The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-03-11
The Earten-cox Shooting Affair.

The daily papers OF Saturday morning
last, came to Eaton, claiming great *
.citement over the shooting scrape of Har-
ten VS.. Cox. The truth of the affair is
that it created but little excitement and
nobody seemed to be much interested in
it except the Doctors. 1t was simply the
elimination of an old scandal between
Cox, Harten and his wife, that had been
hawked in the gossip market until it was
stale, and from the result of which the
wife of Harvey Cox obtained a divorce
in our Courts a few weeks ago. Cox's
persistent attentions and interference
with the family relations of Harten, tor
mented and bedeviled the poor old weak,
feeble and diseased man, until he was
half the time deranged over it. He left
his unfaithful wife a short time ago and
she applied for a divorce, but failed to
prosecute to its termination, and the old
man was persuaded to return to her
again. Cox continued his attentions and
was prowling around the premises of the
Harten's at all hours of the day and eve
ming. He was warned of the consequence
es if he pursued his course in that way,
but "'poo-hooed' about it and Guessed
not" that the old man wouldn't shoot
any body" So on last Friday about
noon, Cox made it convenient to call and
have a ttfence confab'' with Mrs. Har-
ten, and it was while this Interesting
"tee-a-tee'' was going on that the old
gentleman rushed from his domicile with
a navy revolver in hand, took deliberate
aim and fired at the disturber of his do
mestic happiness. The shot took effect
in Cox's left hip, and he was gathered
up by parties close by at the time and
carried into the house of a relative near
the scene of the shooting. Drs. Stephens,
Bruce and Michael made a superficial ex-
animation of the wound, and gave it as
their opinion that the liaisons of Harvey
Cox were at an end, but after probing it
on Sunday last, are inclined to think
there is a possibility of him recovering.
On Saturday afternoon Harten was ar
raigned before Mayor Holt on a charge
of maliciously shooting James II. Cox
with intent to kill, to which he plead
''not guilty." At the examination w
H. Kline testified that he saw the shoot
ing. Cox, at the time was standing al
the side of the railroad, near Harten's
house, talking to Mrs. Harten. One o
Harten's boys came out and told his
mother to come in the house and ordered
Cox off. Harten came out of his house
the back way, walked to his yard fence
to within % or 80 feet of Cox and fired
Cox staggered and fell. Cox was moving
off at the time. Saw the wound; it wa
in the side of the leg, pretty well up to
ward the hip. Heard no threats. DR.
A. II. Stephens testified that he had ex
amined and ressed the wound; that b
| regarded it as a very dangerous wound
l DIR. Bruce corroborated the testimony c
) DIR. Stephens. Joseph Harten t~estifie
that he had no intention to kill Cox, bu
he wanted at the time to give Cox to III
derstand that he didn'twanthim around
DIR. Small testified that Harten was
wreck, mentally and physically, that b
was Hartenss physician and had treate
e him during a long and serious attack
: Pneumonia, from which he was just ri
t covering-that Harten's mind had b,
come so impaired from disease that III
y der circumstances of great a%ggravation /
might not be able to control his actions
t thought, however, that Harten was alb
k to distinguish between right and wronl
Il Harten was bound over to Court in tt
o sum of $500. Jacob Overholtz and v
II. Haines becoming his bondsmen.