Congressman Heflin's Blunder

Congressman Thomas J. Heflin of Alabama “becomes a lawbreaker and a lawmaker” after shooting and attempting to kill a black man, and ironically, but accidentally, a white man as well.

Congressman Thomas J. Heflin of Alabama shot and attempted to kill Louis Lundy, colored, Friday night, March 27, 1908 on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. and thereby became a lawbreaker as well as a lawmaker. Had Lundy died, he would have been in the embarrassing predicament of occupying a cell in the United States jail. Congressman Heflin has been seeing ‘blood on the moon” for some time on this Negro question. He has been anxious to emphasize his antagonism to the much despised race and he is now charged with a felony. Lundy, although badly wounded will live to appear against him. There is a humorous side to the affair for in firing at the colored man, he shot a white man, Thomas McCreary, a New York horse trainer, in the leg. Mr. McCreary is in the hospital and well enough to look after his own financial interests. He announces that he will bring suit for damages against Congressman Thomas J. Heflin. While this fire-eating Congressman is side-stepping to escape the penitentiary on the one hand, he will be back-stepping to avoid the payment of heavy damages on the other. There was no legitimate excuse for the shooting of Lundy. The officers were there to deal with him if he was disorderly and the lawmaking power has never delegated to the Congressman the duty of policing either the street-cars or the side-walks. We shall watch with interest the result of this trial. Colored people are blaming the Congressman, Republicans are criticising him and many Democrats are condemning him. He needs a keeper for he is a dangerous person to be permitted to walk the street, where the sight of a Negro may bring on another violent attack of Negro-phobia.

“Congressman Heflin's Blunder,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed January 20, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/526.