Evening star., 1934-08-19
GUN BATTLE FATAL
TO MAN IN HOLD-UP
Of GAME RUNNER
Harry E. Irving Is Killed in
Numbers" SIayingin
Street.
w. J. HARPER ADMITS
AIDE WAS IN FIGHT
Four in Auto Leave Injured Com
panion in Front of Hospital.
Police Watch Bodyguard.

One man was killed and another
wounded last night in a gun battle
in the $500 block of New Hampshire
avenue, which police said followed
the hold-up of a numbers" game
collector.
Harry E. Irving, alias Slatko, died
of bullet wound in the abdomen
after three unidentified men had
lifted him out of an automobile in
front of the Homeopathic Hospital,
calling to a byStander to take him
inside the building. Although police
said Irving was taken from the scene
of the hold-up to the hospital, his
connection with the robbery was not
directly established.
Irving died refusing to reveal his
name, but police identified him later.
Wounded Man Guarded.
The wounded man, william Red
ford, colored, SIS, of 1920 Sherman
avenue, is under police guard in
Freedmen's Hospital. He was shot
in the cheek. Redford, according to
police, was the bodyguard for the
collector, Walter John Harper, 35,
$500 block of Warder street.
Harper later surrendered and ad-
mitted he was the man who had been
held up. He told police ''Redford did
part of the shooting" Harper was
held by police without charges.
Clarence Gomillion, So, colored,
1910 S street, was arrested by police.
who said he was a second bodyguard
for Harper. Gomillion allegedly was
following Harper and Redford at the
time of the hold-up, but denied he
did any shooting.
Held Up at Car.
After talking to witnesses, police
said early this morning that the rob-
berry took place when Harper made a
stop in the $500 block of New Hamp-
shire avenue to make a collection.
AS he was about to step into his
automobile, in which Redford was
sitting, a white man thrust a gun
against his back, according to Harper,
and demanded the money, wrapped
in q paper bag. The bag contained
5000. Harper said he handed it over
just as Redford stepped out of the
Car to protest.
You can't take that money" po-
lice quoted Redford as saying to the
robber. Then the shooting started
Fifteen minutes later the four men
drove up to the hospital. The ma
chine was stopped in the center of
the street, one man got out and pulled
Irving's limp figure from the back
seat
Daniel Dale, 2S0O block of New
Mexico avenue, was sitting in parked
car in front of the hospital. The man
who had helped Irving from the ma
chine said to Dale:
This man has been in an accident
Take him into the hospital will you?"
The driver of the car then started
away and the first man ran down the
street after the machine, shouting:
Hey, take me along" According to
Dale, he jumped into the car as it
was moving away.
Dale told police he then turned to
the wounded man. who said: Help
me in, buddy. I've been slugged."
Didn't Notice Men.
Dale said he did not take particular
notice of the other two men in the
car which brought Irving to the hos
pital because it was followed by mail
truck, which he miStook for a police
patrol wagon. He said he thought the
police were handling the case at that
time.
Dale, who had been visiting his
brother, patient at the hospital then
called a nurse and they took Irving
inside.
Witnesses varied in their accounts
OF the shooting, but all agreed the two
wounded men were taken away from
the scene in different automobiles.
Miss Henrietta Kluge. and her
mother, Mrs. G. L. Kluge, residents
of the apartment house at $500 New
Hampshire avenue, had been seated
on their front porch within 35 feet
of the position taken by one of the
gun battlerS. Just as they stepped
indoors, Miss Kluge told The Star,
four shots were heard outside
Il ducked back toward the front
door to see what was going on" Miss
Kluge said, but my mother grabbed
me by the arm and said: That's a
shooting. Stay in here!' But when
looked out saw a colored man with
gun in his hand and I saw him
fire one more shot"
Miss Dorothy Ramsay, in the sec
ond floor of the apartment said two
white men drove up to the curb in
front of the apartment house, got
out of their automobile, and walked
rapidly down New Hampshire ave-
nue., when second car, containing
at least three more men drove up.
Two of tire occupants of the second
car followed the two white men and
opened fire on them.
Police said Irving was arrested at
Atlantic City last May for forgery and
again in June for larceny from the
United States mails. He was booked
on those charges and released on
bond.
Serum Saves Snake Victim.