The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-06-14

his weapon and at distance of six or eight feet.
shot him through the brain, the ball entering
about an inch and a half above the right eye
Lawrence was then standing just inside the bar.
room, about two feet from the entrance to the
billiard ROOM and fell at the feet OF K. j. Wilson,
with whom he was conversing, dying instantly.
THE SHOOTING OF oCoNNoR.
In an instant after the shot was fired Thomas
White, II brother to Lawrence and a drayman OF
this city, standing in the room, made II rush to-
ward OConnor to dsarm him. As he started for
him O'Connor rccocked his weapon and pointed
it at Thomas White rs if about TO shoot, hut
White brushed his hand aside and the pistol did
not go off. He then grabbed O'Connors right
arm, Just below the elbow, with his left, crowd
ing the hand holding the revolver ready fol use
back of O'Connor's body, and with the right
hand took hold Of the collar Of his coat near the
throat thus holding him backed him toward the
entrance to window sill next north of the door
The sill came hardly up to OConnors middle,
and when he struck it he fell backward overit, his
head breaking through the window Just as
White doubled HIM over the window the weapon
went oil the second time The body then sank TO
the floor, the pistol dropping ont of his hand
which was picked up by Thomas White, who put
it into his pocket and afterwards turned it over
undisturbed, to the coroner. 1t was not known
at first that he was shot, but us he fell to the
floor one Thomas Burke, constable Of the town
Of Wallace sat down on him to hold him until an
officer came to arrest him. When the officer
Marshal Harris-came, some two minutes after
the shooting, the man was found to be dying,
,ll, h,,1l, l,l,
back Just above the hip. He lived but few
minutos-not more than 10 at the utmost-and
was not conscious any of that time
TOM AND JACK O'CoNNoR
Tom O'ConnOr, the original cause of these ter
riblc deaths, was not present after his punish
mcnt at the barn. He had left the barn, appar
entity half crazy with his pounding. The first
place he is known to have visited was RoutcliH's
saloon, On Main ST., where he told his brother
Jack the circumstances of the fight. Jack was
for going Immediately back to the hotel to pun
sh or kill the Whites, but TIC men with whom
he was playing cards managed to keep him there
for some twenty minutes-or until the shooting
was all over. Thomas in the meantime continued
his wandcrings around town: was seen mp near
the glass works, then on the C., b. N G. track
south Of there, and AT the Main street crossing of
the sidc-cut was informed of the fate Of his
brother Jack in the saloon continued restless,
and finally left there and went to the city hall,
which he found fun of people and his brother
dead. He pushed through the crowd and seeing
his brother dead, sworc he'd have revenge by
killing Lawrence White. "Why, Jack" said
George Blake, who was holding Ted, Lawrence
is already dead" Jack was not man to be ar
gued with at that time, and Blake's words added
fuel to the flame of vengeance he nursed, and
with the words, "You he, YOU ---- ="
struck Blake a frightful blow under the right eye,
thoroughly painting it, if not seriously injuring
it. Jack was shortly afterwards arrested as drunk
and disordcrly and lodged in the city Jail until
Monday morning, when, as he had sworn he'd
shoot Mat White, he was put into the county
Jail by virtue of warrant to keep the peace
sworn out by Mat White, Jack being unable to
give the necessary bonds emitting him to the
advantage of bail. He remained in jail under this
warrant until yesterday.
As soon as the excitement cooled down the
body of Ted O'Connor was taken to the City Hall,
separating the friend. of both men. There, after
tea, was held the post mortem examination by
DIR. J. c. Hathaway, assisted by Drs. Frank
Ycntzer, Of Ottawa, and Gordon, of Grand Ridge.
INQUEST on LAWRENCE WHITE.
The cause of Lawrence Whites death was suf;
fciently understood. Several witnesses saw him
shot and the coroner's jury, the same which sat
in the OConnor case Just before, on Sunday at
the hotel having heard the testimony of r. j.
Wilson, relating the facts as above, rendered the
following verdict:
We the jury, find the body before us TO be that
of Lawrence White; that he came to his death
on the 9TH day Of June, 1879, at Matt Whites He
tel, in the city of Ottawa, Ills, from pistol shot
wound III the head from the hand of Timothy
O'ConnOr, now deceased.
THE oCoNNoR INQUEST.
The death of O'COnnor, however, was in meas
ure mysterious, and considerable time was con
sumei on Saturday evening and Sunday in the
The coroner summoned a jury
composed Of W. II. Hull, foreman, W. II. Smith,
f. 5. Plrlp-, Moses Osman. William Orr, F. /.
Fskc, Ira Nelson, Geo. V. Hull, Joseph Mcgaf-
fin, b. b. Griffith, w T. Phpps and Geo Hayward,
and the inquest was held at the court house.
Neither the Whites nor the O'Connors were for
mally represented by attorneys, though Mr.. VI.
T. Moloncy was there during most of the lnyes.
tigation professionally. The first witness exam
incd was Henry Monroe, who explained the shoot
ing as he saw it and the part he took in the orgi-
nal fight in the barn. He said he heard three
shots fired, the second being aimed at Thos.
White the third he supposed killed O'Connor,
though he did not know. He also took hold Of
O'Connor to assist Thos. White. The other facts
of the struggle are about as related above. He
owned up to having had a revolver in his pocket,
a "Sharp's four-shooter," carrying No. - ball,
which he did not use.
Thos White was then called. He produced
O'Connor's pistol, Victor No. >" carrying
"32" ball, with two chambers empty.
Thes. O'Connor, brother of the deceased,
was then called. He told the story Of the
game of cards and the fight and Of the old
feud between the O'Connors and MonroeS; sworc
to Ted's revolver which he had carried since last
March; swore that Monroes pistol was as stated
al. J., -; lot,