Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-01
POLICE CAPTAIN SOWELL
FIRED At BY WATCHMAN
G. ii. Harris Draws Revolver on OF
ficers When Questioned
as to Alarm.
sURBRUG FACTORY EMPLOYEE
Harris Admits Main Facts of Story
as Told by Police, and Is Uncer-
tain Whether or Not lie Intended
to Shoot Any One.

Captain r. b. Sowell, of the First
Police precinct. saved his own life by
the quickncss OF his eye and the
yesterday morning AS result Of the
incident, G. II. Harris, aged sixty four
years, IS being held under lock and key
ut the First Station OH n charge of be-
ing drunk and disorderiy and attempt
ing to shoot the police captain. y
Scorched hole through Iiarris's coat
mutely bears evidence to the fact that
the shot was fired and that it was de-
iiccted when Captain Sowell grabbed
the mans hand.
Harris. who Is u brother OF the late
John Harris, a former policeman. is
Waterman at the Surbrug Tobacco Fac
tory, on Twcnty-second Street between
Main and Franklin Streets Shortly
after o'clock yesterday morning the
signal alarm attached to the sprinkler
system of the factory sounded. and
Policeman Kidd responded. The alarm
automatically sounds at Fire Head
quarters. and Chief RATIO notified the
engineer Of the factory, and the First
Police Station that the alarm had prob
ably beet caused by the heat from q
IRE in the vicinity Engineer I.otsey
went TO the boiler room OF the factory.
and Captain Sowcll hurried to tho fac
tory in the First Precinct patrol.
WATCIIMAN GROWS SVRLI
WHEN QUESTIONED ny POLICE
They arrived nj about tho same time
and found Policeman Kidd arguing
with Harris. The Waterman denied
sounding the alarm, and professcd ig-
norancc of the cause OF It's being sound
cd Captain Sowell, who was in citi
zcn's clothes. showed the man his badge
and asked him To discover the cause Of
the alarm Harris is alleged to have
ltf,,l Ia, fnu n,,I %
given evidence OF being drunk. An
argument between him and the police
men followed and. almost before any
one realized his intention, Harris
snatchcd out his revolver.
Captain Sowell saw the movement OF
his hand and grabbed II. Simultaneous
~ with tho gripping OF his wrist by
Captain Sowell, Harris pulled the triG-
ger. The ball missed Sowcll by tho bar
est fraction and passed through tho
lower part OF IIarris's coat. which had
caught against that OF CAPTAIN Sowcll
during tho short tusSlc. The coat was
set on fro and had to he extinguishcd
with water after Policeman Kidd and
Chauffeur Metcalf had assisted Captain
Sowcll in disarminG Harris.
HARRIS ADMITS MAIN FACTS
OF STORY As TOLD nY POLICE.
At the First Station last night Harris
admitted the main facts OF the story as
lOl1 by lnt DOllCc. lie Stlu lnat no was
on his own property AT the time and
that he had become angry at the man
ncr In which the police demanded that
he tell them OF the alarm. lie said that
he gave them as good as they gave
him" during the argument. and that he
had drawn his pistol when Captain
Sowcll shook him. Harris was ask ed IL
he intended TO shoot the police captain
and replied that he did not know lie
said the pistol had gone off almost be-
fore 1t was out Of his pocket, and he
did not know whether he had pulled
the trigger or whether it had been ac-
cidentally discharged when Captain
Sowcll caught his wrist.
The man was asked IL he knew the
men who questioned him were police
men. and admitted that he did. He re-
it"ratcd that this fact gave them no
right to mako demands of him In n
building in which he was employed az
watchman. He admitted having taken
two drinks earlier i'm the night The
shooting took place in tJa boiler room
of the factory and even after tho
shooting Harris Is alleged TO have
fought the police violently. It was
necessary to place handouts on his
wrist before he could he taken from
the building. Harris lives at Nortl,
Norris street and will be arraigned
before Justice Griggs in tho Police
Court this morning