The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1867-08-15
Correspondence Lancaster Gazette.
New Salem Shooting Affair.
New SALEM, O. Aug. 10Th

Now oulcu 0nOOtlDB Affair."
New SALEM, o.. Aug. 10th, '67
Editor Gaze to - Since the kill.
ing of Eli Watson, we hear reports
that the officer (Mr. GEO. FIx.) is
cenSured for the shooting. Other
reports, Of course erroneous, have
been circulated, and l propose
through your columns briefly to
state the facts in the case. | am
conVersant with'the details of the
affair from the time of his arrest
until the denouement, and will try
aud givo them correctly. On last
Sunday (the 4th of Aug. WILDER f.
Clayton was deputized as Consta.
BILE to arrest the said Eli Watson.
Samuel Wiseman, Tunis McNaugh.
ten, Jacob Stutor, E. R. P. Baker
and myself were deputized to as.
sist Clayton in making the arrest.
We found him two miles and q half
from Columbia Center, Licking
county. He would have resisted
had there not been so many of US.
With the hope of getting confess
sion out of him, we gave him whis.
ky. Virtuous PleasantvilIe, sweet
scented Shutdown, and clerical gen.
tlemen raise their hands in holy
horror and denounce us for using
the very means that got the con-
fession duplicating A. B Fry and
Joseph Bays. 1t placed noted
desperado in our county Jail. Whis
ky in this case did good thing,
the assertion of others to the con.
trary notwithstanding.
He, (Watson,) made a confession
to David Watson and myself, and
afterward in our presence and in
the presence of others, he wrote it
down in black and white.
Your account of the attempt to
escape, resulting in his death, is
substantially correct. He had fair
warning by. officer Fix that he
would shoot him If he attempted to
rum lie halted him before he fir.
ed. Watson ran 148 yards before
ho fell. He was taken to the office
obDr. J. H,.Goss and died in about
twenty minutes. An inquest was
held upon the body, and the YER.
dict was that "the deceased came
TO his death by a pistol shot fired
by Geo. Fix, while attempting to
escape from custody"
Three hours after his death q
post mortem examination Was held
upon the body by Drs Goss, Yontz
and Baker. tappend their report.
"a post mOrem examination of
the body showed that the ball en-.
tered tho chest through the eighth
rib, about q inches 10 the right of
its spinal attachment entering, the
lower portion of the right lung on
its postcrior surface, and after
traversing almost the entire length
of tho lung, made its exit near the
apex Ut the same on it's anterior sur.
face, passed through tho lnnomi.
nata artery and was found loose
in tho cavity of the chest"
An aborlion-yclept doctor
a man of Jaw bone" notorie,y liv.
ing in Plcasantville. is descanting
volubly on tho bardarity of tho Sa.
lem dnctors. His ignorance is cx.
cusable /; for, never having attend.
ed post ntorfem he is not compo.
tent to have an opinion of his own.
Another man near the same place
a sort of peripatetic "Amanidab
Sleek raises his squcaking voice
against the barbariy of the people
of New Salem.
heii now VIC IhihK FlX dlJ MS
duty. Watson was killed, decent.
ly buried, AMI this community now
think they can sleep without bar.
ring their doors. And will assure
those humanitarian gentlemen who
view our conduct in the premises,
as "atrocious, barbarous and un.
civilized" that if they want to ar.
rest officer Fix for a justlfablc HON.
icide that the people of this town
ship and vicinity can give as heavy
a bond as was given for the release
Of jeff. Davis,
Respectfully,
J, P. SAIN.