The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1874-01-08
From the Harrodsburg Ky.) People, of Nov. %.
Terrible Tragedy In HarrOds-
burg.

,
e Last "Wednesday afternoon, tn
28th inst, the case Of Richard Meau
p against Theo. II. Daviess had bee.
n concluded, so far as the evidence an
r Instructions to the jury were cor
e cerned, and the attorneys were con
r srlt.ng as to whether they would ad
: dress the jury or not The attol
neys for the plaintiff were Hon. NJ
! J. Durham and Kyle & Poston. Fo
, the defendant, Messrs. G. A. and P
f W. Hardin, and Bell & Harding.
: "A difficulty had been expected t(
: arise at any time during the progress
of tie suit inasmtch, as grave ques
tions of veracity hAd arisen between
Dav.ess, the desslant; and P, B
Thompson ST., tlf 9s7ncipa1 witness
for, and the former agent OF, Meaux.
Every day during the trial had been
present not only. Theo. H. Daviess
ST., but also his eldest son, Theo.,
and his other sons, Larue and Eu-
gene. During the last and fatal day,
Caldwell Daviess was also in the
Court House. OF the Thompsons,
P. B. Thompson Srv JohnB, Thomp-
son Jr, and P. B. Thompson Jr,, be
ing attorneys in large practice (and
the first named being the principal
witness for the plaintifD were OF
course present during the whole
trial, and DR.. Daviess Thompson dur
ing the last day or two of the trial.
After the conclusion of the evi-
dence, it was generally concluded
that no collision would take place.
About four o'clock, however, this
hope was dissipated by the bloodiest
and most fatal encounter that ever
occurred in Harrodsburg. Judge
Wicktfe, being upon the bench, and
seeing P. B. Thompson Jr., leaving
the court room and the Daviesses
following him, said to the Sheriff:
''Bring those men back" But the
order came too late. Just then the
firing began. The court room was
occupied by fifty OF sixty persons at
the time, who threw themselves be-
hind the benches to avoid the bullets
that began to fly in every direction.
For several minutes there was an in
cessant fusilade, every other noise
beng drowned by the reports of the
pistols. ALI the Daviesses and all
the Thompsons, FIVE of the former
and fonr of the latter, used their
weapons with determined courage
and 6srsSinasSsty. Out in the court
house yard, Tne9 Daviess Jr., and
P. B Thompson Jjs. elincied, each
CRASHING the pistoi 6 the other Da-
viess was throws 6y Thompson, rose,
and, releasing himself, ran through
the north side gate and towards the
First National Bank. When near
the Eank corner, shot was fired at
him, closing the fearful struggle.
The following are the results of
the bloody conflict: Caldwell Da-
viess escaped uninjured by leaping
through the back window of the
Court House, crashing through sash
and glass as he went. Theo. H. Da-
viess Sr., was shot through the heart
and fell inside the court room near
the doorway, dying Immediately.
Larue Daviess was shot twice in the
left arm and once near the center of
the breast-fell on the walk few
feet from and in front of the Court
He died in few minutes.
Theo. Daviess Jr., was shot in the
hand and through the body, the last !
ball entering at the lower end of the
spine and lodging in the outer coat
ing of the abdomen, whence itwas ex-
tracted by DIR. Abel. He died ON
Thursday, the e27th inst, about eleven
o'clock Eugene Daviess escaped
P. B. Thompson ST., received q
flesh wound in the thigh. P. B.
Thompson Jr., was slightly powder
burnt in the hand John B. Thomp-
son Jr., was shot in the thumb of the
left hand. A bullet passed through
TIE right hand breast of his overcoat.
Daviess Thompson received shot
through the left breast of his body
coat, and one through the waistband
Of his pants.
1t is singular fact that in all the
crowd that occupied the court room,
not one was injured except Bud Rob
ards, the Jailor, slightly across the
back.
Since writing the above we have
been informed that Theo. Daviess Jr.,
q short time before his death, sent a
to the Thompsons, asking
their forgiveness and forgiving them
for the bodily harm inflicted ON him.
An affecting incident occurred not
long before his death. On either
side of his bed stood two men who
had been bitter enemies Address
ing hem, he said-EYou have been
enemies: now shake hands over my
dying body" and so, by the bed of
a bloody death, the two men became
friends. Theodore Jr., also said soon
after he was shot, that the encounter
was brought on by the rashness of
Larle; and he begged his mother not
to prosecute the case. The Thomp-