Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1872-02-21
DARK AND BLOODY DEED
A MAN SHOT IN THE ENTRY
OF a HOTEL AND IN
sTANTLY KILLED:
HIS BOWELS TORN OPEN BY
THE SHOT!
4 SCENE

About four o'clock this morning Pat
rick O'Rourke, n miner, was killed at
the Piute boarding and lodging-house,
Lower Gold Hill, under the following
circumstances:
whisky
Was the primary cause. G. w. Prem
tice, also o miner, and O'Rourke were
In the bar-room Of the hotel last night
drinking quite freely, and finally got
into a wordy dispute, which, about II
o'clock, eliminated in a fight. Prem
tice got the best Of 1t, and struck
O'Rourke over the head with n bottle,
inflicting quite n severe scalp wound:
This ended their companionshlp, INT
Prentice subsequently, retired to his
room upstairs In the hotel. O'Rourke,
however, who was very drunk, contin-
ued drinking. aud did not so to bed ut
all, but ranged about, disturbing some
Of the other dodgers. Between three
and four o'clock In the morning he
went into Prentice's room with q can
die In one hand and a revolver in the
other, asking him II he
Wanted 20 Fight.
Prentice was in bed with another
man, and O'Rourke asked who he was.
Prentice replied that he was a stran-
ger and was not to DO troubled
O'Rourke again asked Prentice If no
was ready to fight him Prentice see
ing that he was very drunk, told him
no,that he had no wish TO fight, and
as to their little difficulty in the bar
room, he would leave 1t to NIL who
were present to say who was right
and who was wrong. O'Rourke
finally left, went to the Of Isaac
Hubbel where he stopped talking a
few minutes and then went out on the
front porch where he fired of n shot
from his pistol, after which he snapped
a cap or two and the pistol refused to
reyolve. Some one neal by then re-
marked to him that the pistol was good
for nothing and is Is supposed that he
threw 1t away. Us 1t was not afterward
found. He subsequently, again visited
Hubbel's room and sfterward was
passing through the entry toward
Prsntice's room, when he was
shst and Killed.
There was no light in the entry at
the time other than that afforded by
the moon. It seems that after no left
Prentlce's room, Prentice got up and
took a large-sized double barreled shot
gun-a regular ducking-gun-oelong,
Ing to him. and when no heard
O'Rourke shoot out ON the porch he
went into the entry and waited for
him. When O'Rourke came along
through the entry, one Of the dodgers
In q neighboring room heard Prentice
say. Are you ready to fight now!"
O'Rourke replied '.All right" orsome-
thing to that effect, when Prentice
fired, evidently both barrels OF the gun,
as two reports were heard In quick
succession, and the victim
Fell Heavily Upon the Floor.
Hubbel and other dodgers at once
rushed to the scene with lights and
found O'Rourke lying dead, the fear
full nature Of the wound causing doubt
less almost or quite instant death. he
Law upon his back with his abdomen
torn upon In a most horrible manner
on the right hand side, presenting an
opening nearly the size OF ones nat
through which
HE Bowels Protruded'
Prentice went to his room and cool
" rot back into bed, but only laid
there about ten minutes when he arose
aoain nut on his clothes, reloaded his
0En. buckled on his revolver anu
marched out through the crowd which
had collected, to the street. He was
seen TO 20 In the direction OF the Gale
donia mine.
The Pursuit.
Town Marshal Harkin being speedi-
~ notified Of this terrible homicide,
started out as soon as possible with Of
acer Morrow and Mr.. Hubbel In pur-
suIt of Prentice. Thinking to head
him oil. they went to Virginia and 10
tilted Sheriff Atkinson, Chief Downey
and other officers, and about that time
prentice himself arrived by another
route to the County jail, where be
gave himself up and Is now IN saie
confinement. He left his gun ct the
Caledonia hosting works, and II Is now
In possession Of Town Marshal Harkin.
Mau.er Of tho Kiiiiag.
The wall Of the entry, a few feet
from where O'Rourke fell, was COW
cred for a yard or two square with
1aroe anlotcbes of blood. pieces Of flesh