Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-22
AWAITING TRIAL.
Arthur Pongee Charged With Shoot
ing Joseph Dent.


SEAT PLEASANT. Md. October %. 1906.
Arthur Pongee, colored. twenty-five years
Of age, Is in the lookup at Hyattsville
awaiting the result Of the injuries of Joseph
Dent. whom he shot in the head Saturday
evening on the farm of Messrs. ]. B. and
Thomas Berry, near this place. Inquiry at
the Emergency Hospital. where Pongee took
the injured man Immediately after the
shooting. discloses the information that
Dent is improving. although the physicians
state that the ball is still lodged in his
brain and the injured man has only slight
chance of recovery. An operation yesterday
resulted in the removal of pieces of bone
and lead near the brain at the back of the
right ear, indicating that the shot was fired
from the rear.
Deputy Sheriff R. H. Vincent. accom-
panied by Star reporter. visited the scene
of the shooting yesterday afternoon and
learned from Anna Ward. a colored domes-
tic in the employ of the Messrs. Berry. that
she, Arthur Pongee and Charles Dent.
brother of the injured man, were in the
quarters in rear of the domicile a little after
He was under the influence of liquor. He
and Pongee said something about unloading
some wheat. and both left the cottage to-
gether. They were not quarreling. About
five minutes after they left Anna heard a
shot, but paid no particular attention to IT,
and when she did go out she learned that
Pongee had shot Dent and that Dent had
been taken to doctor. She stated to OFF,
Ger Vincent that she did not see any pistol
until after the shooting had occurred when
she found one lying on the table In the
quarters. She could not explain how the
pistol came to be there as she was positive
neither of the men came back to the cottage
after the shot was fired. She at first told
the officer that she knew nothing about the
pistol. but later, under threat of being ar
rested she acknowledged that she had
thrown the pistol IN the bushes, and took
Officer Vincent to where it was hidden.
The pistol is a .32-caliber and there was
the opinion that it is new shell and be-
ieves that it was put In the pistol during
Saturday, although Pongee does not know
anything about 1t, his claim being that the
shooting was purely accidental.
When arrested Saturday evening Pongee
said the shooting occurred inside of the
quarters and when interviewed last night
In Jail in Hyattsville he declared that Dent
was in the yard and he was standing in the
doorway when the shot was fired. These
statements do not agree with each other
and both are at variance with the statement
made by the Ward woman. who states pos
1tiyely that the. men were both fifteen or
twenty feet from the quarters when the
shot was fired. Pongee could not tell what
he did with the pistol after the shooting
and was surprised to learn that Anna Ward
had hidden it in the bushes. The woman
declares she was afraid that Pongee would
return and do her harm, hence she threw
the gun away.
Both Mr. Thomas and Mr. James B.
Berry declared yesterday that the boys ap-
peared to be on the best Of terms, and both
felt satisfied that the shooting was an acct
dent. All Of the parties concerned state
that the pistol had been lying around the
quarters for several months and that fire.
guently 1t would be picked up and playfully
pointed and snapped at people.
Officer Vincent is not at all satisfied that
the shooting was accidental. He believes
Anna Ward knows much more about the
affair than she Is willing to tell She states
that when Dent came to the quarters the
door was barred, a sofa being placed in
front Of it. Pongee declares that when
Dent appeared at the door he made use Of
some expression about being a man." and
that he picked the pistol off the mantelpiece
and playfully pointed it at him and it was
discharged.
Dent fell to the ground exclaiming: car
thur, have you shot me?" Seeing that he
had shot the boy, Pongee hastily hitched
UP a road cart and drove Dent to DR.. Saw
ages o6fice in Benning, and DR.. Savage told
him to take the man at once to the hos
pital. Dent was conscious all the while, ac-
cording to Pongee. Pongee was told by the
hospital authorities to go to the ninth
street precinct and tell Of the shooting. but
claims that he could not find the place. and
when he reached 18th and H streets north
east he was arrested and the next morning
he was turned over to Deputy Sheriff Rufus
H. Vincent, who brought him to Hyatts-
vile and locked him up.