The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-10-01

wueu psStoES are OtaWD I'D oDv part ;OI
Kentucky. dropped a. one man behind
benches. Judge Wickliffe another
hOnOred Kentucky name-rose and
shouted u warning. but with no effect.
Shot after shot followed in such quick
succession that all was over almost
before his voice could he heard.
Young Theodore Davies, his face
it has been described to me, white,
even beyond description, and 6ercely
set, stood over the dead body Of his
father. The elder Thompson Was be-
hind post ON the left Of him a. he
stood; Theodore Thompson behind q
post t. the RICH, aud Philip ThomP-
.ou, Jr.. b'ck ot him. nv the door.
Their three pistols emp,ied bullet
after bullet toward him. hut he still
escaped harm. SLOWLY he fired shot
after SHOT in return. turning Il third
around each time IL raised the ham
mer. until the -ix loads we're gone.
Each bullet lodged in the posts BE-
hihd which were the other two, or in
the jam5 Of the door to the vestibule.
Then h. reached down, took the heavy
Colt from hi dead fathers nerveless
grasp. and again. with marvellous
delibera;ion and precision, emptied
its six lnads IN succession, turning, Is
before. a third around toward each
opponen. rs he fired. Each shot
lodged i'..lt in the heavy timbers.
Neither II TIE Ti"mI'sons was hit
and he himself stood unwouu.le,..
Then he snapped the weapon ,nce or
twice. urmindful iha: its cartridges
were useless. and then he backed
slow y toward the door. It'll Il target
rs he moved for two fresh pistols in
The hands If the two before him. 1t
was af,erward urged that the Thomp-
sons mr>. each have been armed with
two ar more weapons when they
entered the court. The number Of
shots fired would prove TINS
As he reached the vestibule door
Theodore Davies turned. Philip
Thompson. IT,. in front 1T him. and
both moved on, int" the open air.
Lying at the foot Of the steps was the
dead body OF his younger brother.
Philip. The first shot heard had been
fatal To the hcy-he was not % yet
and ne plunged forward like log out
If the door Is the bullet found It's
way TO his heart. The aim had been
strangely true for both the elder and
the yo,,nger Davies. The bay hal
been wild and reckless, tn, the elder
brother had apologized for the
younger> faults. had protected him
ofrime from punishment. and loved
him we'll Theodore >toored down
and felt of his heart. 1t ,l:i not beat.
and the youn. man. hitherto almost
calm in hi desperate lighr. rose with
the dead h'vs pistol, mn, one load
discharged. in h;> hao. ami rushed
upon Philip Thompson. For mo-
menl they struggled hand to hand
fario;,sly. neither using his weapon.
Then the ehler Thompson, who had
jumped! through window Of the court
room. carving sash and glass with
him. came around the corner of the
house, pistol in hand, Theodore
shook himself; loose, moved us before
slowly up the street. hut not firing,
and was perhaps u hundred feet from
the court house d,s,r when y heavy
bullet from u Derringrr held by the
elder Philip Thompson pierced his
breast. II MAS a mortal wound. The
young man fell There WAS now no
one 10 return the Tn"mpsons' FIRE. and
his frienl> picked him up. unassslled,
and carried him I, u room over a
store near by. There he died that
afternoon. calm and steadfast to the
CLOSE. | think you will call him a
hero when you have heard all the
story have to tell.
! When Young Theodore Davies was
borne. wounded Z" death, to the
room hard by. he sent far his mother
and youngest brother. Eugene, q boy
in jackets. When they reached him
! it was evident that his time was but
short; but. taking the boy hand, he
made him promise that he would
pursue the quarrel no further. 1t has
been ,"o often the fashion in Kentucky
for the surviving members of q family,
after one Of those blody ARRAYS. to
declare vendetta against those Of the
other side. In one case. that Of the
Hills and Evanses, in the neighbour
ing county Of Gar.ard, the original
bloody quarrel began fifty years ago.
and since then it has been estimated
that sixty persons have been killed
relatives, more or less distant, Of the
two men who fought in 1926.
/ The dying man had steadily refused
to he placed on bed, for. he said the
fast flowing blood could do harm to
the bare Aoor. He turned to friend
Of the Thompsons, who had assisted in
| bringing him in. sent word to them
that he bore them no III will, and then
drew from his pocket closely written
paper, read IL slowly and thoughtfnlly
through, called for q lighted match
and set fire to it, holding it in his
hand until consumed almost to the
last ash. The paper, ! have since
been told BY the surviving son. vas .
statement drawn up the night before
BY Theodore Davies. ST., and intrusted
to the young Theodore. Prphesying
exactly what happened in the court
room thar day. and giving pro"fs that
led the old man to believe that the
Thompsons had arranged q detailed
plan to murder him and his two sons
il the verdict promised I" 60 against
the defendant. That document, as
represented, would have gone far to-
ward convicting the Thompsons Of
deliberate murder, and If it was IS
IL