The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-07
THE SHOOTING AFFAIR LAST
NIGHT


THE SHOOTING AFFAIR LAST
NIGHT.
LAST night q drunken row occurred at a
tavern at the southeast corner Of Eleventh
and SAMSON Streets between q number of
men belonging to that interesting class
known as the ''fancy," which resulted in the
shooting and probable death Of one of the par
Elephants. The injured man was John Williams,
alias 'Paddy," a resident of Pittsburg, who
appears to have come to Philadelphia for the
sake of having a good time--as such charac-
ters understand that much-abused term-and
his assaiant is supposed to be Edward Nc
Donald, known as "Big Frank" Upon this
point, however, nothing certainly is known,
as all the parties concerned in the row,
endeavored to hush the matter up
and to prevent the reporters from
obtaining any information. The gate
keeper of the Pennsylvania Hospital
also appears to have aided the
rufians to the extent of his ability in
battling the reporters, and on this occasion,
as many times before, he has endeavored to
keep the representatives of the press out of
that institution when their duties and the
the purpose of investigating just such affairs
as this. The directors of the hospital owe it
to themselves, to the public, and to the cause
of justice that they should take some notice
of this mans behavior, and establish some
regulations whereby the reporters will not
only receive admission to the hospital when
they find it necessary to visit it, and by which
they will also be treated in courteous
manner. 1t is an outrage that deserves no
measured condemnation for the gate-keeper
of the hospital to refuse admission to the re-
porters on an occasion of this kind, and he
should not be permitted to interfere with the
publication of important facts connected with
such an assault as was committed last night.
AS regards the affray itself, one of the
worst features connected with it is the fact
that it was a mere exhibition of rufianism,
without cause and without any special ill
feeling between the assailant and his victim.
1t shows that we have among us a class of
men who do not value their own lives or those
of other people, and who are ready at any
moment, with or without provocation, to use
knife or pistol. Williams refused positively to
make known the name of the person that shot
nln asserting InaC ne was his lrleuu, anu tuat uo
did not wish any injury to come to him. There
appears to be a very strong probability, how
ever, that Mcdonald was the perpetrator of
the deed, although there may have been
others implicated, as the shooting seems to
have taken place in a general free fight, in
which number of men were engaged. There
is one way in which such occurrences as this
could be stopped, or at least checked, and that
is by the revocation of the license of any
drinking saloon where a row of this kind
takes place. This would have the effect of
making the proprietors of such places more
careful about allowing crowd of rufians to
get up free fight on their premises, and it
would also aid in reducing the number of bars
over which fighting whisky is sold.
1t is to be hoped that no effort will be
spared to discover who shot Williams, and to
secure his punishment to the full extent of
the law. A severe example is needed to show
such men that they cannot slaughter even
each other with impunity, and to inspire
| them with wholesome respect for the law,
SO that the decent portion of the community
will feel some degree of security from them.