The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1878-09-07
A Street Difficulty Yesterday Be.
tween Officers and StookHold-
ers Of the Dallas & Wichita
Railroad Concerning
Cross Ties.
Or. J. w. Calder, General Mana-
ger Of tho Road, Shot Six Times
and Almost Instantly Killed
--Mossrs. Obenchafn, Poin-
ter and Rosser Under
Arrest.
dallas Herald j

Wichita railroad, was shot and killed
in n street difficulty, in which Messrs
A. 4. Obcnchain,- NJ. Pointer and
II. $. Rosscr, on one side, and Messrs.
Ira Harris, G. +, Stephens, X. J.
Mccarthy and DIR. j. w. Calder were
on the other.
THE DIFFICULTY
occurred on Elm street, near the
corner of Market, directly in front
of store in which lot of plows
were stored away.y Harris, Calder,
Stephens and Mccarthy were walk
ing down the street when Oben-
chain, Pointer and tosscr came out
of the store in front of which the
killing took place. Harris bowed
to Obenchain and shook hands with
Pointer, but did not salute Rosser.
Pointer asked him il he was going
TO pay that tie note for the full
amount. Harris replied he would
not, when Pointer called him a
damned little chief, and Harris struck
bin blow IN She face. Pointer re-
taliatcd by hitting him over the head
with his umbrella. Rosser struck
Harris with his cane, who ran under
n wagon. AT this, Calder, who was
| standing a few feet from them,
stepped two PAGES forward, drawing
his pistol as he advanced. Rosser
said, "Calder don't YOU draw that
pistol" when he and Calder both
fired nearly al the same time. CAL
der staggered back and fell to the
pavement, firing from where he lay
at the parties, one of the shots pass
ing through the lappel of Rosser's
coat. The other side returned the
fire with fatal effects, Calder having
received IN all SIX wounds, one in
the right temple, midway between
the eve and the ear; one between the
second and third rib, at the junction
of the stcrnum bone; one below the
stomach ono above the pelvis bone ;
| one IN the right groin, and another
in the right leg just below the knee
lie lived about seven minutes after
I.the firing. Officer Cornwall picked
mp his pistol, thirty-cight Colts
which was still smoking from the
last shot he fired. Two OF the cham
bers we're empty, 1t is said that he
had two pistols during the firing
but this is not to be relied ON as
true. The body was moved into the
store where il was view by the jury
of inquest.
IRA HARRIS.
was called and sworn and testified as
follows: The origin of the trouble
grew out of note given by me as
receiver of the Dallas Il Wichita
road for seven hundred and fifty ties.
gave them my note for the ties, us
receiver. After giving them the
note found upon examination, that
but six hundred and five ties had
been delivered. rendered them
payment for that number. Several
weeks ago | received u threatening
letter, signed "Poin." threatening me
in case did not pay the note in full
| sent the letter to Pointer through
L. j. McCarty. Pointer said he new
er wrote ii, but that the handwriting
looked like that of Col. Obenchain, |
who denied writing il at first, but |
acknowledged that il |
was his production and finished the |
signatures, singing "Pointer and
Obcnchain. II was afterwards re-
turned TO me to be filed |
with other papers in the United |
States circuit court. Surprising that |
1 had arrived here Saturday night,
these men, Pointer, Obcnchain, Ros-
scr and Evans, called at the Dallas
Il Wichita to see me. ! waited for
them this morning until twenty min
utes past eleven, and then in cOmpa-
n with McCarty and Stephens stNrt-
ed to Wellborn's office, where | ex-
pccicd TO find Pointer and Oben-
chain. On our way, Calder joined
us when objected To so many of us
going TO see them at once. wanted
to 90, as he knew about
the ties, and one of the others, but
not both, and McCarty said he
wouldn't 90. We passed an empty |
on Elm street in which a
few plows are stored. Stephens
or McCarty who was behind Calder
and ] said, there are your men now,
when Calder and turned back, and
| saw Pointer, Obcnchain and Ros-
ser. bowed TO Obenchain and
shook hands with Pointer. said
eve were just going 10 your Office TO
see you Colonel Pointer" lie said |
81 want to know what you are going
to do about that tie note ? | asked |
him il he didn't have an Office or |
some place where we could 90 to |
talk about ii il. lie said all we have |
to say or do can be said or done here. |
| am not positive which expression |
he made use Of. Pointer again ask
ed: 81 want TO know what you are
going TO do with That tie note? III
told him ] would pay him fol six
and iiSe ties, and was about |
TO say more when he interrupted me
by saying; "rhen you are u damned
little thief" | then struck him with |
my fist on the nose. lie then struck
at me with his cane, following me "a
little way out ON the sidewalk. Ros-
ser and Obenchain were to my right
in the door of the store, | think.
Obenchain and Rosser both then fir
ed at Calder. Don't know which
one fired first. Calder, who was
standing six feet east of me fell, and
at this moment l,osser attacked me
with a cane in his right hand and a
pistol in his left. liosscr did not fire
at me but shook the pistol al me, say
lug, ''get out of this, YOU damned
railroad thief; take of your hat.r l
said 10 him "llold hard,v beckon-
ing back. Rosscr said; "get down
ON your knees" lie struck at me
several times with his cane. One of
the blows staggered me OF the side
walk, when fell under u lumber wa
pOn. thp unOnn gtarta1 nm : lftfla