Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-06-27
A Homicide at Ponca.

Sioux City Journal.
The usually quiet little town of Ponca,
Nebraska. was last Saturday e7ening
thrown into great excitement by a tragedy
IN which Or. j. S. Hughes came TO. his
death st the hands oil Fred T. Gould, q
merchant Of That place.
The circumstances which led 10 the
unfortunate event are reported to be that
this spring a gentleman who anticipated
forming a partnership with Or. Hughes
in the milling business. asked of Gould
aud ether citizens of Ponca what sort of .
character Hughes bore, to which question
he did not receive Il very favorable answer
from Gould nor from some Of the others.
This coming TO Hughes knowledge, he
has ever since carried q grudge against
Gould, and having been a somewhat VIC
lent man, particularly when under the in
fluence of liquor, he has on several occa-
sions used abusive language to Gould, and
has even gone so far as to strike him. Last
Saturday evening, just before supper,
Hughes went into GouldsS store. He had
been drinking several glasses of beer, the
effect Of which was to start him upon a re
cltal OF the accusations he had before made
against Gould, whioh Gould denied
Hughes became very angry, calling Gould
disgraceful names, Shaping him twice in
the face, a number were in the store at
the time, and Mr.. Healey stepped up and
asked Gould to step out Of the store and
they would get Hughes to go home.
Gould went out and those present got
Hughes out on the front porch. a few
minutes after, Gould returned by the back
way and Hughes saw him and entered
the store, whereupon some converse,
ton between them ensued. Gould was
Z r+n-If,r E1Lial a.. .-.l21o -
ter, and Hughes walked up to the front
side nearly opposite, when he placed his
hands upon the counter, leaning upon them,
t which position he maintained, insisting
! that Gould had lied about him, which was
denied. He then called him a Dutch liar,
and subsequently repeated it, whereupon
. Gould Immediately seized a large butter
f FOUNDER, which was concealed behind the
? counter, and struck Hughes upon the left
side of the head with the larger end Of it,
telling him to the floor, and as he went
i down, he received another and lighter
! blow, while 9 third was prevented bg the
counter from reaching him, The instru-
ment with which the blow was struck IS of
ash, two feet two inches long, three inches
> in diameter al the larger end, and an inch
and three quarters at the smaller. Hughes
Q was carried Immediately up stairs in an in
6 sbb5lVlS COnaltlOh, lnlO lLt once OF dSdley
IL Yalatta, where he died in less than an
e hour, never regaining consciousness nol
e making any movement.
q Gould was arrested by Sheriff De Wit
: and put under guard at the Central hotel
u Ponca. He Was almost crazed by contem
q plation of the terrible deed he had commit
S ted, and when the sheriff went TO take him
n he ran into his house and futilely attempted
to eyade the officer by creeping behind tht
bed. There Was some talk on the part o
a few of Hughes friends of taking mea-
j. sures for the summary punishment o
Gould, which the more l%aw-abiding citi
zens soon discountenauced so thorough,
that the idea was abandoned. The com
mnnity Is already arrayed in opposin!
factions in regard to the matter, some pro
nouneing it a case of justilable homicide
ard Others denouncing it as a premeditate(
murder,