The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-30

ward the door until ho came upon
was dead outside but for the first time moved
out OUT ot an almost supernatural calm-you will re-
member that his face was before described to me
as strangely white. but firmly sci and that de-
scription is the same as given to-day-hc rushed
back To- whore DR.. Thompson was still standing
pr, Thompson's cont. and pulled the trigger
But Thompson suddenly .writhed his body away
from the dircctaim, and bullet only plOughed
shallow crease along his abdomen. hardly
cutting the skins The front OF his vest was
n9Wn oyd1 away WAY ana hurnsd Thsn young Davies
he moved. until he reached his brothers body
lying outside the court house door. Over ii
was Philp Thompson Jr.. pnnting. Theodore
Davies threw himself upon Thompson and the
tXo wrcstlcd ior q moment together. Then
Thompson fell At that moment the elder
rhilp Thompson. with a bullet through his
| ihigh. came round the corner of the house
He had lcnpcd through window Of the court
room. carrying sash and all. He believed his
son to be dead. Theodore Davies. seeing him.
arose and walked backward toward the cate
odorc Davies took deliberate aim at him and
snapped his pistol in vain. livery load was
son fired. and the heavy bullet crashed through
the Young mans spine; OF course 1t was .
| before told .heroically In little room over
The smoke had not fairly lifted before tho
brother Of Mrs. " ". Belknnp%. % whose i Rtsd Ruaband
was then Secretary OF the Army. hnstened to
| bullet had passed through his heart. In his
nervelcss hand he still graspcd his pistol a
self-cocking Cooper revolver OF the ancient
make; Only ono cartridge had becn exploded.
and the bullet from that had g,ne harmlessly
raised the Old mans hand md to feel &c Of 2is hearI
| ne revived for the moment muuered Don't
,ako my pistol" aud was deqd before he could
| be raised on the physicians knee. Outside,
| Larue Thompson was already dead with five
bullets holes in his boody-the one through his
by; Caldwell tho boy the only survivor Of
ne Davies family that came, TO the court that
shot once; his oldest son .Davieas was hardly
grazed Philip. Jr. and John. twin brothers,
crowded cour, room-and forty odd bullets we're
| niterward counted in the walls mot another man
had been harmed. But some II the escapes were
two young men crouched near the floor had
passed over the head Of an oiid man Just behind
chair. Had he raised himself a bare three
inches. the ball would have crashed through
his brain. II seemed miracle that the list ot
the dead WINS but three, and OF the wounded
Whatever may be said Of his father md
younger brother" my informant continued lis
story, young Theodore Davies was on" Of tho
salt ot the earth, | had known him since we
were boys together, though he was older than l.
He fought that day Ike brave man. and he
died ike brave man. He didn't want tQ go
arm himself tnat dav. You SEQ he couldn't 10
ANYTHING else; If his father really thought there
saw the fight that day. did not hear. rs did.
the story ot young Thcodore's death from his
brothers llu--the sam" brother WHO ce 'llti
from the Court House alone OF his family
young eoT ala himself II" down to ' die SS1hns Sa ihe
hard floor. because the blood would not hurt tho
bare panks; how he cal led his brother 10 him.
ana made him promise he would not sock the re-
he was how lest his mother might be made
altogether childless by the violent death Of her
remaining sons. he burned the fatal parer tint
| would provoke another quarrel with tho
Thompsons. then bade good-by TO that mother.
,io n5 6rothers 6o4 and the girl to whom he was
hequeathng memory to them that was better
am, prepared to have all sympathy for
young Phi Thompson. the chosen OF the good
citizens as; OF far & section Of Kentucky for q
he did not Kill his opponent in defence OF his
own life; and all accounts mako him good
his constituents. Their regard for him found
expression the other night in an enthusiastic
confess that little kindness would have for him
II the bullet from his pistol had given tho death
reckless brother who had also been 10 his slayer
playmate and friend; A Jury ecluited him
md'SI1 ~ ~. oi my mum M IN tmaI h,i shoull not nke
70 nave been on the Jury that considered the
The Test q the story Of the. tragedy Is about
who will cit in Congress with young Philip
Thompson-ii he is elected from the Eighth
the two dead boys, and. with the brothers Hnr-
din. also retained by her. he prosecuted tie case
against the Thomps ms. The account OF the
speech which he never delivered, charging a
deliberate conspiracy on the part OF the TIomp-
sons to kill tho Davoses | got from the former
Managing Editor OF the COiUie'-J Journal now a
resident Of New York to whom Mr. Blackburn
lnIrusted the manuscript ot that speech
The trial was postponed for 1t few days to
allow tho Thompsons To attend the funeral Of
their uncle, ex-Unted States Senator and cx-
Every man and boy Of us was searched for
weapons as we entered the Court House tho day
dock" added the friend to whom am indebted
Tor these correet9ns ana additions To- my for
order 10 that effect and Bud Roberts. the iailer
stood at the door and saw that no weapon was
put into lail after the fight, but wereke under
the surveillance OF officers. There We're sixty
or seventy u us who testified on the one side or
was what / havo Just told you. When Philip
Thompson the father, came round tho corner
| of the court house. Forrest Smedley. clerk in
| the bank, shouted to young The. Davies To run.
Davies looked W and saw the Oh man, and
shot. There wasn't "A better boy in kentucky.
and was sorry he didn't get OH safe"
H., ~ was tninf 70 pc sS3rf,y i.r anu henlucky
true women when he died.
As proof that the Dnyescs came to the court
sumably ready TO provoke ope i was testified
tha, young Larue Davies had two pistols
fore he fell and that there was taken from he
dead body u his father. besides his pistol with
| its one Intellectual bullet gone. a bowie kuifo
| that he carried concealed beneath his vest, but
had no time 70 draw Ihe plea Of seh-deieneo
| the Jury decided well taken. The tragedy oi
| father and his sons killing a father and his
sons was noted for n while IN its fatal coinci-
| dence and then was put aside as u thing held
| 10y all the community IA best 10 DO forgotten. 1t
was that other coincidence Of tho probable cleo
tion OF one Of those prosecuted to ait in tho
same delegation with the lawyer who prose-
cutel him. that recalled the circumstances TO
public attention, and led me 10 send To- you facts
that letter and this You have the story as told by
both sides to the saddest tragedy within my
| knowledge.
Mrs. Davies Ia still In HarrodsburR but Cad.
| well the boy who was saved 10 her that fatal
| day, died few years later peacefully in his
| mothers arms. Her lot. you will agree with
| me, has been hard on6-a later Niobe. If OF a
humber mould.