The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-03-19

Aston then got III and. rs Governor cni.
quit was at dinner, he Sinrtod out to llhu tn'
Governor ar intercept him on his return;
He met the Governor on Forsyth street anu
told him all the factS I'm the matter ana re-
marked that he believed. in justice 10 nun.
SELF and family, and in Scll-hefci"> ne o"Sht
to got II dOublc-harrrlcd shotgun ana
KILL ED. CON on SIGHT.
The Governor at once ,lisSundcd him from
! any such idea, and told him That the matter
should be arranged peacefully; that he
would send word To Con and try to calm MN,
and In his cooler moments try to harniohiIr
affairs. AS the Governor then went on TO his
office Aston StUppcd ut Peter BcrrOn res
%tuulant, on Forsyth street, and said he. had
had nodinnrr he would go III there an" gel
something to eat.
.Alstun went into lierrnn's and the Cover.
nor reached his Office and sent Captain %rim
The principal keeper OF the iciiiicn:iary, 10
find Cox. and, If possible persuade MIN to 20
no further In the atl;tirand not precipitatc 4
difficulty with Aston. Captain helms went
down Marietta street, and i0und Cox, We
learn, in the Girl of the lcriod' saloon, and
tried To- call him out to speak with MN.
Cox said: "ENcuSc NC, Captain, ] ann very
busy and ahn waiting To sec IL flicnd.' Cap
tain NclmS replied that he wanted to see
lUT on very important business. hut Cox
again declined, and Cap.a'H NHlms went
back to Governor Colquiti and so reported.
The Governor aSl;cd him to go again and lie
started to do 80.
About this tive tlston saw Cox coming to.
! NtTuS inc CllIllfl Win llS Il.ll llNiu
nicftly plnccd for Il prompt resort tn his PTS
trl. tle crllcd the Governors attention to
.hc fact aud went out. Cox entered INC
i Trcastrcr's Ollie" to fluid Aston. AS he pass
cd in at the door he saw through the GlilS'
front nf the desk Il person wearing Il SILK hat
whom he took to be Aston, but who WAS the
WRONG MAN.
IT was Professor Il. i. Moore. as Cox dlscov'
cred when he went around into the middle
room to the entrance behind tie counter ant
half drew his pistol 10 shoot 1T the surpassed
enemy. The coiorcd messenger in the Office
Peter McHlicl"el, saw the movement anu
was prepared to illustrate the shooting
When Coz saw the party WAS not Aston ht
turned and went out, making his way III
stairs into the Executive Department N
search Of Aston.
Aston in the meantime went back TO the
TrcnSurCr's office and sat down. lie again
spoke OF the impending difficulty, being told
that Cox had Just been there hunting for him
He said that IL WAS ~ terrible thing TO bt
forced intoa difficulty will n man who was
hunting YOU down, az Coz was doing him.
Almost Immediately after this Cox came In
to tho Trcasurcr'S Office and found Aston
there. Cox and Aston both were cOnSidcrn
bly, excited, but Cox seemed exceedingly anG
~ rs we'll.
telling Aston that he had treated him wrong
and had to answer Tor ii. Aston got up ant
putting his hand gently upo Cox, said Il
him:
MT. tOH, l 90 not WANT 10 nave IN! UNI
Guilty with you about this matter and there
is no need for II. Let US drop II now. 1t VII,
do you no good to Kill me, and do me no good
to kill you-not bit IN the world
Cox rrplici in an abusive manner, and con
tinued to dcnounce Aston and TO urge hin
Oh to the ,ffraty. IT was thought his Object
was to EOad Aston to make the first attack
! At the time only Treasurer Rcrfroc ana tlt
tax collector nf Gilmcr county were III tht
Ofi!cc-Caplnin NelmS coming In soon after
While the quarrel was in progress the Gil
iilct gentleman remarked that Cox was abuS
Ing Aston beyond endurance, and that Al
stOn ought not To let Il man ak to him III
that way. but ought to Kill him:
Treasurer Rcnfroe fearing the difficulty
told them not to have Il fight in his Office
Upon this
cox INVITED AISTON OUTDOORS
TO settle the matter. hut Aston declined t'
80, repeating that he did not want to nay
have one. Aston said If he could not avoit
It he supposed he would. Cox told MIN ne
could not get out of II, and Aston asked mn
if he wanted to begin ii right then. Cox halI
it was as good n place us any. and that am
Guilty was what he came for. He went 10 tnt
front door Of the room and attempted to Shnl
1t. Treasurer ~ltcnfrOc old him not TO shul
that door, but Cox paid no attention to hun
but, seeing that 1t was hooked bach. TO thu
wall, he unlocked it and shut II. lie thel
turned and advanced towards Aston, wht
also rose and stepped forward. captain
Z A>clIlS Itlll DclNtcll lIltIIl,H VII SttSi ~
the shoulder with his hands, but rs he did 81
GOTH MEN upEw THEIR PISTOLS
And began to fire at each other will, great IA,
pidity. Captain Mems fell back upon the Ia
bic, Treasurer Henfroc and the other man
were standing in the room next 10 Marietta
! street and near the door where Colonel AL
ston was standing in front of the stove,
Colonel Aston, when he arose from his
, chair, had his coat buttoncd across his breast
but he unbuttoncd it and drew his .pi$to
from an inner pocket. His was Il scll'cork'
ing pistol, and this enabled him to get the
first shot at Cox, the ball striking Cox ON tho
left side of the upper lip and penetrating Tho
mouth and jaw. Cox then got into the corn.
