The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-11-30
Negro, With Bullet in Body,
Tells of Being Wounded
Saturday Night.
STORY OF SHOOTING
DOUBTED BY SOME
Detectives Inclined TO Believe That
Man, Accompanied by Handsome
Woman, Feared Hold-Up.

The police today obtained a good de-
scription Of the white man who, &C
companied by a fashionably dressed
woman. shot William Sykes, a negro,
al Vermont avenue and * street north
west, early last Saturday evening.
sykes is in a critical condition in the
Emergency Hospital
Central Office Detectives Berman and
Cox visited the hospital this morning
and had a talk with Sykes. The negro
reiterated his original statement about
approaching the man and woman and
asking them the direction to Four-and-
a-half street southwest After telling
him what car to take, the negro says,
the man whipped out a revolver and
shot him as he was walking away. The
bullet entered his back on the left side.
Sykes says that the man was be-
tween forty and fifty years of age. He
wore long light gray overcoat and a
gray soft hat His mustache, the negro
says, with tinged with gray. He says
the woman was between twenty and
thirty years % age. She had light hair.
and wore G. ong fur coat that came
almost TO --e ground. She had on a
large hat with purple plumes.
Enter Portland Hotel
A few minutes after the shooting oc-
CURED, B. X. Page, clerk at the Port
land, Fourteenth street and Vermont
avenue, saw a man and a woman hurry
through The lobby of the apartment
The couple entered from Vermont ave
Hue and left by the Fourteenth street
door. Pages attention was attracted TO
the couple because of the fact that
the man held handkerchief 20 his
face as if his nose was bleeding
ne description OF tGt couple given
by P3gs taiies I'm almost every detail
with that given by the negro. Page
says that the man might have been
ABOUT uIJy-1ye wears ola. ard the WO-
man, me thinks. was about twenty-five.
The police openly assert today that
I-eE believe inc man WAS luSuuCu III
shooting the negro ana that II he
WculC come forward and make a clean
breast o. It. he would De eNOnerated.
1ei-,INeS Hho are working on the case
are Of the opinions Jlat 80 kcs attempted
10 mold mp llC couple. and that the
man shot 4ilu after Ht lIu demanded
money Ine T"u.e -2y- luTiLer, tHa'
they do not believe the man WOulg
nave saot the negro without a motive.
SEkess however, sticks TO the story
i-al ue only asked What car 10 take
L" get 10 the southwest section OF the
CITY The police assert that there -
lao question LuL that the negro was
uIunE. Physicians al the Emergency
Euspl-a. say 1t was evident that he
Aac been drinking heavily when he
Yves brought in there saturday night.
Drinks Half Pint.
The negro admits that he drank a
half pint of whisky after getting
through work Saturday evening. and
that he stopped ia two bar rooms and
got a drink OF whisky in each
Shortly after the negro was brought
TO the hospital some one called up
the hospital on the telephone several
times and made inquiry about his CON
oili0u. In the hope OF obtaining some
clue To the lleuuty of the man and
woman. the police traced the source
of the calls, and learned that they came
from the Portland. Page t0Id the de-
IeCtiyes JEis morning that he had called
up the hospital several times Saturday
j. glt.
Asked his reason for being interested
I'm the ueETo's condition, the clerk re-
piled that as the shooting had occurred
in the ueiEhb1rhgod of the hotel ne
was curious To know whether the
wound would prove fatal Page denied
that ne knew the man and woman,
or that they are stopping at the hostel
cry.
The police say that while they have
q good description of the couple. they
have no other clue TO their identity.