Evening star., 1909-04-25
PAYING. TELLER SHOT
Mysterious Affair in United
States Savings Bank.
NEGRO Is UNDER ARREST
Does Not Tally With Description of
Alleged Assailant.
CONFLICTING STORIES TOLD
F. Bernard Stevens, the Wounded
Man, Not Seriously Hurt-Book-
keeper Bakers Account of
the Shooting.
CONFLICTING STORIES TOLD

Mystery surrounds the shooting of F.
Bernard Stevens, twenty-four years old,
of 1868 Mintwood place. paying teller of
the United States Savings Bank, 14th
and U streets northwest, shortly before
| 10 O'Clock last night. Stevens and ]. M.
Baker, jr, twenty-one years old, an as
sistant bookkeeper in the bank, who lives
at the Berwyn apartment house. and who
is the son Of ]. NJ. Baker. first vice presi-
| dent of the bank, were the only persons
| in the building when the shooting oc-
Cured. They told the police that the
man who fired the shot was negro,
whom Baker afterward described with
great accuracy, as being six feet one
inch in height, weighing $50 pounds and
wearing a short brown coat, dark trou-
sers and black derby hat.
| Stevens was removed to the Emergency
Hospital. where it was found that he had
been shot through the arm. No bones
were broken, and his condition is not Sc
rious, except for the shock he sustained.
Negro Under Arrest.
| A negro named Curtis was later arrest.
ed and held as a suspect at the eighth pre-
cinct police station, but the description
given of his alleged assailant by Stevens
does not tally with Curtis.
| AS to how the shooting occurred, Baker
seems uncertain. The police say he told
one story at one time and one at an
other. First he said he saw the negro
enter the bank. Later he said Stevens
had told him that the negro had entered
the bank, and that he, Stevens, had chas-
ed him into the hallway, where the shoot
| ing had occurred.
| Both Stevens and Baker were so ex-
! cited for some time afterward that they
| could hardly talk. Stevens Quieted down
| at the hospital at a late hour last night.
| time by the police.
| Two Persons in Bank.
| The only persons in the bank at the
time the shooting occurred were Stevens
and Baker. According to the story told
by Baker, a negro had been seen loafng
in front of the bank on 14th street dur
ing the evening. Several times he had
come into the bank and his actions were
| such as to arouse suspicion.
! Baker. at the time of the shooting, was
| back of the cage, toward the 14th street
entrance of the bank. Stevens was in
| the teller's cage next to the one occupied
by Baker. This cage is directly in front
| of the u street door,
| The first Baker knew of trouble was
| when he heard shot, followed by a call
| for help from Stevens. He ran to the
entrance in the hallway leading toward
| 18th street and saw Stevens and the negro
! saw Baker coming he slammed the door
| in his face and fled.
| The passageway through which the
negro is said to have run has three out
| lets-one to a stairway leading above
| another to a stairway leading to the base
| ment and the third to a hall through
| which he could have gO& out of the build
| ing through a door opening into u street.
SO much for Bakers first version of
| the affair, the version repeated to report
ers by James s. karrick, president of the
bank, and later by Baker himself before
he had his talk with the police at head
| quarters.
| Policeman Groves Account.
| Policeman Groves, who was the first
| person on the scene, said he was walking
| along 14th street, almost in front of the
| bank, when he heard a shot. He rushed
| into the bank, followed closely by Police
| man Smith. who Is stationed at the cross
| ing Of the U and 14th street car lines AS
Smith entered the 14th street door he
| locked 1t behind him and then rushed to
| the U street door and locked that. Neither
of the policemen saw any one il the bank
4but Stevens and Baker.
The first glimpse he got of them.
Groves said. showed them standing to-
| gether in the doorway that led to the
| passage IN which the shooting occurred
They searched the building thoroughly.
| but found no sign of the alleged intruder
Stevens. who was in hysterical con-
| dition until late hour told Baker, so
Baker said, that he. Stevens, had seen
the negro enter the u street door into the
| bank and then slip quietly into the hall
| way leading out toward the west side of
| the building. He, Stevens, Immediately
grabbed his revolver and ran after the
negro. He caught up with the intruder
| in the hallway and grappled with him
Whereupon, according to the Stevens
| Baker story, the negro took Stevens re-
| volver away from him and shot him.
| The police. after searching the premises,
summoned the ambulance from the Elmer
sency Hospital and had Stevens taken
there. Baker accompanied him in the
ambulance.
Prior to this DIR. T. Scott Avery of 3Oth
| ing. had looked after the wounded man.
According to the physician the bullet
entered the arm under the elbow and
came out through the biceps.
Bank officials on Scene.
| In very little while after the shoot
| ing several officers of the bank lad
reached the scene. Among them were
| the president, James S. karrick; the sec
ond vice president. Justice Daniel Thew
| Wright, and the cashier, George E. Slay-
/ baugh.
| Il was just across the street when the
| trouble occurred" said Mr. SaybRlgh
| Saturday nights, when we close at 10
| o'clock / am usually in and out of the
bank until closing time. ! heard an ex-
plosion but IL sounded like the blowing
| up of an automobile tire. and 7 paid no
| attention to it until / saw people run
ming toward the bank When / arrived
| the police were in charge.
! LAS soon as Mr.. Stevens was taken
away J went over the money and found
| everything correct. OF course / did not
| have time TO examine every penny i'm the
i safe, but ] am sure from TIE estimate 1
made that nothing whatever WAS lost
/ Judge Wright. who reached the bank
, soon after Siaybaugh. went 10 the hos
| pittl, when he had learned tiie details of
the affair. To look after Stevens.
When Baker came back To the bank
/. rom the hospital he WAS still in 4 nerv-
our state. Rushing up To Mr.. Slaybaugh,
he cried out:
Hes all right. Hes all right"
He meant Stevens.
Baker Summoned to Hospital.
| Immediately he WAS taken into the