Omaha daily bee., 1911-06-12
MAN KILLED BY OFFICER
NWfiiism Metz, Bystander, is Shot by
Policeman Woodbridge.
WITNESSES TELL OF SHOOTING
Mob ouicLiy congreEates and Threats
Of LynehinE Are Heard. hut the
Police Arrive and Coanrade
f. Given Protection.

In crowd at Sixteenth and Chicago
streets. The officer tHou-ht the crowd
was taking sides with a man he was ar
resting for intoxication.
4 crowd Of nearly Lo0o people gathered.
and. cries OF mob him and lynch the
cop went up from the excited throng.
ohncer Mansfield. who was near, ran %
woodbridge who been knocked sense
less by n man in $50 crowd. and protected
him until other officers came TO his sid
The police patrol with surgeons and Off
GERS was hurried to the place and the
injured ofnceT taken % the police station.
where he was treated by prs. Peppers and
T. I. Harris. 10 had SIS ,ained a cut
aoove the right exc ard slight bruises
about the head
Coroner Crosby was called and took
charge Of the body Of Metz. The wife
ana two sr1al children OF the dead man
we're notified.
A wagon load cf Witnesses 70 the shoot
ing was taken % ~, rc.l-a station for
y their statement - 20 ,ae crowd ap-
peared 70 be a-a.a-' -T-5c,E-.Cge.
The drunKen MA oy-7- ~--om the trouble
started Disappear wen .ae shooting be-
gan He had been elected from Gus Lar
sons saloon, 90 North Sixteenth street
four minutes before closing time because
ne cursed an express wagon driver. Allen
OFFICER and rIt-e4-es Disagree.
offIcer woodbridge came along at the
time the man av e.C~.-s aaG told him to
Keep quiet and move on" The drunken
man began swearing a ,i1e officer. Off
Ger Woodbridge then grabbed the man and
started toward tho police call box at Six
teenth and Chicaso streets. a crowd form
ing during the scuff1e that ensued
Aua@ IL.
brandfshtng his club which he had pulled
The Officer and Witnesses disagree
whether sUmeone struck him at that time,
daring him and iac1.!ng him to draw his
revolver and begin shooting or whether
he recsTns excited at the cries and opened
fire.
Woodbridge declares that when he and
the drunken man fell over a bicycle and
were scuffhng someone in the crowd
struck him WITNESSES said that the off
Ger rose to ms feet and drew out an auto
matte revolver. shooting first at the feet
OF the nearest man. then turning clear
around toward the sidewalk shooting
twice. The third shot was fired. witnesses
said. when the revolver was within a few
inches Of Metz, the bullet going into the
right temple Metz feii without a cry or
stngEer.
METZ VINO was Swttchnan for the Bur
hngton. was on his way home with c. A.
Blomberg. fellow employe when they
saw the crowd gathering around the off
Ger and the drunken man
According to Blomberg, they were stand
ing on the curhing Just above the scuffling
pair when Woodbridge got to his feet.
Saw OFFICER Pull Gun.
I saw the officer pull, his revolver and
thought he was going 10 bluff back the
crowd" said Biomberg. "He fired the first
shot toward the feet Of, man who was
standing out in the street, then turning
about he fired right by my head. the
powder burning my right eye Metz
staggered back a. the officer pushed the
revolver squarely at his temple and pulled
the trigger"
- William VSSei. Sos North Seventeenth
street, was the man at whose feet
Woodbridge shot o'Nef was not touched
Giles Pease, who works and lives at the
East Omaha Renderfns and Feed company.
picked UP the revolver and club of the Of
fceH after q large man from the crowd
had struck him down. He was held as a
state witness.
Gus Larson. proprietor of the saloon
nom which the man was elected, was the
first 10 notify police headquarters Of the
trouble.
when cav she crowd gathering" he
said. II ran out and tried to zee what was
the cause OF the excitement had not
gone ten stspse from my door when some
hcdy struck me In the back of the head.
went back Anto-my place and called the
Npouce."
Officer woodbridge said the man was
drunk Rna abusive.
OfTacer Make. n Statement.
Il asked him 70 cut out his swearing and
move on" said the officer HE turned and
began swearing at me and arrested him.
started toward the box TO call the wagon
and have him taken down, when he began
jerking TO get away, l pulled my club
when he began striking at me and We
elinched. Fellows In the crowd jeered and
yelled at me. telling me not TO hit the old
man.. Some asked me who l was and
opened my vest and showed my shield.
The old man saw that the crowd was
on his side and began to put up a fight.
j grabbed him by the shoulders and we
both tumbled over the bicycle. Then some
ons ran up and struck me on the back of
the head. The blow stunned me and
began shooting"
woodbridge is regular officer doing
duty In the humane department He was
va N1eS 4.-Ss NsoAS -NhSh ne hllleu Metz
Several months ago Woodbridge was badly
beaten by . gang Of men at Creighton
dance hall he was sent to st. Joseph's
hospital where he remained for several
weeks.
Twenty-Five years ago. while driving a
horse car. Woodbridge shot and killed a
man named Fucker. who attempted 10
hold him up and rob him at Eighteenth and
Burdette streets. The citizens collected n
large purse and presented 1t TO him
Woodbridge is being held at the police
station. being booked ''fOr investigation"
Fortunate Texan.
n W. GOodlos. Dallas, Tex. found a surs