Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1879-04-02

out of his pocket, leveled il at his
assailant aud fired. The ball struck
Aston in his uplifted hand, carrying
away two fingers. This did not stop
him, hut braudishing q bowie knife,
he closed on Reed. Before the men
could be parted Reed was cut pretty
severely, and Aston, believe,
wounded again. Alston WAS taken
from the room. and for some months
nothing more WAS heard of the mat
ter. One day Gen. Reed was walk
ing the streets OF Tallahassee when
he WAS fired upon by Col Aston.
The contents of one barrel Of a shot.
gun was poured into his shoulder,
andas he turned toconfront hisassail'
ant the OF her load went into his heart.
He fell and died. Col. Als'on's
friends say that he had given Reed
notice that he intended TO kill him
on sight.
Willis Aston went to Texas,
where be lived for some time. De
settled near Bruzoria. There was
DIR. Stewart, who, for some reason
or other, pursued the matter of the
Reed killing and used remarks de
rogatory to Aston. Aston hear
ing of it, wrote the remarks down,
and meeting Stewart on the prairie
one day asked him to say whether
or not he was responsible for these
remarks DIR. Stewart took the pa.
per. and while pretending to read
it pnt his hand into his holsters and
drew his pistols. He jumped from
his horse on the side opposite Ais
ton and fired into him. A desper.
ate fight ensued in which Aston
was shot twice aud his stomach 40
cut that his bowels protruded. He
killed Stewart, however. pouring
a load of buckshot into him after
he was prone upon the earth. he
was taken to Jail almost dead. he
was a famous fiddler, and procuring
a fiddle sat there "with his entrails
protruding." as he wrote ,oa friend
playing the old tunes OF his boy
, hood. His body servant gained ad
/. mission to his cell and had a coil o
j. rope wrapped about his body. witt
p this he was going to try and escape
8 Suddenly a mob assaulted the Jail
I overpowered the Sheriff, broke IL
1 the doors and seized Col. Aston
[ He was game to the last, aud nd
/. died up to the very instant he wa
4 seized, his dauntless face looking
g full upon his assailants. He wa
Y tumbled into a blanket, the end
/. twisted, aud he was then hustle'
u out of the Jail. Once out III
d street he was thrown to the ground
:, still enveloped in the blanket, an
G hundred bullets were poured int
q his body. Thus died the last Of th
+, "Halifax AlstOns." They were
a remarkably athletic and handsom
e race of men. Gideon, who wa
" killed by Pelat, is always cited a
d the handsomest yOungster Of ri
8. day. 1t may he said here that tn
i. Young Castilian who killed him wa
4. put into the navy as a midshipma
d and was drowned in the Mediterr'
Is mean. Willis Aston was man
u. wonderful strength. He ont
Ne sbouldercd load Of 500 pOun'
L. dead weight and carried it throne
~ the streets of Sparta on u bet. 81
t. life was stormy one. HIS fer
a. with the Ingrams, brave and pO'
". erful family, was the sensation
IN Georgia for the time it lasted. /
il always carried his wager aud e
en caped the whole difficulty with on
Ic one finger shot away. This ftt
re was dramatized under the title
d. 1.-THE Watch and sold largely. |
nd authors were never discovered
,is they would have been killed, rs I
ed heroes of that day did not tolera
he the publication Of their troubi'
he The manuscript was discovered o
th morning in the yard OF ftarlt
ito widow who published it herself a
tb. sold it, making a great deal OF me
a. ey by it. -,
me Col. r. A. Aston was remark
tn. BILE man. Filled with all the oh
zen airy, feaIlessness and hot-headt
eel ness of his race, he dreaded, abe
raj all other things, meeting an e
q "A like his ancestors. 1t WAS not fe
his for an Aston does not know wi
,lo. fear is. He was as brave man
,ny ever lived. In the army, as one
pod Morgan's LieuteDants, he was
re. most reckless aud daring Of tn
the all. He once actually had q
2 of cult shot from between his tee
Pet. but with a laugh he continued
was breakfast. He said to your
had respondent once: III have a
ted who Is a hot headed fellow bins
n of and l have taken my wite's hand
.ity. mine many a time, and knee
| i'll h.. L. hia hadsila and nrA