Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-26
OFFICER AND NEGRO
IN FIERCE BATTLE

A desperate fight between a plain
clothes officer and a negro burglar
at the home Of Oscar Straus at
AZ Fairview read about 8 o'clock
Thursday morning resulted in de-
cisive victory for the officer and a
term in the hospital for both.
w. A. Mckinney, patrolman on
special duty in plain clothes, is at
Grady hospital suffering from severe
face and body bruises, cuts about
the lips, badly chewed hand, and
a cut foot.
Robert Brown, a negro, giving 185
Piedmont avenue as his address, is
in a worse condition, having a brok-
en- arm and severe cuts, and bruises
about the head.
The officer was hiding in a small
kitchenette about 8 o'clock Thurs
day morning, and had been waiting
about four hours, when the negro
entered by breaking through back
door. James Oliver, caretaker of
the residence, while the family is in
Europe, had just left the house,
when Brown entered, says the po-
liceman.
1.-THE negro took a suit of clothes
the caretaker had just hung up in
a closet and then went upstairs, p"
said Officer Mckinney. ~ took off
my shoes and followed. I found him
attempting to jimmy open a large
wardrobe in a second floor room.
Il pointed my gun at him and
ordered him to hold up his hands.
He lodged quickly through a door.
1 fred and began to chase him
through the house. I fired five
times in all, hitting him once.
1.-THE chase lasted several min
utes. Once the negro threw a piece
Of glass from a bathroom at me
and cut my foot.
Finally, when my gun was emp
ty, he turned on me, saying, You
amt got no more bullets in dat gun.
Now I got you!
1--WE had a warm tussle, and he be-
ing the stronger, managed to get
the pistol I was then using as a
club. He hit me several times with
it, while l took out my billy and
save A44ill q uOSS VI the SdLIle Ilcul-
cine.
AT this point he kept calling to
some one outside to come and help
him. Whoever it was did not come,
and it was q good thing for me.
IT succeeded in knocking him out,
and Handwriting him. Then I re-
loaded, and keeping him covered as
he regained consciousness, called
headquarters"
Grady physicians found both the
officer and his prisoner cut and
bleeding. The negro had broken
left arm, where one Of the police.
mans bullets had ploughed through
/ it. A charge of burglary was book.
ed against the negro, who will be
removed to the Jail as soon as his
injuries permit.
Two negroes are believed to have
accompanied Brown to the Strauss
home Thursday morning, but re.
manned outside during the fight be.
tween Officers Mckinney and
Brown.
Detectives MCGEE and Cason ar.
rested John Farrow, negro living
at the same address as Brown, and
are holding him on suspicion of hav.
@llS OSCIl III the dllSIuplOJl
burglary. Officer Mckinney identi-
fled Farrow as having been one of
the negroes outside the house, say
the police.
The Strauss home has been burg
larized systematically no less than
three times, in the past few weeks.
according to police reports. The
regular habits of the burglars and
their custom of operating in the early
morning hours, caused Acting Chief
of Police Lamar Poole to plant" Of
ficer Mckinney in the house Thurs
day morning.
The officer went there at o'clock
in the morning. The fight and cap.
ture Of Brown occurred at the end of
a four-hour vigil, and lasted a little
over five minutes.
AS q reward for his courage in
fighting and overcoming the negro
burglar, Patrolman Mckinney was
transferred to the evening watch
Thursday by Acting Chief Of Police
Lamar Poole.
"Officer Mckinney requested the
transfer several days ago." Chief
Poole said. "It was unable to make
the change at the time, but since
he did such fine work in capturing
the negro, who is nothing short of a
desperado, 1 am granting his re-
quest"