Sworn to before me this 24th day of August, 1900.
HERBERT PARSONS, Notary Public, N. Y. County.
----
(On the hearing before Commissioner York three newspaper reporters
corroborated Elliott, but a host of policemen contradicted him. Elliott
and his witnesses were badgered by Mr. York, and the policemen were led
and protected. Counsel was not permitted to take part.)
----
_City and County of New York, ss._:
My name is Harry Reed. I reside at 346 West 41st Street, in the Borough
of Manhattan, City of New York. On August 15th, 1900, I was over in
Brooklyn and was coming home with four companions. About half-past
twelve I reached the corner of 34th Street and 8th Avenue. We five boys
were sitting on the seat of an open 8th Avenue car. When we got at the
corner of 37th Street and 8th Avenue we saw a mob, and the mob called
out, "There's some niggers; lynch them!" and they made a rush for the
car, and I jumped out. Then I ran up to the corner of 38th Street,
where there were four policemen. Of these four policemen three were
standing on the corner, and one ran into the street to stop me. When he
saw me coming I was running hard, fast as I could. When I reached this
policeman in the street, he hit me over the head with his club. He hit
me twice over the head, and I saw the other three policemen coming, and
I fell down. I thought if I fell down the others would not attack me,
but they did; they hit me over the legs and on my arm, when I raised
it up to protect my head, and they hit me in the back. The two cops
started to take me to the police station, but when they saw a patrol
wagon come around the corner of 38th Street into 8th Avenue they called
the patrol wagon, and both went with me in the patrol wagon to the
station house, where I stayed till about four o'clock in the morning.
There was no charge made against me in the station house. After my head
was bound up, and at about four o'clock in the morning, a man dressed
in citizen's clothes said, "Two at a time can go when they want to;
things are quieted down somewhat." I asked him if anybody was going
with us, and they said, "No, go by yourself." I went directly home,
where I stayed and went to bed. I got up at about half-past eight and
went to the Roosevelt Hospital the next morning. They told me at the
station house to go to the hospital. I have been up to the Roosevelt
Hospital three times, on the 16th, 17th, and 18th. I don't think I will
go any more, but still I have to wear a bandage and dress my head. The
scar that I have got on my head is about two inches long, and I was
also hit and a bump was raised on the back of my head, but the skin is
not broken. I bled a great deal from the wound on my head; my shirt,
collar, and tie were all blood-spotted. I am about fifteen years old;
one of my companions, who is about twenty-four years old, was knocked
down, kicked in the face, and thrown down a cellar by a mob. He is my
father's son-in-law; his name is Joe Walker, and he resides at 346
West 41st Street. My other companions did not get hurt at all. One of
them started to jump from the car, but a policeman told him to get
back, and he stayed on the car, and the mob left him there because they
were chasing me and the other fellow. This man was about nineteen or
twenty years old. Of my other companions, one was a white boy about
nineteen years old, and the mob did not touch him, and he stayed on
the car. The other colored boy, who is about fifteen years old, is
light-complexioned in color, and the mob did not touch him; he stayed
on the cars also. We were in the third seat from the front; we were all
sitting on the same seat. I was on the right hand and outside coming
up, and when I saw the mob coming along the street from the right I
clambered past the other fellows and jumped over the rail on the left,
and was the first fellow out. I ran uptown towards 38th Street, where
I saw these cops. I wanted to get protection, but instead the cops hit
me, as I have told. I did not resist arrest, and I did not struggle to
get away from the cops. I only wanted to get away from the mob. The
cops stopped me, and did not catch hold of me until I had got down and
the other cop had hit me, and one of them caught hold of me to make me
stand up. I did not even try to run away after I had been hit. I was
afraid to run, because I knew if I did they would hit me again.