The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-03-05
The Lincoln Crout Troubles.


We herewith present the Sentinel's
account of the shooting of VIM. Crout,
which took place on Friday evening at
Laramie, by Capt. Joseph F. Lincoln,
Of this city:
John NJ. Coolbroth and another gen.
tleman for some months have had the
Frontier Hotel leased from Mr.. Will
liam Crout, the owner. Mrs. Lincoln,
wife of Joseph F. Lincoln, of Chey-
enne, who claims to be a relative of
Mr.. Coolbroth, has for two or three
months been stopping at the hotel, CIV
ing lessons on the piano as well as in
structions in modern languages.
Mr.. Coolbroth notified Mr.. Crout
that lie was tired of the business and
desired to give up the house. In an at
tempt to settle accounts some difficulty
arose, and high words ensued, but no
blows were struck. Mrs. Lincoln, it
seems, interposed, with an endeavor to
pacify matters, when Mr.. CIRCUIT applied
to her some opprobrious epithets reflect
ing upon her character. Smarting I'M
der the harsh language, Mrs. Lincoln
requested Coolbroth to telegraph to her
husband in regard to the assault upon
her fair fame. This Coolbroth did by
sending to Lincoln, at Cheyenne, a tel
egram as nearly as he can recollect,
worded: "Your wife's honor is at
stake. Will you vindicate it, or shall
L." The reply came back ''I'll come"
and Mr.. Lincoln came up on the after
noon train, arriving mt the hotel about
5 O'Clock.
Willie seated in the parlor, convers-
ing owe the affair in company with his
wife and Coolbroth, Mr.. Crout was
seen to come out of the basement be-
meath the parlor windows and go into
the gate ut the south end of the build
ing. The party now started in pur-
suit, Mr.. Lincoln claiming that he
called several times on Crout to stop
and apologize; and Mr.. Crout repre-
senting that Coolbroth was shouting,
"That's him-shoot the s."
Mr.. Lincoln claims that he did not
desire to kill Mr.. Crout, but simply
compel HIM to retract the insult offered
to his wife. Mr.. Crout, who was
startled by the sound of a pistol, the
approach of footsteps, and voices, be-
gan to run, receiving a wound in the
leg, just above the ankle. Finding his
pursuer gaining Oh him, he turned and
struck down the revolver in Lincoln's
hand, receiving that shot in the thigh.
Turning so run again, he reached the
door of his residence, which occupies
the rear of the hotel lot, and fell just
as another shot went through the other
thigh.
Sheriff Nottage arrived upon the
scene at this point and took Lincoln
into custody. Subsequently, at the re-
quest of Mr.. Crout, Mrs. Lincoln and
Mr.. Coolbroth were arrested and taken
to jail. The shooting was done with a
Colts improved arm, 44-calibre, but
three shots having been fired. This
morning Mrs. Lincoln was released
upon agreeing not to leave the town.
Mr.. CIRCUITS wounds are somewhat
painful, though not of a fatal charac-
ter. One ball passed through his leg,
just above the ankle, shattering a por-
ton of the tibia; another through the
fleshy part of his left thigh, and a third
through the feshy portion of his right
thigh, all the perforations having been
made from the rear. The last two
shots narrowly missed the femoral ar
terry.