Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1873-09-06
suOOTING TO KILL.

TIE TERRIBLE DOUBLE HOMICIDE IN
Sw,1NsRoEo'. acknowledgements
AND DEADLY CoMBAT-Thc telegraph
of Thursday morning contained bret
mention of a double homicide which
had occurred on the 18th, at SWANS
boro'. Madison county, Ga, in which }.
G. King, Esq, lawyer of that place,
and Bruce Mcleod, a clerk, were both
killed. The following particulars OF the
deadly affair were gathered from an eye
witness: -. ~
About three weeks ago, Miss Bell,
from Warren county, paid visit to her
sister, wife of Mr.. King, in Swalnsboro
Soon after her arrival in the village,
Bruce Mcleod, young clerk, became
acouainted with her, and commenced
paving her assiduous attention. AS
Mcleod bore very bad regulations
King informed his sister-in-law OF the
fact, telling her that he was worthless
fellow. and advised her to send him a
note requesting him not to visit her
again, as she did not wish his company
The note was written in consonance
with this advice and sent to Mcleod.
The latter was very much enraged, and
meeting King shortly afterwards, at
tackled him, accusing him OF influencing
Miss Bell to break of the acquaintance
ship.
Some words ensued between the two,
but the difficulty was at last settled, as
everybody thought, amicably and final;
ly. On the fatal day Mcleod armed
himself with pistol, and went out on
the street with the preconceiyed deter
mination Of shooting King. lie met
his victim, and told him that he had
better raise his family right. King re
piled that he tried to do so, and contln-
ued walking towards his office. Mcleod
followed, and when King stepped into
the piazza of his office he walked up
close to him and repeated what he had
previously said, viz that King had
better raise his family right. King an
swered that he thought he knew best
how to raise his own family, that he
tried to be a Christian and didn't want
difficulty with any one. Mcleod
gave King the lie, whcrcupon King
struck him with his fist. Mcleod then
stepped back about yard, drew his
pistol and fired at King. The latter re
marked, IF that is your game wait I'M
til get my pistol" lie then walked
into the office Mcleod pursuing and
firing at him, but without effect. King
secured an old Colts revolver, which
had been loaded for some time, turned
and snapped it twice at Mcleod. At
the third attempt the weapon was dis
charged, the ball passing up McLcods
RIGHT sleeve, and innicling q slight
wound in McLcod's side. Mcleod then
fired at King the fourth time, the ball
striking the latter in the right breast,
passing through the right lung and
lodging near the backbone. With
blood running from his nose mouth and
ears, King turned, and called out to
Mr.. Ward, his partner, asking him if
there was not another pistol about.
Ward threw down another pistol within
reach of King, remarking, however, that
he didn't think that he didn't think it
would shoot. King took the pistol,
steadicd himself against window, aim
cd at Mcleod and fired The ball
struck Mcleod in tho left side, passing
through the bladder and intestncs and
lodging in his back. Mcleod was car
ricd to his home by friend. hing re
marked to Ward, ''The scoundrcl has
killed me, and killed me for nothing,
walked down the steps and started in
the direction of his home, but fell when
he had proceeded few feet, and expired
in about five minutes. Mcleod died
the next day-Saturday. lie said be-
fore he died that he had killed King
wronglully and was sorry for it, but that
it was all right now, King having killed
him as well.