The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-03-28
TIE SHOOTING SCRAPE.
a Few Additional Remarks on the
Matter.

Captain c. B. Western, shot by DR.
LeCompte on Friday morning, va
easier yesterday, and will. in al
probability, recover, and doubtless bt
out In ten days or two weeks. The
affair grew out OF supposed insult t.
6 lady by LsComLts, which the doc
tor emphatieally denies having in
tended, and for which he apClogized
as fully as he believed possible, and
as he also believed, satisfactorily
Captain Western, however, took up
the matter and demanded q further
apology from Dr.. LeCompte, which
the Latter did no. feel disposed to give
TO the captain. Subsequently be re-
ceived the letter mentioned from
Western, which gave aim X hours to
apologize or he would be branded as
a coward and liar, ami it was an IN
questioned challenge When the
parties next saw each other, it was as
heretofore stated, With the RESULT.
There Is no necessity for review of
the transaction, but it is limited that
the matter was in the snaps of 8
''put up iob," Western being SOFT of
cats paw in the affair. Two or three
parties in this city, who style them
selves gentlemen, but who possess
very questionable characters, as thel
stcry goes, were DESTROYS of getting up
a little cheap notoriety for themselves
at the expense OF some one else. Cir
cumstances arose which gave them
the desired opportunity, and they
worked it up. They got htl1 of |
Western and kept urging him to
challenge LeCompte, knowing that he
was not fighting man, and limiting
that he would make a most humble
and abiect apology, besides sggrayating
the alleged insult; in fact, they are
understood to have made deliberate
conspiracy to force the doctor into a
position where he would have to make
the apology asked, or be murdered.
While working the affair up, they
cornered LeCompte, tackled him,
called him "a coward and dared him.
The doctor replied by saying to them:
Gentlemen, you have the best of nae
in this affair; you all shoot, do not.
You have it your own way" and
would not take up the fight. Then
came the letter mentioned above,
believed to have been indicted by one
Of these gentlemen" and written
by Western, and the meeting described
above. Those giving the above story
say that it was believed that
LeCompte would not fire, and that he
would, if caught by Western, do just
as they desired-make a most abject
apology; but it turned out the very
reverse, the doctor keeping as
cool as could be, though pain
fully wounded in the right hand,
and never moved a step. 1t
is also stated that Western, under the
direction of these honorable gentle.
men," had been posting himself on
The due-.1g code, while a case of
pistols belonging to one Of these same
gentlemen Is said to be at present in
the room of the wounded officer. As
far as can be ascertained, LeCompte
is exOnerated in every particular, and
merely took the part that any human
being would have done under the {
It is unfortunate for
Captain Western any way; and more
20 if it is true that be had !
been persuaded by these fellows into
pressing a matter that his judgment
should have condemned as unmanly
to say the least. What makes it still
worse for the officer is that he is said
TO have been told by General Smith,
on Friday morning, to let the matter
drop.
The affair was being investigated
by General Smith on Saturday.