The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-04-24
PAIR ARRESTED
HERE HEARD IN
CORONER'S CASE
Likely To Be Charged With
Murder Of Negro In
Portland.


Portland.
MiddIetown, Conn, April 24.-John
williams, Jerry Moody, both of whom
were arrested in Bridgeport, and Louis
Brown, all colored, who are charged
with the killing Of Henry Williams,
alias "Geetch' in Portland, have fin
ished testifying at the inquest held by
Coroner Stephen B. Davis, into the
death of Williams.
Brown, better known as "Shine,"
told Coroner Davis, that he struck
"Geetch" with, the iron pipe, after
"Geetch' had tried to stab him.
Brown told of a long series of troubles
between himself and Williams.
The trouble started he said when he
was working in the Dupont powder
plant in Virginia and was the result
of a woman. Williams, he said, was
giving the woman money and she in
turn gave the money to him, Brown.
AS a result Williams stabbed him in
quarrel, according to Brown, and
served sentence in Jail. Brown, or
Shine" as the negroes know him,
arrived in Portland on Saturday,
March 80, prepared to go to work for
the Rogers & Hubbard Co. He met
Williams there and at the shanty in
the afternoon, when some of the
''boys" were shooting craps, Williams,
Brown claims, said to him: II cut
you down in Virginia. This time 1
am going to cut your head off,"
Brown then said that he saw Will
1ians later in a saloon in Portland and
that they had no trouble at that time.
Still later in the evening when he
and some of the others were playing
game Of cards in the shanty,
"Geetch' and James, known as Stet-
son Hall came in. Both men had
knives. Williams holding his open in
the sleeve of his coat, while Hall OPEN
ed his and put it in his pocket. When
the game broke up, Brown said that
he and the negro known as Tree Frog
and another negro known as Light
Weight left together. They noticed
Williams and 'Stetson'' Hall stand
ing in the shadow of the bunk house,
and Tree Frog suggested that they get
something to defend themselves with.
Brown says that Tree Frog picked up
a couple Of stones and that while he
was looking for stones he found the
iron pipe. Light Weight also had
some rocks. AS they went past
"Geetch' he struck at Brown, accord
his coat. and Brown says he struck at
"Geetch' with the pipe hitting him
somewhere, he did not know exactly
whereas it was dark. 'Geetch" fell
to the ground and Brown says he
struck him several times more in the
jaw with his fist. He denied that
he struck him more than once with
the pipe. Asked where his coat was
he said he had given it to a man nam
ed Melvin, who was staying on Dix
we'll avenue, New Haven, boarding
with Louis Brown. The coat he said
was blue serge. Brown said that
he went away from Portland with
Jerry Moody, alias the Fat Rat, and
that they went to New Haven and
then to Bridgeport. Asked what coat
he wore to Bridgeport he replied "a
Brown One" AS he was wearing a
grey coat at the hearing he was ask
ed what he did with the brown coat
and he replied that he had pawned it
in Bridgeport. 7 He also claimed that
he had been in New York.
Jerry Moody, alias the Fat Rat, who
was the first man arrested, charged
with the murder Of Williams, told Of
going to New Haven after the fight
and said that he was working there
when he was arrested. He told Of
seeing Brown with the pipe and said
he had heard him say that he struck
Williams. He also said that the dead
a mn on Belle Dock and served time
won a little more than SO in the card
game.
John Williams. known as Fiat
Head also arrested in Bridgeport,
told of seeing 4'stetson'' Hall and
"Geetch'' with knives In their hand.
When the game was over Hall owed
him so cents and he asked him to pay
it "Geetch" Interrupted and told
him not to pay 1t, and also to say that
if anyone wanted to collect from them
to come outside and they would pay
them. When they went outside
"Geetch" struck Shine with a knife
and "shine" struck back at ''Geetch"
with the pipe. About this time Hall
broke and ran and he, Williams, took
after him Williams said that when
he came back Shine had the club
and "Geetch" was laying on the
ground. Williams said that he said,
Don't hit him again. At the time
Shine" Fat Rat and Light
Weight were standing around him.
Williams claimed that Hall did not
pay him any money. He admitted
that he had picked up stick when
he chased Hall The stick he said
was a small one. He had left it on
the ground. When he went to New
Haven that night he found he had
$L25 in his pocket He got a job in
Bridgeport He denied that he had
struck "Geetch."
Jack Tonsel, known as "Curley,"
said that he was sleeping when the
trouble occurred. He told Of hearing
Kid Stetson say that John Williams,
"Shine," and the Fat Rat hit the
dead man. The pockets in williams
clothes were turned inside out when
he was found.
John Williams. Jerry Moody and
Louis Brown are all charged with be-
ing implicated in the murder of Hen
nv Williams and before being allowed
to testify were carefully cautioned by
Coroner Davis, the coroner telling
them that they were not obliged to