Louisiana capitolian., 1879-04-12
Poindexter's Escape.
THE MAN WHO TOOK REvENGE FOR
( AN INSULT WITH COWHIDE
AND REVOLVER. -,

Of April.
The story Of this case is a somewhat
remarkable one, Miss Isabella Cot
trcll is a Young lady Of twenty five
summers. Her features are small
but regular, and withal pretty. She
has soft brown eyes and dark eye
lasles, and her hair, light brown hair,
is combed back from her temples and
runs in o thick coil down her back.
Her hands and feet are small, and the
tiny shoe she wears has been the means
of bringing her into the unpleasant
position which she now occupies. 1t
was in January that she entered the
shoe store Of Wingo, Elicit g. Crump
and asked the clerk, Charles G. Curtis
toshow her some shoes. Curtis gotta
pair, and holding one Of them up, told
her to put her foot in it. This she refus-
cd to do. "After l put it on" said
Miss Cottrell, when she went upon the
wjtness-stand and underwent q three
hours examination; "after Iputitonhe
wished to button it on and insisted upon
doing s6. | never did get the button
hook, but buttOnel them on partially
myself. He insisted on buttOning
them further up. | then went to put
on my old shoes and he insisted on lac
ing them and refused and turned my
back on him. This, however, had no
effect on him. He stood and watched
my every movement
Three weeks afterward she again Wis
tied the store to change pair of
shoes. The clerk again insisted upon
buttoning the shoes, the lady again
refused to allow him to do so and left
the store. On the twenty eighth of
February she went to get heel-plates
put on. He held up the shoes and
said !: "What a pretty little shoe +!
You certainly have pretty little foot.
How do YOU walk in it ?" "You will
oblige me by not commenting on my
foot" replied Miss Cottrell, and le"
fused to wait for the heels, but came
back when they had been fixed on.
Curtis asked the lady how she wore
the heels off so, and said: "Put your
foot ont and let me see it," and adj
vanced toward her. She thought he
intended to push her dress aside and
look at her foot. The clerk followed
her to the carriage, and as he helped
her in squeezed her arm Gin Il very
ungentlcmanly rlanner."
This was in brief the story that Miss
Cottrell told UPON the witness stand
This was the story, too, that she ha'
Mr.. John Poindcxter, who was payin!
her attention, and which angered hin
so that he declared his intention o
punishiing Curtis for his insults. Oh
the third of March he walked into tn
shoe store armed with cowhidc ant
told Curtis that he had insulted lady
The clerk, so it is said, denied havinJ
insulted her Intentionally, and wa
ready to apologize, but this did no
suit Poindexter, and he struck TIN
, clerk several blows with the whip.
Shortly after the whipping Curt
hunted up a friend, F. G. Mcclure
, and told him what had happened. |
was agreed that tie best thing to d
was to demand an apology frol
Poindextcr, and so the pair started fc
4 j. +. Condrey's tobacco factory, whel
0 Poindcxter was employed. The
1 man was seated in an inner Offic
n Curtis saw him through the cashier
: window and said, "I want an apolog
for your action this morning. Yo
can't get one" replied Poindexter, an
% Curtis being armed with stick thr'
= feet long anil heavily. knotted at Il
). large end, Poindexter jumped U
, from his desk, and retrcating to Il
70 fnrtller end Of the room, drew a sma
,, Smith e. Wesson sevcn-shooter.
"Beat him Beat him " cried NJ
I Guire. ''I'll shoot you if you stril
G. me-" said Poindextcr. 81 am IL
n armed" hcsitated Curtis. McGui
ct urged him on and he went to meet h
as death. lie advanced, struck at Poi
to dexter, who Immediately fired, al
p never stopped until six of the barre
a. were empty. Curtis fell, mortal
. wounded. "Good Godw exclaimed |
y murderer when he ralized what he h
n done; 81 did not mean to kill hin
ly and he threw down his revolver q
,e aided the others in administering
Sc the wounded man. That event
nc Curtis died. Poindexter was arrest
and held for trial.
The trial has created an inten
interest. Miss Cottrell, when she c
10 tered court to give her testimony W
u stared at by many curious eye ant
OF great crowd followed her to her CO
by riage tocatch a more satisfactory gil
As pse Of her face. She had felt her CO
ct, dition keenly, but told her story il
mo clear, calm voice.
i. The attorney for the Commonwea
= was very severe on the prison
'"' 'lt was cruel, brutal MURDER"
ng argued in impassioned tones.
or CRUEL, brutal murder of man up
,ur urbncn 1,ont xynra fha fnul .1ishnn oro