Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-17
sLAYBACK WAS FULLY ARMED.
His Pistol Identified by A Pawnbroker
from When He Boug) it.
BAR ASSOCIATION RESOLUTIONS.
A Miscellaneous Review Of Criminal
Doings and Casualties.
The SfGybdck Tragedy.

here to-day, and as the feeling against
Cockrill had been sedulously worked up bI
Slaybacks friends, and a very one-sided
account of the affair was published by one
OF the morning papers. the survivor OF the
fatal encounter has been freely condemned
The injustice Of this will be seen when ii
is known that of the four witnesses of the
affray. three testified on oath on the in
quest that Slayback was an armed
aggressor. The GLOBE correspondent
interviewed ". II. Clopton, who made the
following flul statement of his connection
with the affair:
Il was at the Office of Col. 81 sy back at
4:30 on business. When 1 got through and
was about to 60, he asked me to sit down,
but told him 1 wanted to go to publish
er in the rear of the building. I went,
and on coming back Siayback caught NE
by the arm and we went to the Office of
the Post-Dispotch. On arriving ihere 1
followed Slayback up the stairs. We were
both walking hastily He took one rapid step
when neac the door and entered, when the
door was closed. I put my hand on the
his coat and heard him say: 'Don't draw
taat pistol on me- When the word s'draw''
was enunciated I heard pistol fired.
approached Cocllrill and forced his arm
toward the window. Slayback called me,
anl turned, and he had closed with Cock
CockriIl, and eased Slayb back to the floor.
I had gotten down on my right knee hold
ing Slayback, and on looking up saw an
excited person whom I know to be news
paper man with pistol at my head. I
told him to put up his pistol
saying: "Don't you see my
friend is dead" :" when the pistol was low
cred.
When Col. SIayback entered the room he
closed the door, Cockrili was in the act
of rising, and Slayback commenced taking
Off his coat with his right hand thrown be-
hind !,iul % enable hiia - catch the right
coat sleeve with his left hand. He called
on Cockrin not TO draw that pistol on him.
When I. went into Col. Slayback's Office
was sitting with Col. Broadhead and an
other gentlemen. l sat with him until he
he read the editorial of the Post-Dispatch.
emitting the card. He then took another
edition of the same paper out of his desk
and read another editorial. He asked me
if would go and see Cockrill with him.
When he had got to the foot of the stairs
told him he had better let me go and see
Cockrill. I asked him if there was any
thing of personal nature between him
and Cockrill, and he replied that there was
not; that their difficulties were all settled
told him I would go and see who was re-
sponsible for the editorial, and when 1 had
done so that would serve him in any ca.
pacity. He insisted on going himself, and
said that no apology would
satisfy him; that he would just slap
CockriIl in the face and demand an apollo.
gy afterward. Col. Slayback made no other
threat, save that of slapping Cockrill in
the face. He had no pistol. He was not
unduly excited and made no motion, ex.
cept 10 take Off his coat. He was moving
toward Cockrill, and had no pistol in his
hand whatever. BY the time he closed
with Coclzrill had the latter by the right
arm, in which he held the pistol. Slay
called me. I turned, and seeing his face
covered with blood, released Coclrilrs arm
and went to my friends assistance. Cock
rill passed out of the room with the pistol
in his hand. While I was relieving the
wounded man, policeman entered and
went to the reporters room, and subse
quently, when the crowd had gathered tc
my Office, Col. Slayback died in my pres
ence and in my arms. should Judge thai
he lived only minute after the shot wa:
fred I heard no word from Cockrill. H.
spoke no word, and had he done so would
have unq quest1onably heard it." This Clop
ton substantially repeated at the inquest
(Western Associated Press')
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Oct. 16.-It was expected
that counsel for Col. Cockrill would apply
for his release on bail this morning, but
the evidence taken before the coroner:
jury not yet being written out. and there
fore not in position to submit to the
court, and owing to the fact that Judge
Laughlin, of the criminal court, is sick
action in the case will be deferred til
Wednesday. No charge has yet been made
against Mr.. Cockrill, but it is understood
tho coroner will swear cat warrant very
soon.
Frank FL. Hurd, Democratic congress
man from the Toledo, o., district, is here
and will act as advisory counsel for Col
CockriIl. These gentlemen are old and
warm personal friends. It is stated this
evening that Emery A. Storrs, the distin
guished lawyer of Chicago, will come here
and assist, if not take charge Of the pros
ecution.
ST.. LOUIS, Oct. 16.-Quite sensation
was created this afternoon by report
which was circulated on the streets, that
Morris Michael, pawnbroker, of No.
north Fourth street, had declared that the
pistol that John M. McGuffin bad testified
to have taken away from Col. Slayback in
the shooting affray at the Post Dispatch
Office last Friday evening really belonged