Evening star., 1934-05-18
Capital Police Seize T,Uo Y
In Vain Search for Gun
Baltimore Editor and
Former Rerepue En-.
pIOye Get Apology.
Woman Had Reported
CiUiI Service Hearings
Spectator " as Armed.

J. William Shelter, editor of the
Internal Revenue Review, a Baltimore
publication, today told The Star how
he and a colored former revenue en-
ploye were seized by the two Capitol
policemen in the Senate ONCE Build
ing in a fruitless investigation Of
complaint that civil service hearing
spectator was armed with gun.
The colored man, Othello A. Bar
tholomew, an applicant for reappoint-
ment as storekeeper-gauger in the
Internal Revenue Bureau, corroborat-
ed Shelters version and declared one
Of the policemen stuck pistol in his
Bartholomew ribs and ordered him
to surrender that gun" When Bar
tholomew protested he had no gun
the pair was escorted to an office,
where a search Of the colored man
disclosed a wad Of harmless papers
in his hip pocket.
Capitol police assigned to the Sem
ate Office Building said today there
had been "an incident" of this sort
last Tuesday, but that 1t was AL
mistake" There was no gun pulled
by the policemen, 1t was declared, be-
cause there is rule against carrying
guns on daytime duty.
Complaint by Spectator.
Bartholomew said he was told later
by the clerk of the Civil Service Com
mittee that the complaint was made
by a woman spectator. who thought
she saw a pistol under the coat of the
colored man. Bartholomew said he
did not know the identity of the
woman, but had heard she is a men,
ber of a secret society"
II was leaving the hearing" Shelter
said, "in company with my 6-year-old
nephew when Bartholomew came
along and walked beside me down the
corridor. I had known him slightly
as a revenue employe.
"As we reached the end Of the corri-
dor a captain Of police and a patrol
man grabbed both of us, and one of
the officers pulled gun and held it
in his hand as he demanded that the
colored fellow give up that gum
l 0IuIl hllON WlidI IL Wdo oil dbOut
and protested They asked ME who I
was and If had a gun, and I refused
to answer questions unless was
placed under arrest. So they arrested
us and took us downstairs to a room
where they searched the colored man
and found a bundle Of papers in his
hip pocket. but no gun. I identified
myself and the captain asked me if I
was armed. told him was not and
that the whole proceeding was ridi-
culous.
Freed With Apology.
"The officers apologized. The patrol
man said he had noticed the colored
man hanging around the hearings and
it looked as If he was carrying gun.
Then they let us go. At first I was
inclined to complain to the committee
about the incident, but I decided on
second thought to let the matter drop.
The whole affair was uncalled for and
outrageous, however"
Bartholomew said he was let out
BY the Internal Revenue Bureau last
February and has applied for REIN
statement. He said he had been at
tending the hearings out of a nat
ural interest in the discussion about
personnel shifts in the Internal Reve-
nue. Bureau.
IT was walking down the corridor
with Mr.. Shelter when two cops
grabbed U.s." Bartholomew asserted.
"One took me by the arm and the
other took Mr.. Shelter by the arm
and the one that held me stuck
gun in my ribs and said Give me
that gun you've got!'
II told the officer I didn't have
gun, so they took both of us down.
stairs and searched me and when
they didn't find anything they let us
go. The clerk of the committee told