The Washington times., 1904-07-05
CavaIryman Says He Was
Firing Blank Car
tridgeS.
COMRADES SAW ARRAY
Victim HOVerS Between Life
and Death at George
town Hospital.

Samuel r Young. a private in the
Fifth Cavalry. stationed at Fort Myer.
and now under arrest has confessed 10
Detective Captain Boardman that he
shot Policeman John J. Smith on the
AQueduct Bridge yesterday.
The latter is still at the Georgetown
University Hospital and little hope is
entertained that he can recover.
After a preliminary examination as to
his enlistment in the army Young re-
counted the details of the shooting as
follows.
Yesterday morning I was down to a
saloon with two fellL s out of II Troop,
! can find out their names, and after
while ] came out and went to the nag
pendence and fired a salute. We came
back to the barracks, ] was perfectly
sober then, ,.-nt down and had dinner.
Called on ex-Soldier.
After that Corporal Smith, myself.
and a fellow in the Sixth Cavalry named
| Littleheld went TO Mr.. Carter's house;
! he is an ex-soldier. We tapped d half
barrel Of beer there.
Il went 10 quarters. ] had blank am
munition / would go over and bring a
I Il
got the pistol. through + Troops quar-
tcrs and fired it of several times up
/ there ] went back TO Carters again,
drank more beer, and got pretty full.
Got on Street Car.
i had supper with Mrs. Carter That
/ is an / can remember about being at
| Carter's- That was about or $50
! Il remember getting on a street car
! and going down town with somebody. 1
! could not say who. 1 must have met
/ the other fellows coming across the
/ bridge / don't remember much about
/ being on The bridge. / remember pO-
Hccmau showing one OF the fellows.
/ fred the pistol of once, shot il up in
the air.
Il was getting pretty full then. As
the officer went 70 shove this fellow
out. ] stepped out into the bridge and
pointed the pistol at the officer. / re-
member firing two or three shots.
Then I ran. 1 must have dropped the
jumping the fence Of the Key mansion
Was Much Intoxicated.
"ShaW and LittIeheld might have beer
with mo I don't know for sure. l coulc
lnot swear they We're with me. l Wa:
So drunk was druuke- than l ever
was ln my life before didn't really
know what ] had done until after l. haC
shot at this policeman. ] realized tEa
something had happened out Of the or
binary. ! would have TO run and 90
get OF. something OF other.
II don't know who could have bevT
with me unless II was the fellows
drinking beer with me-SerEeant Hall
Sergeant Hyland and Littlefeld-that l'
/ all that / can remember.
Explains the Shooting.
Later Young made "A supplementary
explanation Of the shooting. He state,
that he received daily ten rounds o.
; blank cartridges for drill purposes, ina
he dumped such Of those cartridges a.
he DID not use ia his locker. and tha
yesterday ne yut in his pocket an th
! shells he had saved
Before shooting at Smith ne said b.
. shot at "a CORPORAL at the other end 20
z the bridge. He had fired at the police
: man as ii bluff thinking he was frm
T. blanks. How a loaded shell got in wit
I the blanks he does not know.
I Young viii be held pending tho out
come Of Smiths injury.
E The confession was Wrung from YOun
- ar inc First precinct station this mGrr
- The efforts Of the police 20 induce hiI
, . 10 admit his guilt but finally brok
~ down and confessed 20 Captain BOdrt
- . uau. chief of detectives.
Grave fears are entertained for Smitl
d who. although strong in CuustitutlU
81 and robust in health. is s-siEty-three year
old. The bullet penetrated his abdomel
and Is believed TO have lodged IN th
j. muscles Of his back. From all indiCs
a IriOns the missile dId not pierce any Wit;
+, organ. and 10 this fact alone he prObaDl
~ owes his life. Another attempt Will ]
r. made by the physicians 10 locate tf
ball
is An operation was performed upon hi'
. last night but the bullet could not ]
found and his condition is cUuGidcre
e extremely grave. Later TWO soldier
% Corporal Shaw and Acting Srrgcal
ID IItIlrueId. of the Firth Cavalry. wi
p, were with Young at the time # u
shooting were taken into custody.
.e Men Obstructed Bridge.
Smith was detailed for duty last nigl
n al the Washington end OF the Aquedu
rs Bridge About o'clock his attenti'
# was called TO three soldiers, who we
To- obstructing the sidewalk across q
bridge Walking over 10 them he r
uucStcd them to move on, hut this T
mark WAS unhecded. He repeated d
demand. and il was then that Yom
stepped forward and Ievcled a revolv
| at the policeman.
Ldicvin" the weapon TO be a toy pi
toll smith moved nearer the soldi6
r. nouiug to OEcrpOWcr him by "a suId'
~, Iattack. He had hardly gone step VIII
- 1.-The cavalryman pulled the trigger al
D. a bullet whizzcd past the aged polio
a man. Three times Young shot at /
,. adversary. ard upon the third sh
- Smith threw up his hands and cried o
y that he had been wounded.
ne The three soldiers then took TO tht
heels. and before the wounded mi
n icould summon help had disappeared. I
: shots failed 10 attract attention, OWL
VI 10 the fact that freCrackers were bel
y | exploded In the neighborhood al {
a. time The fight of the men also fail
Continued on Second Page)