er and fired at Aston, but the pau mlsseu
then fired twice in succession, his second bal!
striking o in the left hand, ticShy part, be
tween thumb and fore-linger, and the thiru
shot going wild and buryinS IN the, pllstcrcd
! wall about Il foot from the floor and close t.
Cox-su close, It appears, us to have gonL
through tile breast portion of his coat as IL,
stopped leaning sideways to avoid The shot
! ball penetrating the right temple OF Colonel
Aston, about an inch from an level with inc
eye. II ranged through the brain and LODGED
undo the seal p ut the back OF The head on INC
left lower side.
COLONEL ALSToS STAGGERED, REELED
! And fell III the other door, athwart the
threshold, bleeding protuscly and urcon
scious upon the instant. Mr. OK changed p
siti0n from the corner to the opposite s:dt
near thctablc, but seeing the effect OF TINS
; shot he did not attempt TO shoot again. He
was bleeding himself copiou'ly. from Tho
! wounds In his mouth and in his and III
said to Treasurer licnlroe:" 1--WE are both XIII
cd - and went into the front room ana lay
Z heard all around and through the building
and mcncame running to the scene OF the
tragedy. The spectacle at this jMnt,urc beg
CARS description, AMI sickcned all who saw IT
; 'sI.. a n-. - eliza. Arr, tt.nS Il tNI,f III nh1S
OF blood. and yet the faint blue smoke from
! the pistols was creeping along the ceiling IL
search of an outlet. One Of the men was ~
Ing upon the floor at full length, with th'
the head, and the other was moaning ,upoi
soft four or five feet away, with the blood
choking him and flowing from his mouth
and his hand dr,rpins as though 1T r"k zen Iron ,T"n,
were found II pistol ball and some OF the tcctl
knocked from CoN'S mouth when he was mt
The picture was one that haflcd imagination
and nothing so vivid in its silent testimony
of tho desperate aifray so fatally closed cou!,
he put upon canvass or in printers Ink upol
this page.
A VAST CROWD
OF excited people were gathering ut news o
the tragedy, and the rooms, the vcStihule ant
the windows faces were pnckCd with the Gu
riOus and anxious thronE. The police ant
physicians were speedily on hand. Drs
Love and Todd took charge Of Colonel Alstor
and at once began to revive him, and brinl
charge of Mir. Cox and did all IN his power t.
relieve him OF his sutlcringS. The wound j!
Colonel A!ston'S head was at once pronounc
ed mortal; those Of Mr.. Cox were deemed
painful but not serious. Colonel Aston was
placed in IN easy position and rcstorntlTc:
applied, while his wound was sought to bI
stnunchcd and his head bathcd. The atIai1
came on ut 80 =. NJ. and for nearly two
hours the men were thus tcndcrly cared fol
by physicians and friends. Colonel Alstor
became very restless, and urged himself cleal
across the room in his struggles. He return
cd to consciousness once and only for a brio
moment or two. Mr.. Frank Gordon, son .
Senator Gordon, was promptly ut his sac
and In reply to his question Colonel Aston
and family called his naInc Frank" Tiel
with u struggle he said ~ am dying"
LET ME SEE MY WIFE"
BctTccn Colonel Aston and his wife has al
ways existed the tendcrcst and sincercst low
and confidence. In all circumstances they
were more like the youthful lovers of lht
long ago than the husband and wife. witt
well grown children at their sides. II was
his last sane rcquest-thnt nevcr-fniling dc
vUtion cryStaliZcd into cS~pression-'lct mt
see my wife" She was at her home In De
kalb County, all unconscious of the calamity
that had ovcrtakcn her husband and doubt
less preparing his welcome when his return
should be made. A carriage was at once sem
post haste to bring her to his bedside, for soon
after he was taken upon n stretchcr anu zen
derby borne to II bed In the room OF Mr.
Walker. in the Grant building, corner o.
Marietta and Broad Streets. In this cOnncc
ton, it may he cited us significant beyond
In the morning, Colonel Aston sold to his
wife that lie would get his business arranged
that day, and
LATTER TONIGHT WILL DE AT HOMER;