Evening star., 1948-08-10
Policeman FeIIs Armed Man
After Hearing Woman's Pleas
Wife Says She Tried
To Stop Husbands
Shooting at Bottle

"Please don't shoot again,
Bill"
A woman's pleading Voice is
sued from a basement apart
ment at 1765 @ street NV.
reaching the ears of Police Pvts
Thomas B. Basnight and Joseph
I. O'Connell.
1t was nearly am. today when
they arrived in response to a call
that shots were being fired. AS they
reached the back door a woman
stuck her head out and ducked back
IN. Across the room 10 feet away,
they saw a man framed in another
doorway, his right hand held behind
nim.
They weren't interested just then,
but later the police learned the man
was William Huntsberger, 80. clerk
in the District Highway Depart
ment, and that the woman was his
wife Geraldine.
Huntsberger didn't say word,
and neither did the police-not until
they reached the third precinct sta
ton. Then Pvt. Basnight. one of
the first to win the Policeman of
the Month award. told this story:
Il didn't lose any time getting
across the room-half ran, half
walked. I thought he had gun
behind him, and I found out pretty
quick that l was right. But didn't
draw my own pistol.
when I got to the man, he had
pulled German P-.38 from behind
his back and was jamming it in my
ribs. He let it slip downward until
it pointed in the middle of my belly,
and then I heard him cock it.
He asked me. What do you
want?' l didn't answer. Instead,
I let loose with a left to the chin,
and the man went down. But be-
fore he hit the floor, [ grabbed
him. because he might have shot
me from the floor. l got his arms
behind him and held him until my
partner rushed in to help.
What did he do? Well, he stuck
his thumb between the hammer and
firing pin to jam the gun, and took
it away from him.
For the first time. the policemen
had time to ask some questions.
What was all the shooting about?
Well, it's like this" volunteered
Mrs. Huntsberger. My husband
was taking some target practice
at a wine bottle on the dresser and
l wanted him to stop it."
Walk Into Bedroom.
Pvts. Basnight and O'Connell
walked into the bedroom. The
bottle looked as though Huntsberger
had scored a direct hit. Nearby
they found a slug in the wall.
At the station, Huntsberger said
he had no intention of shooting
Pvt. Basnight but merely was in
terested in keeping him out of the
house. Pvt. Basnight said there
were two bullets in the pistol
Charged with threats in a men,
acing manner Huntsberger pleaded
not guilty before Municipal Judge
Almond w. Scott today and was
placed under 81 900 bond pending a
jury trial September 2
Police said Huntsberger told them
he obtained the pistol from a friend
about week ago because he believed
burglars were trying to break into
his apartment.
Rescue Is Recalled.
At 5:44 am, January 13. Pvt
Basnieht was riding in a scout car
with his partner at that time. Pvt
Lenard G. Kragh, when they smelled
smoke. Investigating, they traced it
to two-story frame house at 1920
P street NV.
They forced down a door. pushed
through dense smoke and found an
aged colored woman. helpless in the
fire. Apparently dazed. she re-
fused to leave the house, so they
picked her up and carried her to
the home of neighbors For this
feat, Pvts. Basnight and Kragh