Mora, seeing that he was about to run away, seized him. The Negro took a
firm hold on the officer, and a scuffle ensued. Mora, noting that he was
not being assisted by his brother officers, drew his billy and struck
the Negro on the head. The blow had but little effect upon the man, for
he broke away and started down the street. When about ten feet away, the
Negro drew his revolver and opened fire on the officer, firing three or
four shots. The third shot struck Mora in the right hip, and was
subsequently found to have taken an upward course. Although badly
wounded, Mora drew his pistol and returned the fire. At his third shot
the Negro was noticed to stagger, but he did not fall. He continued his
flight. At this moment Sergeant Aucoin seized the other Negro, who
proved to be a youth, Leon Pierce. As soon as Officer Mora was shot he
sank to the sidewalk, and the other officer ran to the nearest
telephone, and sent in a call for the ambulance. Upon its arrival the
wounded officer was placed in it and conveyed to the hospital. An
examination by the house surgeon revealed the fact that the bullet had
taken an upward course. In the opinion of the surgeon the wound was a
dangerous one.

But the best proof of the fact that the officers accosted the two colored
men and without any warrant or other justification attempted to arrest
them, and did actually seize and begin to club one of them, is shown by
Officer Mora's own statement. The officer was wounded and had every reason
in the world to make his side of the story as good as possible. His
statement was made to a _Picayune_ reporter and the same was published on
the twenty-fifth inst., and is as follows:

I was in the neighborhood of Dryades and Washington Streets, with
Sergeant Aucoin and Officer Cantrell, when three Negro women came up and
told us that there were two suspicious-looking Negroes sitting on a step