The Washington herald., 1911-11-07
|ULRICH Is FREED
In ASSAULT CASE
MaN Who Beat Up Booker T.
Washington Acquitted.
WITNESSES GIVE DETAILS
Educator on Stand in own Behalf,
but Court, by Majority Decision,
Sets Free Dog Fancier-WOman
Testihes that Noted Negro Said,
"HeIIO, Sweetheart"

New York, Nov. 6.-Harry A. Ulrich,
a dog fancier, was acquitted late to-day
of the charge of assaulting Booker T.
Washington, the negro educator and prin-
cipal of Tuskegee Normal School, at
Tuskegee, Ala, on the night of March 10
last. Judge Moss delivered the opinion
of the Special Sessions Court. Judge
Zeller concurred. but Judge O'Keefe dis
sented. The ruling read:
THE court acquits the defendant by a
majority decision, Judge O'Keefe dissent
ing"
| The acquittal was based on the court S
opinion of the relative value Of these two
passages of testimony:
| BY Mrs. Sara AlvereZ: DIR. Washing
ton followed me, and said: Hello. sweet
heart l reported to Mr.. UIrich that a
big colored man had insulted me-"
BY Principal Washington: Il went to
the house to seek Mr.. D. c. Smith I
never addressed any remark to the wom-
an"
| Immediately following the acquittal, Ul-
rich was rearrested upon an indictment
| found by the Essex County Court, New
Jersey. grand jury charging him with
deserting his wife four years ago. He
trate McAdoo.
Principal Washington was asked for an
expression on the result of the case, but
would only remark:
| Il have not a word TO say.
Washington Takes Stand.
| Mr.. Washington was called to the stand
after several other witnesses had been
heard. He described the events of the
night of the assault
Q. Where did you first see the defend
ErtA fha
| tibuIe of the hall and assaulted me. He
got me around the neck and began chok-
ing me.
Q. What did he say TO you at that
time?-A. He said, You are trying to
break into this house" He kept striking
me with his fists. I began to defend
myself, and I think 1 hit him once. I
found that he was getting the better of
me and I pulled the door open and
stepped into the street. There were two
or three persons out there. One of
them wore a white coat. Mr.. Ulrich
said to one man, Give me that stick"
Then he struck me over and over again.
He must have struck me a dozen times.
I kept saying to him, IF 1 am doing
anything wrong or breaking any law,
send for a policeman and have me ar
rested" When We got to the avenue I
was so weak that 1 fell. l think II was
Q. Were you in the hallway, doctor "A. |
Yes, sir.
Q. Was the door leading to the hall
from the vesdbule open or closed?-A. |
Closed, I think.
Looking at Door Plates.
Washington explained that he was
looking at the door plates in the semi |
darkness when he was attacked He
I,I
first time about S:45 p. m He had walk
ed around the block two or three times
and then returned to the vestibuIe.
Q. For whom were you looking?-A. A |
friend.
Q. White or colored?
Attorney Smith objected and was sus-
tanned.
Q. Who was the friend?-A. He was
Mr. D. c. Smith, the auditor of our
school.
Then he said that Smith didn't live at
the house, but he thought he would find
him at the home of a family named Nc
Clure, or something that sounded like It,
Likewise, he swore he rang the bell of
a name he could not recall and didn't
get an answer.
Q. Did any one go in or out of the
hallway while you were there?-A. 1
rather think so, but am not sure.
Q. Don't you remember two young
women having walked by you while you
were in the hallway?-A. don't remem-
ber
Q. Did you speak to anybody after the
I don't think 1 did, but
| am not sure.
Q. Did you speak to any one in the
on any of your visits?-A. No,
sir.
Q. Made no inquiry on any one of
those visits?-A. No, sir.
Q. You didn't ring the janitor's bell?
A. No, sir.
Q. Do you recall a lady passing you
with a dog?-A. 1t seems to me that I
lid see one in the neighborhood while I
was there.
That ended the case of the prosecu- :
ion. Before DR.. Washington took the