The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1867-08-17
nORkIBLE AFFAIR

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Of Jefcrrou thrcvu into grcs'
excitement by an occurrence Of a.
extraordinary and sho<hise character
Judge u II bosToEy. Collector Of
Internal Revenue -hot and Killed
his assistant ~ elcrk. Col. W II
Fos~lcr The far;s IS elected before
the Jury q fnqec.i, were -nts,an.
tally =. follows There were tve
riibc~.s- 70 the deed a negro boy
about tEei'e years old and a negro
woman. The boy was standing on
the -sic or in front Of the once. and
hearing loud talking, got W 90 a
barrel and booked ia at the windew
He saw Boaicoy alsar CHG, - IL TO
pass Fowler ~ the direction Of a
water tacics ia The room, but before
passing him, Bonioey DIRE. a pistol
from the pocket Of his pants, and
shot Fowler from the rear in the
neek or hack part of the head. The
boy saw nothing more lie became
fdEhledl and ran If The negro
so@sn was on tie opposite eide Of
the street. aud The door ~ the Office
being open, she witnessed the ~hole
AFFAIR Her testimony WAS sub.,an-
tislly that Of the boys, with the adli.
ton that the deceased did rot fall to
the floor. bu,ihai his bead fell On
the table That -hc saw Mr. Bon.
foes. after the shot, take hold Of the
deceased, bu, what he did. he could
not tell
pf. u. J Terry testified. that be
heard the report sf the pistol, and
walked out to wbcrc he had some
hands :, work, and inquired Of them
where the report came from. They
pointed TO the Revenue COLLECTORS
Office. In msment afterwards,
Judge Bonfoey walked out on the
gallery in front of the Office, and
called to DR. Terry to come over.
which he did He informed DR..
Terry that be had sho, Fowler.
stating thu, there hsd been an alter
cation, that FoEler va. going to
saoo; him, and that he lBoufocy)
bad killed him 10 ,elf deEinre.
Fowler was on The floor, with a pis-
tol belt around him, very awkwardly
adjusted The seabbard y ing o,er his
abdomen, the pistol also on the floor,
some distance of and cooked Fow.
Ter was lying with his legs doubled
up, aud Bonfoey Strengthened them,
when pen, which vas in the hand
Of the deceased. fell out Fowler
was blind in one eve and be was
APPROACHED and hot 90 tina, tide.
II appeared that Fowler had been
writing at the table He had writ.
ten two rcreip,sfor thirty two hundred
dollars. and had commenced the trip.
licate, and had written par; Of the
caption. the word " Jefferson half
fnished, after which there was a
BLUR showing an interruption
The affair, We understand. drew
great mauy to the secne, and there
wss gfost excitement, q feeling pre-.
vailing tina, it was case Of assassi.
nation
Bontoey was Immediately arrested
By the Sheriff, but claimed that he
was a United States officer, and sub.
jcct to the military authorities. A
runner was sent to the com maDasr,
bu, before he arrived, Jury of In
quest wss held. which took down the
testimony substantially as We have
related it, and then rendered the fol.
loving extraordinary verdict
Tng VERDICT or rrg CoRoSgRs
Jray.--Ap inquisi,ion taken at JEFF.
ferson in said county Of Marion, on
the 10th day IL August, 1867, he.
fore John q. Jones, n Justice Of the
Peace, acting as Coroner, in and for
said county. upon the remains of the
body Of William II, Fowler, then
and there lying dead.
Upon the oaths Of W N Hodge
Aaron Grigsby, T.. A. Emery, s G..
Elfeit, Charles W Stewart, and Don
aid Cambell, good and lawfsl Jurors
of said county, who being sworn and
charged to enquire, on the part Of
she State, into the cause, manner,
time, and circumstances Of the death
Of William H. Fowler, do say upon
their oaths, that one Davis X Bon
foey, Of the said county Of Marion,
no, having the fear Of God before hi.
eyes, but being seduccd and acsuated
by the instigasions Of the devil. on
the 10th day Of August, instant. with
force and arms. at Jefferson, in the
county aforesaid, on and upon the
aforesaid William H. Fowler, then
and there, being in the peace Of God
and Of the State sforessid, felonious-
", voluntarily, aud with m.lice afore.
thought, made an assaul,, and that
the said Davis Il Bonfoey, then and
there with certain pistol, Of the
value of len dollars, then and there
discharged with gun powder and one
leaden bullet, then and there had
and held, then and there felouiously
wilfully, and with his malice nforc.
thought, did discharge and shoot on,
at. against, and upon the said vii.
liam II Fowler, and that the said
Davis b Bonfooy, with the leadcn
bullet aforesaid, out Of the pistol
aforesaid, then and there, by the force
Of the gun-powdcr aforesaid then
and there fcloniously. wilfuliy, and
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