only by valiant fighting and by max
ing such a noise that the people in that
vicinity raised their windows, fright
ening the thugs away.
Mr.. Davis was seen yesterday and YER
fed the report both by its words and by
the gashes cut in his scalp by the weapon
welded by a big colored man. Davis is
employed around the homes of Mrs. C.
II. Reckmeyer and Frank Oliver. Mon
day evening he remained down in the
business portion of the city until nearly
II o'clock Then in company with an
other cc.ored man he took the Topeka
avenue car for home. He left the car at
the corner of Topeka avenue and Tenth
The street was shaded by the trees al
lowing very little light to reach the side
walk, and when he reached the alley
mentioned above, which vas especially
dark, a large coloTed nan stepped out
with some heavy object in his hand
which Mr.. Davis is inclined to believe
was a baseball bat. The coiored man
asked him where he was going and Davis
replied that he was going home, and
asked the colored man what business that
was of his The colored man stepped
into a deeper shadow and before Mr..
Davis realized what had happened struck
him a heavy blow with the bat on the
back of the neck. Not satisfied with
this. the colored man struck him another
blow on the top of the head, infiicting
severe wound and knocking him to the
sidewalk At this moment two colored
girls or women appeared and one of them
threw herself astride Mr.. Davis pros
trate body while the other began going
through his pockets and the colored man
stood guard with the bat. Davis fought
with all the strength he had left and
succeeded in securing a hold on the
throat of the girl sitting on him, with
one hand and a hold In her hair with the
other. He was swiftly choking her into
insensibility and was in a fair way TO
release himself when the man struck him
again on the head with the bat He then
realized that 1t was useless to make any
resistance and rolled over on his side
and allowed them TO go through his peck
cts. When he did so. however. he kept
his hold in the hair of the girl he had
choked and pulled out a good sized hand
full Of hair which when examined by light
showed that 1t was from the head of a
colored woman.
After Davis discontinued fighting the
three made a hurried search through his
clothing and found IS cents in his pocket
book and watch and chain, all of which
they took possession OF Mr.. Davis
states that the watch did not have a
very great intrinsic value but he valued
il highly as 1t was present made him
by the Fulton Clothing company. The
chain. he says. was much more valuable.
BY the time they had gone through his
pockets. his cries and those of the girl
whom he had choked aroused the people
living near and windows began going up.
This frightened the thugs and they made
a hurried departure down the alley, leav-
ing MT. Davis in a semi-conscious condi-
ton on the sidewalk. Heads appeared
in windows in all the surrounding houses.
and people began TO ask what the trouble
was but no one offered TO come to Mr..
Davis assistance. One man who lives
near the place where the holdup occurred
stated yesterday that he thought some
one was being murdered but was afraid
TO go down and see what the trouble
really was. Mr.. Davis says that he thinks
they intended to kill him and would have
done so had not the raising of windows
alarmed the thugs. He believes all
three of them were colored people. He
knows one of the girls was. from the
fact that he has some of her hair, and
the voice Of the man was that OF negro.
The second girl he Is not so sure about.
She said nothing while she was going
through his pockets but at one time she
stepped into the light and Mr.. Davis
says that IL she was a colored girl she
was mulatto. These are the only clues
the police have TO work upon and at
late hour last night no arrests had been
made.
Mr.. Davis condition is not serious but
he has several severe wounds on his head
and Is rather stiff from the over-exer-
ton