Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-10
FOR SWIFT JUSTICE
Falls Church Car Rioters to Be
Arraigned Tuesday,.
CASE AGAINST JACKSON
Several Persons, It Is Said, Saw Him
Stab Artilleryman.
INVESTIGATION AT FORT MYER
Jaller at Alexandria County Prison
Tells Of Attempt of Soldiers
to Lynch Negro.
INVESTIGATION AT FORT MYER

Tells OF Attempt OF Soldiers
to Lynch Negro.
Swift justice is to be the portion of
the negroes who started the riot on one
of the cars Of the Falls Church line on
the night of July 4, following the an
nouncement of the result of the Jeffries-
Johnson prize fight. Commonwealth At
torney Crandal Mackey of Alexandria
county stated last night that there would
be a special session of the court. Tues
day morning at o'clock. Justice Louis
Dalbert, presiding, when Ammon Holmes.
jr., alleged to be one of the ringleaders
of the negro gang, will be put on trial
on a charge of melting a riot. His trial
will be under a special statute of Vir-
ginia, which relates to rioting on trains
or trolley cars.
Still another alleged member of the
gang will be put on trial at the same
session OF court on charge OF hurting
stones through the windows of the trolley
car. The identity Of this man has not
yet been established, although he has
been a prisoner in the Alexandria county
jail for several days. but Mr.. Mackey
expects to have him identified today.
Sc-
we're punishment provided by the laws
expected by Mr.. Mackey to be the por-
ton of Robert Jackson, the negro, who is
alleged to have stabbed Frank D. Scott,
the Fort Myer artilleryman. during the
same disturbance. Ever since he was
wounded Scott has been lying in a crfti-
cal condition in the Fort Myer hospital,
and it was the circulation Of the state
ment that Scott was dying which led
band Of fifty of his fellow-soldiers to
q n hA nnfN tot M
Fort Myer Heights Friday morning, with
the avowed purpose Of lynching jackson.
says He Has Witnesses.
If Scott dies Mr.. Mackey expects to
have little difficulty in proving a clear
case of first degree murder, and Of Sc
curing the conviction Of the negro, with
a death sentence attached. Mr. Mackey
declares he has witnesses who saw jack
son hide an open knife in his sleeve be-
fore he sat down beside Scott, and saw
him make half a dozen lunging stabs at
the soldier. and finally cry I've got
him." and then led the gang of negroes
in leaping off the car.
In anticipation of the possible fatal
termination of SCOTS wounds. Judge j.
B. T. Thornton did not adjourn the cir
cult court Of Alexandria county last
week, and he is in readiness to recon-
vene the tribunal Immediately II neces-
sity demands. If Scott should die Judge
Thornton will call a special grand jury
to consider the case. and a trial date will
be fixed as soon as the Indictment is
returned.
It was stated at the War Department
yesterday that no report had been re-
ceived there regarding the reported at
tempt Of the soldiers at Fort Myer to
lynch a negro prisoner and that none
was expected until after the incident had
fye11 no u
of the participants in the raid estab-
lished.
Gen. Oliver, acting Secretary of War,
and Gen. Carter. acting chief Of staff.
each said that he had not heard word
on the subject from Col. Garrard, COM
handing the garrison at Fort Myer.
either officially or unof1cially. 1t was
explained that there was nothing singular
about that for reason that under the
regulations it was Col. Garrard's duty to
Department of the East Gen. Howe
headquarters are on Governors Island,
N. Y. In case of necessity Gen. Howe
will bring the matter to the attention Of
the War Department.
In speaking of the affair Acting Secre-
tary Oliver said that Col Garrard was
perfectly competent to handle the case,
and that 1t might not be reported to the
War Department for some time to come.
OHense a Serious One.
Army officers agree that the reported
offense Is a serious one from military
standpoint, and calls for prompt and
drastic action. AS one officer put it,
soldiers are part Of the government ma
chinery and are expected to uphold the
law under all circumstances He said
that 1t frequently devolved on them to
assist the state constabulary or NUM-
cipal police in putting down mobs and
preserving the peace.
Lately the authorities have become
seriously alarmed, he said, at the spread
Of the lynching spirit and general law
lessness on the part of certain elements
of the community. and the army was
supposed to be in readiness at all times
to respond to constitutional calls for as
sistance in such cases, when beyond the
this policy on the part of the military
authorities, the officer explained. that
made the alleged offense Of the soldiers
at Fort Myer most serious breach of
discipline, punishable by severe penalties.
Notwithstanding the fact that no report
has been made to the War Department,
the investigation at Fort Myer is being
continued with painstaking care by Capt.
T. N. Horn, the acting commandant.
His determination regarding the culpa-
bility Of the soldiers concerned in the raid
probably will not be completed until the
middle OF the week.
Tells Of Jail Attack.
An interesting statement of the Incl
dents Of the attempted lynching was
given last night by Harry Crack, the
jailer at the Alexandra county prison on
Fort Myer Heights
"I'M tell you exactly how it happened"
he said. but want you to put it in just
as say it. because I don't want any
hard feeling.
1.-The soldiers treated me most courte-
ousiy. The first thing they said when
they came up was: Now, don't you fire
on us and We won't fire on YOU
II got VOID about o'clock that they
were coming. l had Jackson taken over
to Fairfax Court House.
"It was exactly 2 o'clock when they
reached the jail. l should judge there
were at least forty or forty-f1ve of them.
Most OF them were soldiers There
were some civilians with them, or at any
rate. some men in civilian clothes.
They came up under my window After
telling me not to fire they said they had
come to get the niger who cut the SOL
der. They were very gentlemanly about
It. There wasn't sharp word spoken.
Prisoner Not in Jail.
II told them that the Niger was