Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-03-11
From s'Farmer.o

Ed. Register
We had a sniff of winter last night,
the mercury going down to twelve de-
grees above zero. Your Belleview cor
respondent speaks of two degrees be-
low zero there, but We have had no
such cold here since Christmas. 1t
should be noted, by those who wish to
become weather-wise, that where there
was most rainfall last summer, it has
been proportionately colder than where
it was very dry; showing that more, in
thermal changes, depends upon num-
dane, than planetary influences. From
the morning of the oath to noon Of the
2sth, bees gathered honey and pollen
here from soft maple.
Friday week ago, there was a
shooting .affray at Chaplin, ten miles
north of Winchester, in which four
men were engaged, and one life lost.
Last Tuesday, murder was COM
mitted in Winchester, which ! see no.
ticed twice in last week. g Globe Demo-
crat, but both times in such way as
to give wrong impression. One COM
pany Of the State guard had to be
called out and put on duty at the Jail,
to prevent lynching. The coroner's
jury has been sitting four days and
has not done yet. The principals in
the case were dissipated men, who
bore bad characters; and had Padget
been allowed to retain his pistol, and
the men had shot it out fairly, little
feeling would have been excited, had
eithesQr both been killed; but it was
80 PLAINLY . Dat-up job on Padgst,
that public sympathy is very strong
on his side. Fields had previously been
charged with cold-blooded, vindictive
murder; bat though presumption was
very strong against him, he got off.
He had threatened Padget, and he, or
party for him, shot and wounded him
once. 1t is now pretty clear, whatever
pretense he may make, that he came to
Winchester on. purpose to kill Padget.
Padget had notified him that he would
shoot him. They had met before, and
Padget warned Fields to draw and de-
fcnd himself, but upon Fields declar-
ing he had no arms, Padget told him
he was safe then, and that he should
not molest him. On another occasion
they met, but Fields had two ladies with
him. Padget knew he was armed, and
hovered about trying to get Fields to
commence the quarrel; but seeing that
he could not, though he kept his hand
on his pistol, Padget told him that if
he (Fields) did not commence, he Pad
get) would not modest him on account
of the ladies'. Whether these stories
are true or not, they are well authenti-
Gated, and accord with what happened
before many witnesses, just previous
to the murder. Padget, seeing Fields
on the street, drew revolver, and
holding it up, called upon Fields to
stand out of the crowd and shoot it out
like a man; but Fields took shelter in
bakery. Soon after, Fields was as
sureG that Padget was unarmed, and
was urged out to meet him. Your cor
saw both men before they
met, or saw each other; and was warn
ed by friend to look out, that they
would meet just i'm front of him, and
that they would shoot; but feeling lit |
tie care for the matter, as he thought
both were armed, he stood there and
watched till the victim fell. Fields,
who was armed with the largest sized
and most improved Colt, drew SO hasti-
ly that his first shot went into the pave
ment and the second into the ground
beyond the curbstone; but finding his
unarmed, he fired the other
four shots with more assurance, and his
victim soon fell on his face in the mid
die of the street. Only one shot was
fatal, and that on account "f
cutting large artery near the back,
causing internal hemorrhage. Open
threats Of lynching were common. All
lay, and the next, men came into
town; many from Green county, where
both men lived, and where Fields
seems to have had more enemies than
friends. Other reasons, however. adj
led to the public anger. Several
ines before, citizens Of that county
,sd come to Winchester to settle their
euds; and last. though not least, it has
,eemed 40 hard to procure convictions
where there was fat goose involved u