The herald., 1922-08-10
ONE KILLED, FOUR BEATEN IN
DISORDER AT ALGIERS
FERRY LANDING
Continued from page II

Continued from page II
the ferryboat, was arrested shortly
after the shooting by Corporal John
Roach and Chauffeur John Able and
taken to the Algiers police station.
Later he was brought across the
river and charged with murder.
Victim Was Iron Worker
MERCER was foreman at the John
son Iron Works. where he had worked
continuously for twenty-three years,
and was on his way to work. He is
survived by his widow; two sons.
Roger and Gilbert, and a daughter,
Mrs. Edwin Milliet.
In statement to the police last
night. Stephens admitted firing at
MERCER, who. he declared, was run
ming at him. This was after he had
been set upon by a number Of men
who had followed him from the South
ern Pacific shops, he says, and severe
ly beaten, and after he had fired two
shots to scatter the assailants.
Stephens is a dining car chef.
Since the strike he has been assigned
to duty in the Algiers shops. Yes
terday afternoon when he left the
shops in company with Perry and
another negro, he says he was
accosted by a young man who de-
manded to know where he worked.
, He walked on without replying. At
the corner where he and his COM
panions boarded a street car for the
ferry, he asserts, the man who &C.
costed him and three other men also
; caught the car. Four other men
boarded it on the way to the ferry.
, he told the police.
AS he and his companions were
entering the ferry house, he con-
tinued, two white men stopped them
| and asked where they worked, de-
| claring they had been told the ne
groes had come from the shops.
"They grabbed me by the arm and
; showed me off the porch" said
Stephens in his statement to the
, police. 81 asked for time to explain
, but one man struck me in the back
: Of the head and another on the jaw
: 81 hollered, %, mister, don't hit
D me, haven't done anything!' Then
!. was hit on the jaw again and
g knocked to my knees. A number OF
}. men were around me. My gun slipped
/ out from my waistband and l grabbed
It and commenced shooting. l shot
at a tall man. one of those who had
stopped me, and he ran down the
;, street. I fired again at him.
"Then I started for the ferry.
. had nearly reached the turnstile
when a white man came running a
. me. I shot at him and ran on the
boat. Hearing the crowd say, 'Catcf
: him, kill him. l went on the uppel
deck and stayed there until the police
q came"
The crowd, which had broken ant
;, fed in all directions when the shoot
:. ing started, gathered again and In
" vaded the ferryboat. Perry wa
found on the lower deck, where h
;. had taken refuge.
r Witnesses Tell Story
II John w. Clark, salesman, Of 2O'
II Verret street Algiers, crossed tn
k river on the 4:10 ferry with MERCER
II just before the shooting. He toll
the police he separated from Mercie
d when he left the boat. He notices
d no unusual disturbance on passing
C. the ferry house, but as he reaches
y the corned heard shot and, turn
e ing. saw a negro with a revolver II
o. his hand.
IS Everybody started to rum" sal
|" Mr.. Clark. when I was about 20
d yards down the levee I heard tw
,e more shots. Then I saw negro ru
d. on to the ferryboat and up to tn
1t upper deck"
O, Salvador ]. Silva, 403 Home
" street, said he heard no disturbanc
or prior to the shooting. He told tn
lie police he was changing the trolle
on the car and saw a negro pull
gun from his left hip pocket and fir
at a white man standing about fiftee
- feet away. A woman, he says, wa
standing between the two and fe
III across the front of a motor car nea
Va by, but was not hurt. The negr
y, then placed the gun in his poke
according to Silva, and walked Int
80 the ferryhouse. Several white me
:. followed him and two more sho
q. were fired.
A Police accounts Of the shooting d
20 clare that Perry and Stephens, aft
at. their arrest, both showed signs OF
n. bad beating. Perry is being held
a material witness.