Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-01-04
LLOYD Held
FOR GRAND jury
FOR SHOOTING
Slayer of H. McCray Valves
Preliminary Hear
ing
JURY PROBE HELD
All Witnesses Before Coroner Except
One Declare McCray Fired First
Shot.

Ernest Lloyd, colored alias Mutt
Grooms when arraigned in the police
court today before Justice Duvall to
answer charge of fatally shooting
Herbert McCray, colored, through his
attorney Carl Budwesky waived the
formality OF a preliminary hearing
and was held for the action of the
grand jury. All of the witnesses
were advised to be ready to appear be-
fore the grand jury when wanted
Eight witnesses were heard before
the coroner's jury and the state at
the investigation was represented by
Commonwealth's attorney Howard W.
Smith.
Ralph Stillard, colored, was the
first witness to testify. Witness
was in the poolroom at Cameron and
Fayette and heard report of pistol
and at the time Lloyd was in the
poolroom and McCray was outside.
He saw Lloyd fire although the first
shot was fired from the outside, he
said. Joseph Taylor. colored, testified
he saw Lloyd shoot through the door,
although he added, it was after one
shot had been fired from the outside.
Witness, however, did not see Nc
Cray fire.
Harry Wilson colored, manager of
the poolroom, after Lloyd arrived
heard shot and then Lloyd fired, he
said. There was stampede of the
patrons for exit through the rear OF
the poolroom. he said. Wilson testl-
fled he heard report that McCray
was looking" for Lloyd with a gun.
The testimony of Ernest Clark; COL
ored, was that he saw McCray come
toward the poolroom door, but did not
see him shoot.
According to Morris Russell, col
orcd, the night preceding the shoot
ing he met McCray and the latter had
a shotgun and asked him where Lloyd
lived and also asked witness if he had
seen Lloyd Chandler Robinson, col
ored, testified that at the time OF the
shooting he was standing at the door
of the poolroom and saw McCray ap-
proach and subsequently shoot and he
saw Lloyd fire.
Herman Washington colored, the
only witness for the state. He testl-
fled that Lloyd fired the first shot.
Witness said he entered the poolroom
and just as he did he saw Lloyd fire
and then Shot came back, although
he did not sec McCray fire. Witness
said he never saw a pistol on Nc
Cray. He also told the jury that Me-
Cray, pointing to Lloyd, remarked:
There is one of the men had trouble
WITH" although witness said McCray
never told him what the trouble was.
The night before the shooting Will
liam Lucas, colored, testified he saw
Lloyd with q shotgun.
A coroner's jury which met last
night at Demaine's mortuary chapel
to investigate the shooting of Nc
Cray returned a verdict to the effect
that Herbert McCray came to his
death from the effects of gunshot
wound inflicted by Ernest Lloyd,
alias Nut Grooms, colored, Decem-
ber %, 1921, between II and II a. m.,
at the southwest corner of Cameron
and Fayette streets and died at the
Alexandria HosDital at 12:40 p. m.,
December 80, 1921.
The jury was presided over by DR..
T. NJ. Jones.
DR.. NJ. d. Delaney, who treated Nc
Cray, told the jury that the bullet
entered McCray's body just below the
heart and that the wound was re-
sponsible for his death.
Eight colored men testified before
the jury. Most of the men asserted
that the first shot was fired by Nc
Cray, who was on the sidewalk in
front of the poolroom at the south
west corner of Cameron and Fayette
streets, and Herman Washington,
colored, was the only witness to tes-
tify that the first shot was fired by
Lloyd.
The jury was composed of John H.
Trimyer, foreman; Walter c. Drury.
William j. Schuler, Julian F. Poss,
L