The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-02-24
= is--sIi.
KILLING OF NELSON.
General Steedman's Account of tho
Killing.
Toledo Blade +


Much morefnteresting is the accoun
of Major-G General James B, Steedman
who was an ey witness of ibe affair y.
II was standing at the Gait Hous,
bar" says the General, "with Genera
John t. Croxton, Of the Fourth Ken
lucky Infantry, and who aflerward dice
as the Representative of the Govern
ment Of Venezuela l had just taker
nay drink, and Croxton was in the act o
taking his, when i looked down the Ions
ball, and saw at the other end of it {
group composed Of General Nelson
General Davis and Governor Norton
They were talking together rather ex
citedly, and as looked l saw Nelson
draw back his right hand and slap Da
Wis face with an overland blow. sale
to Croxton:
"'There's going to be trouble; Mel.
son has just struck Davis
After Nelson struck he stepped few
steps, and leaned against the railing o
the office. Davis and Morton also step
ped back, and I saw Morton take some.
thing from his hip pocket, and hand il
to Davis, who then stepped forward
.leveled pistol at Nelson, and fred
AT the puff Of the revolver, Nelson put
his, hand on his breast, and when we ran
up we heard him say: 'sH t55at4
I'm dead man seEd for an Episco-
pal clergyman" 81 "a sfofsa asata
h"Cfoxton, myself, Silas Miller, one ol
the proprietors Of the Gait House, and
Others carried him into a little room un.
der the stairs We opened his clothes,
and found near the heart a little blue
mark, about the size of a bnck-shet, and
that was all The wound had closed
no blood was running; you could hard.
ly notice that it was a wound. By good
luck there was an Episcopal clergyman
"a man with whom Nelson was intimate
In the house. He was sent for and
came Immediately, and when be entered
the room we withdrew. In about ten
minutes we were told that Nelson was
dead -Eiiag7A ,st3oar-4 .sd
"Qlise number came running up al
the sound of the shot, and among then
a policeman, who arrested Davis. Da.
Wis went with him quietly, but upor
General Buell. being informed of it, he
made a demand upon the Mayor for The
delivery of Davis to him, which, after q
momentary hesitation was DONE,
The General was asked ssWhat wal
then done to Davis p =.
a"Nothing:- nothing at all. I dom
think he wasleyen put under arrest, M
notice was taken of; the affair. Ever,
bodyEfclt sorry that, Nelson was killed
but they. understood that Davis 7coul'
not do anything else than what. be, die
do He had been struck, and if h.
hadn't resented it he would have beel
disgraced, and compelled to leave tn
army. He could not resent it any othe
way. Davis was a small man, Will
Nelson was six feet two, weighed tw'
hundred and seyepty,fve or three hun
dred pounds, and was . monster Q
strength" :,
$50 you think that Governor Morto
handed Davis the pistol with which b
killed Nelson ?" -.i s7sies 'fs
II haven't any doubt of il" reptile
the General. II was too far off to sc
that it was pistol which Morton pulle
out of his pocket and gave to Davis, br
he pulled something out and handed
to him, and then the shot was fred {"
"What effect, if any, do you imagir
the occurrence had on Davis's mind 2
i None at all, that 1 could notice. Il
was alwaysa morose, silent man-mai
so, perhaps, by his domestic trouble
and the chronic disease of which |
], died-but / could not see that be W,
made any more so by the homicide--
saw him after the war at Governors i
land, New York, and he seemed plea
anter than usual. ! accounted for it
the supposition that the sharpness Of b
domestic troubles had hegun to We
lo9