Omaha daily bee., 1919-09-02
County Investigator Dempsey
Says Man Guilty of Murder
ing Negro BeIIboy Can Be
Easily Determined.
POLICEMAN'S GUN HAS
BEEN TAKEN FROM SAFE
Western Union Records Show
Dead Youth Was Performing
Duties at Time Police Say
He Was Selling Liquor.

The weight Of the bullet extracted
yesterday from the body of Eugene
Scott, 22-year-old negro bellboy at
the Plaza hotel, who was shot and
killed at 10 o'clock Monday morn
ing in the course of a raid on that
hosiery, will tell whether Police Of
ficer George Brigham or Special De-
tective Edgar Holman of the Union
Pacific fired the shot that brought
death to Scott. according to Michael
F. Dempsey, investigator for the
county attorney.
Both officers carried .38 caliber
revolvers," explained Dempsey.
Brigham used a .38 special, while
Holman used an ordinary .3S. The
weight of Brigham's bullet is more
than that of Holman's. The scale
will tell at the coroner's inquest
who fired the fatal shot"
Witness Blames Police
Scott was shot to death by one of
the detectives on the morals squad,
in the opinion of William Tousis,
a guest at the St. James hotel, who
witnessed d the shooting from his win
dow at the mouth of the Thirteenth
street alley between Harney and
Howard streets.
Tousis declares he heard several
shots fired in the alley between
Fourteenth and Thirteenth streets.
He ran to his window and was look
ing at Scott when he was shot. Scott
ran about II feet after he was shot
and fell on the north side of the al
ley, on the east side of Thirteenth
street il
Sure Holman Innocent. :
II am positive the fatal shot was
fired by one of the detectives follow
ing the man down the alley" assert
ed Tousis. Il could tell by the di-
rection from which the report of
the revolver came. The shot was
fired from the alley on the west side
of Thirteenth street The negro
was at the mouth of the alley on the
east side of the street when he was
killed. Edgar Holman, private de-
tective for the Union Pacific rail
road, was near the alley on the west
side of Thirteenth street.
II am sure the shot which killed
Scott was fired from the alley and
not from the sidewalk where Hol-
man was standing" said Tousis.
Holman was released on $l,50O
bord last night No charge has been
placed against him. He was held
for investigation. Attorney Eugene
O'Sullivan has been retained to de-
fend Holman.
Either Brigham or Holman.
"Scott was shot by either Brig
ham or Holman" declared J. A.
Shanahan, who was another witness
to the shooting.
II heard Detective Armstrong call
out. Kill the r ="
The revolver which Armstrong
said he had when he entered the al
ley was examined by Captain Hert-
field an hour and a half after the
shooting. The hammer of the
weapon was coated with rust. Cap
tain I1cltIclu duFdllCtu the OplllOll
if the revolver had been discharged
recently the end Of the hammer
would have been bright.
Police Revolver Gone.
Both Holman's and Brigham's re-
volvers were locked up in a safe
at the police station following the
shooting. The police captain yes
terday was asked to show Brigham's |
weapon. When the safe was opened
the policeman's revolver was miss
ing. No one at the station could |
explain why or by whom Brigham's |
revolver was removed.
Mr.. Dempsey was looking up wit
ncsses yesterday and last night. The
inquest will be held tomorrow morn
ing, it was said, provided the wit
nesses could be reached in time.
Paul Sutton's explanation of the
affair was that he gave chase to
Continued on Page Two, Coaumn One.)