New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-07-26
Raymond Lang Shot Through the Heart


messed homicide in the Orleans cotfeehouse,
corner of Common and st. Charles streets.
A barkeeper of the establishment, Frank A.
Morris, has for some time been rooning at
the corner of Bourbon and Customhouse
streets with Raymond Lang, who kept an
eating saloon on Common street in the rear
of the St. Charles hotel.
A few days ago Morris, who is quite a
young man, found the association unpleas.
ant, and withdrew from the dwelling, which
displeased Lang to so great degree as to
cause him to pursue Frank in threatening
manner, going so far as to call him a thief
publicly.
yesterday morning when Lang visited his
saloon, he learned that Frank had not
breaktasted there, whereupon he visited the
Orleans house, and asked Frank for drink
in a somewhat excited manner. He held a
small vial in his hand, and several times
stated that he would prove Morris a thief.
About this time Lang and the youth who
sells cigars in the barroom went into the
yard, and Lang returned in min 7te r.
two, so that Morris and Lang were alone =
the barroom. What transpired there b5-
tween them is not known, further than that
shot was fred, and when other parties
rushed in from the outside Lang was seen
lying on the floor, in the agouies of death.
The following evidence, las taken by Coroner
Roche, is about the whole of the story:
George H. Clarke, proprietor of the Or
| leans House, was the first witness and
stated that he knew nothing about the i'm
mediate occurrence; the two young men
| implicated in the affair were particular
| friends, and had been rooming together:
| witness was at breakfast at the time the
shooting occurred; the difficulty com.
menced last evening-not in the coffee
saloon, but on the street, between St.
| Charles and Carondelet; the pistol that the
shooting was done with did not belong to
| Frank Morris; it was left here for safe keen.
ing last Saturday; the parties had probably
been rooming together for the last four or
five months-thst is, since Morris has been
with me; witness never saw them quarrel
ing together; Mr.. Parker did.
Henry w. Dixon sworn-It was very near
nine o'clock when the difficulty occurred ::
| all know is, the two young men-the de-
ceased and Frank Morris-had zen room
| ing together; never saw any fuss between
them; they had words beforehand words
on Friday night; Friday night, as the
"
ceased came to the house and begged Nor.
ris to go home with him; Morris did not
want to do it; deceased then asked witness
to try and influence Morris to come home
with him; this witness declined to do: after
the two got outside the doors deceased
stu Kept alongside OF the prisoner, begging
him to go home with him; prisoner
said to him, mo, told you / would not
go home with you, and WON'T he put him
aside then with his hand, telling him, go
away from me, | don't want TO have any
thing to do with you;p could not say
| whether the deceased was drunk then or
net. When we started to 60 up St. Charles
street, the deceased continued TO follow, all
| of the time begging the deceased to go
| home with him, We reached St. Charles
street, opposite Lafayette Square, when
| deceased said to witness, GO one side,
want to speak to Frank a moment;' they
then stepped aside and spoke together for a
few moments, when the prisoner, Frank,
started to come toward witness; deceased
caught hold of his arm prisoner then
| pushed deceased away from him and said,
Go away from me;' prisoner and witness
then started to 60 home, when deceased
continued to KEEP, along; deceased then
called prisoner id thief witness ad-
| vised the deceased to go away; deceased
said II will go where please;' witness and
| prisoner then continued up st. Charles
| street; the deceased calling the prisoner a
| id thief all the way up. He said he could
| prove he was DID thief Prisoner and
| witness then turned down Julia street, while
| the deceased turned down St, Charles. as
| we parted from him he halloed something
| to US; what it was witness could not under
stand. Prisoner then went home with wit
ness, and stayed with him all night: we
| came to Orleans House together, and arrived
| ut eight o'clock precisely; shortly afterward
| the deceased came to the bar, holding a
small bottle wrapped in paper; he said,
| holding this up, - am going to prove by
this that you are thief" while talking to
| prisoner deceased asked prisoner for a drink
| he then went to the next barkeeper (Gus La.
| tite) and asked him if Mr.. Clarke was at
home; Latte having told him mo- the
| deceased then took up the bottle and went
out of doors; shortly after that the deceased
| came back to the house again; deceased
then commenced talking to prisoner and
| asked him for another drink; heard de.
| ceased and prisoner talking about the
| latters trunk. | was standing in the
| pantry at the time; the prisoner said, II am
| going to get my trunk-I don't owe YOU any
money or the landlady;' Friday the pris-
| oner sent around to the room for his trunk
ana the deceased would not lev the messen-
! ger have it; witness then came out from the
| pantry and remarked, He can get his
| trunk; If he could not get it any other way
| he could take policeman and get it, wit,
ness then returned TO the pantry, and was
| drinking glass OF milk when he heard the
shot; witness ran to the door and saw the
! deceased fall; crowd came rushing into
| the house, and with it an officer; he asked
| Who did this ~ and the prisoner replied,
| 3" l did;H they used no threats to each other
in the conversation with one another; the
! accused told witness the deceased was in the
| habit of taking improper liberties with him
this was his reasont for leaving; when wit.
ness came into the saloon the accused Was
standing behind tine bar with pistol in his
! hand.
The prisoner, in the option of the wit
| ness, is between twenty-five and TWENTY
| three: the prisoners account of the con
| duct of the deceased was made on the
! twenty-secOnd of the present month wit
aess has not spoken 10 the prisoner since
| the shot vas fired.
The deceased had in his possession
| pocket book containing three rings, a gold
| chain, some papers, S23 80, gold watch,
and pair of sleeve buttons,
| A. j. Parker sworn-Stated, I came into
the Orleans House last Tuesday week ago;
the prisoner and deceased were in CONVEX.
| sation; l called on the prisoner to give me
drink; when he came up to me he seemed
| very much excited, and / casually asked
him what was the difficulty between him
and the deceased; he remarked the de.
| ceased wants me to shut the house up and
go with him; | can't shut up the place un-
til twelve O'Clock; this was at fifteen min
utes to IL P. NJ; / went of after got a
drink.
Robert Oten testified that he was the mes,
senger who went after the trunk; Friday
Mr.. Frank Morris asked witness to go after
his trunk; the deceased refused to let wit
ness have it, remarking that he was sick,
| and asked witness to tell Mr.. Morris to
| come around and see him; witness told the