Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-03
FER GUSON CAUGH T
SERGEANT ANDERSON SUCCESS
Full IN CHASE.
Negro Wanted for Shooting BERTHE
West-Taken by Surprise
His Story.


sergt Anderson's efforts to capture Ed
ward Ferguson, colored, who shot and so
seriously wounded BERTHE West, also col
orad, al her home the Hamilton road
Thursday morning, as published in Thurs
days Star, proved successful this morning.
Ferguson returned to a shed in of the
house this morning about 315 O'Clock and
Policemen Whalen and Fletcher arrested
him. At the time the policemen found
Ferguson in the shed he armed with
a loaded revolver. but made no effort to
usa it, He was taken so completely by sur
prise that he did not think to draw the
weapon. He threw it behind some old fur
nture in the shed afterwards and it was
found there later in the morning by Sergt.
Anderson. Ferguson never went as much
mile from the of the shooting
during the forty-fve hours the police were
searching for him. During all this time he
without food, he states, and it was
for the purpose of getting food and cloth
ing that he returned to the shed.
Then he said, II was going to give
my self up
This part of his story is doubted by he
police. With suit of good clothes 10
wear and nearly $50 in his pockets, the
police think, Ferguson might have sue
ceeded in getting a long distance from this
city. He is not near so fleshy as he was
when his picture was taken, and the photo
graph would have been of but little
sstance to the officers. AS stated in yes
terday's Star nobody had seen anything
OF Ferguson after he disappeared down
the road from the vicinity of the house in
which he did the shooting and Sergt. An
derson reached the conclusion that he was
in the woods not far away. The woods
had been searched by the police and resi-
dents of the county, but the foliage was so
dense that the work was rendered extreme
ly difficult, and nothing was seen CT the
man who was in hiding although the lat
ter saw the police Last night the two
policemen were sent to the scene of the
shooting with instructions to keep the
house and shed under cover until after day
break Policeman Fletcher took a position
near the house i'll which the shooting &C.
cured, and his brother officer made him.
self comfortable near a hog pen, from
where he had view of the sleeping quar-
tiers of Ferguson and the shed in which
the latter kept his clothing and had his
furniture stored
Stuck to His Post
Whaen had not been working on the
case and so he was able to stick to his
post without going to sleep. Shortly after
3 o'clock he saw the form of a man ap-
! preaching the shed and house. The man
would walk a short distance and would
| then drop to the ground and LOOK all about
him. He did all he could TO see if anybody
about, but had no opportunity of
i seeing the policeman. Finally he reached
/ the shed and entered. The light from Al
| match showed him just where he could find
! mis- clothing, and it also gave the policeman
an opportunity to get a better look at him.
| Going to the shed, the policeman
/ slammed the door and then blew his whis-
! tie to summon his partner from across the
! road. The latter made prompt response
! and the colored man was taken without
any trouble. He was escorted 10 the Ana
costa police station. where he told the
| story of the shooting. He admitted that he
! was jealous of BERTHE West, and SAID he
| made uD his mind to shoot her more than
| a month ago when he saw the widow in
| comnany with a male friend. About that
! time. he went to a store on d street and
! loaded ever since. Tuesday night. he said,
! he had words with her after she returned
! from an outing, and the next morning he
| shot her
"And now he said, TN sorry for it,
! Ferguson said that he went to the shed to
J get his good clothes and had made up his
/ mind that he would surrender to Serst. An,
| ders0n. He said he did want to shoot PO-
! licenian Stewart colored before he was
! locked up, but that he would not have shot
| any other officer. The prisoner taken
| to police headquarters, where he was meas
| ured and photographed for the gallery
| Later he was taken to the Police Court and
! committed to Jail without bail 1t stated
| at Providence Hospital this morning that
! the wounded woman had spent fairly COM
! Portable night and seemed a trifie better
No effort has yet been made to remove the
! bullets, however and the condition of the
| patient is still critical.