Omaha daily bee., 1908-02-16
AFFAIR OCCURS IN SOUTH OMAHA.
Result of All-Day Search for Negro
Ends in Pool Room.
DRUMMY DIES TRYING ARREST
Officers Have Outlaw Cornered, but
He Fires as They Advance.
PROVES TO BE AN Ex-CoNvIcT
Dead Detective is One of the Oldest
and Best on the Force In
Omaha and Hero OF
Many Cases.

Samuel s. Drummy, one OF the Oldest
members Of the Omaha detective force,
killed by William Joneu, negro.
William Jones, shot by Detective N. J.
Sullivan Of Omaha ana Captain p. X.
Shields, South Omaha.
Tragedy occurred in william Sawyer'a
pool room, South Omaha, e;lo last svsn-
ing.
Jones is the negro who shot Dan Lahsy,
Omaha policeman, through the hand, at
Thirteenth ana Chicago streets, Friday
night
Fatality occurred in attempt to arrest
the negro.
The tragedy resulted last evening from
the attempt to arrest william Jones, the
negro who shot Dan Lahey, an Omaha
policeman. through the hand, at Thirteenth
and Chicago streets Friday night.
Detective Drummy of Omaha was shot
through the brain by the negro and in
stsntly killed and the negro was shot by
Detective Sullivan of Omaha and Captain
of Police Shields of South Omaha.
The shooting occurred in the pool room
of William Sawyer, 26O7 N street, South
Omaha, at 6:lO last evening. 1t was the
outcome of the all-day search for the negro
assailant of Officer Lahey.
Friday night Officer Lahey, who was
searching for a thief who was wanted by
the Omaha police, entered doorway of q
building known as strawberry Flats" at
Thirteenth and Chicago streets, Omaha.
No sooner had he entered than he was
shot through the hand. His assailant
proved to be a negro, who mad his escape
unidentified.
All day Saturday the Omaha police and
Il asstkx ont -frrila mi for "a
negro. Detective Drummy and his asso-
ciates finally traced him to South Omaha
The Omaha officers made search OF the
negro dives on Lower N street.
Drummy Finds His Man and Death.
Entering the Sawyer pool room Drummy
and Sullivan, who had ben joined by Cap
tain Shields of the South omaha police
| force, discovered their negro standing be-
hind stove. They pointed him out to
Shields and attempted to make the arrest.
! Drummy moved in front of the other two
men and when he reached a point about
! ten feet from the negro without warning
the colored man drew and shot the officer
dead. The bullet entered his brain straight
on level of the brows at the rooot of the
nose. The officer fell instantly and his
blood made a pool yard square on the
! floor.
Before the negro could turn his gun
on the other officers both opened fire on
him and inflicted fatal wounds through
his breast He fell and the officers cleared
the han. The whole South Omaha police
force was hurried to the place and an
] enormous crowd gathered in a few minutes.
The doors were burst off the hinges and
| It required all the officers to keep tho
crowd back. A half dozen doctors were
! called at once and on arriving found
Drummy dead and the negro dying He
was taken to the South Omaha hospital
Walks Into His Death.
Detectives Drummy and Sullivan reached
/ South Omaha about p. m. Within half
! an hour Drummy was lying a corpse at
! Brewers undertaking parlors
Terrible excitement prevailed on every
hand as soon as the news of the murder
was spread. Cries of lynch him were
| heard from the crowd that gathered. ignor-
! ant of the fact that the negro too, had re-
ceived mortal wounds
"IIe gave up his life in the performance
of his duty" was the general but mournful
| expression regarding the courageous death
which Detective Drummy met. The crowG
so intensely excited and bent on.vengeance,
upon learning the facts followed the body
Of the brave officer to the undertakers and
/ pIebheu lllG uOoib uhAiA AblNNh paNh
Negro Says He shot Lahey.
on arriving at the hospital Jones ad-
mitted he was the man who shot Officer
Lahey through the hand. He recovered
his consciousness considerably; he had got
beyond the fear Of the mob. which sur
rounded the door He refused to tell much
OF his past life. but said he had served a
term in the penitentiary at Lincoln. He
was sent up about eight years ago fcz.
highway robbery. ~
It is believed he was one Of the nee -
who held up l.. Cornbleth Wednesday cen
ing an dsecured from him the big A-calibre
Colt which he used. IL Is believed he has
the bullet lodged IN his lungs He revived
so much on his arrival at the hospital that
he was at once shackled with the leg
Irons. Detective Elsfelder and other Off
GERS were placed on guard
Drummy's old partner, ste"s Maloney,
and a number OF other Omaha officers ar
rived in South Omaha at an early hour.
did some Of the relatives.
Career Of Drummy.
Detective Sam s. Drummy was first ap-
pointed on the police force in 1889 as patrol
man. but after serving in that capacity for
a number of years he was laid off, OWN
TO lack Of funds During the times OF his
enforced idle Iay-offs he was employed by
the Omaha Street Rail waycompany In ths
capacity OF special detective. He was re.
appointed on the force october II, 1898, ard
IN a short time was appointed on the Do.
tectiye force. In which position his facul y
| OF remembering faces. made him a terro.
TO crooks. During his several years on the
detective force he has been instrumeu al
IN the capture and conviction OF hundred Ia
OF thieves and burglars and several muR-