The Washington bee., 1908-04-04
COWARDLY ASSAULT
HEFFLIN OF ALABAMA


SHOOTS TO KILL.
Hehin. of Alabama, shot and Sc
riously wounded a white and a col
ored man last Friday evening, March /
2z, while on his way to delevire a
temperance lecture in the MetroPol-
itan Church.
Two colored men were in an Ave
nue. street car in which this Con-
gresham and his friend were. when
Hefin saw a colored man pull rom
his pocket a bottle containing liquor
These men, from the evidence, were
doing nothing. There was no evi-
dence of disorderly conduct whatever
by either man. Becoming very niue. 4
enraged at the sight of colored man,
as he (HeAn) stated, drinking whis-
key from a bottle in the presence OF
a lady, Hefn elected from the car
the colored man, with whom he had
a scrap, and struck him and at the
same time shot him and seriously !
wounded a white man by the name !;
of Thomas McCreary.
Hefin, after ejecting and striking
the colored man, whose name IS Lun-
dy, he (Hehn) returned to the car
and fred several shots through the
window. which has been denounced
as most Cowardly.
Heflin claims that he had a per
init from the judges of the Police
Court to carry a gun. Both judges
deny that either ever granted Hef-
lin a permit
Prosecuting Attorney James L.
Pugh. IT,, stated last Monday that
Hefn did have a permit, and it would
have been better if the judges had
not made that statement.
There is not much weight attached
10 the alleged anonymous letter
claimed to have been received by
Hehin.
Details of the Shooting
Although there have been several
versions of the affair it appears that
Mr.. Hefin, in company with Repre-
sentative Edwin J, Ellerbe, OF South
Carolina, boarded an east-bOund 18th
Street car while in front of the Post
Office Building, shortly after 7.3o last
Friday evening. 1t was a twO-car
trolley train, and when MeSsrs. Hef-
lin and Ellerbe took seats in the trail
er there were four other passengers
two colored men,a lady and white
man. The colored men appeared to
be intoxicated, and as the car pro-
ceeded they engaged in a discussion
apparently concerning the division OF
a quantity of whiskey or gin which
one of them had in a bottle. Mr..
Hefin demonstrated with them as to
drinking on the car and in the pres
ence of a lady, and the men, after a
little loud conversation, were appar-
entity satisfied to let the matter drop.
At Sixth street Representative El-
lerbe who resides at the AletrOpol-
itan Hotel, left the car. Scarcely had
the car started when the two men,
evidently satisfied that they could Ov-
ercome any objection, physical OF
otherwise, which one white man might
interpose, again produced the bottle
of liquor and started to drink it, They
paid no attention to Mr. Helms re
monstrance, and then the real trouble
began.
Grabbing the man nearest him, Rep
resentative Hehin, who is large anC
powerful, elected him from the cal
and followed suit with the second in
dividual. The car was stopped, anC
both men returned to the attack. Rep
resentative Hefin says one of them
and he thinks it was Lundy, made ;
motion as though to draw weapon
and to repel the attack he pointed hi
revolver out of the car window ant
fred twice. Both bullets, he says
were directed toward the ground, bu
at the second shot Lundy screamed
turned to run, and fell to the street
The first bullet glanced from tn
sidewalk and struck Thomas Nc
Creery, who was standing in iron
of the St. James Hotel.
Policeman Scriven, who was stand
ing at Sixth street and Pennsylvani
avenue, ran to the car and place
Mr.. Heflin under arrest. At the sam
moment Representative Ellerbe, VIII
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