Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-11
ONE POLICEMAN IS KILLED,
ONE IS WOUNDED, BY NEGRO
PatroIman Adams Dies In
StantIy in Early Morning
Duel With Black

Policeman II. T. Adams was shot and
instantly killed, while Policeman F. T.
Roberts was slightly wounded in the
neck early Friday morning in gunfight
with Dock c. Thomas, a negro, who had
barricaded himself in an upstairs room
at 296 Peters street
The negro was wounded in the alb
domen, but is expected to recover. He
is now at the Grady hospital.
Only after reserves armed with riot
guns had been called out, was it possible
to place the negro under Arrest, Captain
w. NJ. Mayo finally persuading Thomas
to give himself up without continuing
the battle.
Thomas was indicted by the grand
Jury shortly after IL o'clock on two
counts charging him with murder and
with assault with intent to commit
murder, the authorities showing the ex-
pedition with which they can work by
gathering the evidence and having
Thomas indicted within six hours of the
commission of his crime.
The shooting occurred at about 5:3O
O'clock. officers Adams and Roberts re-
ceiving a call to go out on Peters street
TO arrest a drunken negro. They found
Thomas barricaded on the second floor
of a structure just beyond the Mcdaniel
street bridge and when they called upon
him to surrender, he refused declaring
that he would shoot II any attempt was
made to take hime.
officer Adams entered the house first
and Immediately clinched with the ne
gro. who shot him through the head.
The officer fell dead, while Roberts, who
was lust behind, was. slightly wounded
by a bullet which grazed his neck.
A call for reserves was turned in and
Captain Mayo, with Desk Sergeant j. A.
Hollis, led a detail of policemen to the
scene of the shooting, armed with the
heavy repeating riot guns kept for
emergencies.
Captain Mayo entered into a parley
with the negro and finally persuaded
him to come downstairs and give him.
self up Thomas was seated at the
top of the stairway leading to the Sec
ond floor, with a Winchester repeating
rifle across his knees, commanding
view of the stairway and hall.
AS he came out, Captain Mayo point
ed to Officer Adams body lying near
the threshold, and asked the negro II
he had shot him.
eyes. I killed him." answered Thorn
as, who was apparently under the in
fluence of liquor or some narcotic, the
officers declare He showed no sign of
emotion and maintained his stolidity
even when taken to the Grady hospital
for treatment.
When the police entered the house,
they found two Colts pistols lying at
the top of the stairs, beside the spot
where the negro had taken his stand to
beat off the officers He had evidently
determined to make = desperate de-
Tense.
The dead officer was one of the old
est men on the force. in point of serv-
ice, and had returned only a few days
ago from a leave of absence. He was
unmarried and lives at A Cooper
street.
Officer Roberts, whose wound is
slight, lives at las West Fair street, is
A years old and has a family.
The negro is a druggist and has OPP
Grated store at the place where the
shooting occurred.
on searching Thomas place of bust
ness late Friday morning, the police
found three sticks of dynamite to
which fuse and caps were attached, and
a followed out cane containing a glass
tube which had once contained whisky
and similar to those sometimes carried
by bootleggers
The police are of the opinion that he
was either intoxicated or under the in
fluence of drugs, as his apparent indif-
ference to the consequences of his
crime seemed to indicate such a condi-
ton