The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-03-14
Something Concealed.

The negroes who escaped from the
battle unmarked, are positive, so they
told sergt. Brinkley, that it was a
big touring car that they met on Fourth
street and little roadster, which the
two gunmen used in the attack on the
Beale avenue cafe.
If the negroes are right, policemen
and detectives believe that the negroes
have not told all and possibly there
had been a previous clash or trouble
between the whites and negroes. Per-
haps the men in the automobile that
fired at the negroes on Fourth street,
were not the ones who shot the negroes
down on Beale avenue.
The negroes claimed to the police
that they did not shoot, but according
to reports in circulation, both sides
were using pistols -
One strange feature is that the white
men seemed to know the negroes and
picked them quickly from the crowd
in the cafe and shot no one but
member of the party.
The alarm was answered by Ser
geant Brinkley and Patrolmen Ham,
Taylor, Moore and Bell, but no trace
of the white men could be found. The
policemen went to the scene in emer-
gency cars and busted themselves get
ting the wounded negroes to the hospi-
tai.
The scene is not far from where Bill
Latura walked into negro joint one
night few years ago and converted
the place into shambles.
Car Was Still Hot.
The number Of. the gunmen's automo-
bile given by Tom Miller was credited
to the automobile of Joe j. Robertson,
former member of the police and de-
tective departments. Chief Burney or
dered Robertson to be taken to police
headquarters Friday afternoon, to learn
If he could not throw some light on the
mystery Of the shooting and the per-
sonnel of the gun party
Sergt, Brinkley said that the number
given by Miller corresponded to that OBJ
tained by Robertson and that patrol
men of the Fifth ward beat had re-
ported an automobile bearing the same
number was in the Merchants garage
Z manager expla ined it had been In the
/ ! lace since before l am. Brinkley said
he patromen reported the radiator
b bod was warm when they inspected II
! ane time after the shooting,
At the Merchants garage, a reporter
for the News Scmitar, was told that
Robertson did not keep his automobile
there
Negroes in the car when it was fired
il upon on Fourth street, told the police
that the white men coming in the op-
posite direction, first turned the spot
light of their car on them and then
shot at them twice
/ Shot From Behind.
The negro's car is handsome big
touring car. belonging to Lawson An
derson. negro. bearing license numbers
1924, 1t still stood Friday afternoon
where it was parked on Beale avenue
within few feet of the doors OF the
New York cafe Two bullets ha6
pierced the back of the tonneau, that
had been fired from its rear. Another
bullet had chipped the edge of the seat
at the drivers elbow. That had also
come from the rear, but from the left
X of the negroes automobile.
The last bullet had guanced and evl
IDENTIFY passed between the chauffeur
left arm and the steering wheel ant
passed out the windshield
That the license numbers of the ne
gro's car had been purposely dmmet
hyas plain. While the white borders o
X khe tin license tags were bright ant
X ktood out clearly, the figures had beer
Eoyered with a black fluid. Both tn,
Eont and rear tags had been subjected
ID camouflage treatment, but the from
2imbers much more so than the rear.
kAAnother report along Beale avenu
to the cause of the affair was tina