The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-10-19
A FIRE at Ell Paso, Texas, destroyed prop
n1nn nOn

Ill, has proved defaulter to the amount OF
over $4,000. The money Incorporated
had been confded to Chase by his clients.
The annual fair of the South Carolina col
ored people was opened at Raleigh by State
Commissioner of Agriculture McGhee The
annual address was delivered by Governor
Jarvis.
D1PHTuER1A has created alarming ravages
in Pittsylvania county, Va, nearly 200 deaths
having occurred within sixty days. Not
family has escaped the scourge. Twenty
pupils of one district school have died.
WILLIAM NJ LOWE, Greenback member of
Congress from the Eighth Alabama district,
died the other day at Huntsville in that
State.
THE following is an account of the killing
of ex-Congressman and Colonel A. w. Slay-
back, a prominent st. Louis politician, by
John Cockrill, managing editor of the st.
Louis Post-DiSpatch, an evening paper:
| About fifteen minutes before O'Clock
p. NJ, Colonel Slayback, accompanied by
Judge w. II. Clopton, entered the Office and
passing directly through the city EDITORS
room entered the room of the managing edi-
| tor. John Cockrill was sitting at his desk
and the foreman of the composing room,
| Victor Cole and the business manager, John
| McGufin, were also in the room. From Mr.
| Cole the story of what happened is learned
He says as Slayback entered he said: "You
are here, are your" Cockrill was evidently
| expecting trouble, for, according to Mr..
| Cole his revolver was lying on his desk. He
made some reply to Colonel Slayback, when
the latter said: "Is that pistol for me?"
| Cockrill said: at is for you if you want it,"
or "when you want it," At this Colonel
Slayback pulled pistol self-cocker, and
as he covered Cockrill, McGufin jumped
forward and grabbed the pistol just as the
hammer fell, catching the hammer on
his hand between the thumb and
forefnger, thus preventing the pistol
| going of. At the same instant Cockrill
grabbed his pistol and fired as he rose. The
ball struck Slayback in the left breast, and
| he fell, dying almost instantly. There was
great commotion, and a rush was made for
the room where the tragedy occurred. When
outsiders reached the room they found Slay-
back on the floor dead and Cockrill kneeling
beside him wiping blood from his face. The
news flew over the city, and soon the vicinity
! of the PoSt-DiSpatch Office was the scene of
the widest excitement ever known in the
city. When the crowd began gathering Cock
rill and McGuffin went out of the back door
of the Office and entering a cab were driven
away. Colonel Cocllrill afterward delivered
himself up to the authorities. The trouble
arose out of political matters. At political
meeting Colonel Slayback denounced the
conduct of the PoSt-Dispatch. On the fol-
lowing afternoon the paper referred to his
remarks, and retorted sharply. Colonel Stay
back was the law partner of Colonel James
o. Broadhead, the Democratic candidate for
Congress from the Ninth Missouri district.
WILLIAM AUSTIN was hanged at Lancaster,
KY, for numbering his aunt Miss Betsy
Bland.
PAUL PR1NoLE (colored) was hanged at
Mansfield, La, for assaulting with intent to
murder Alfred Smith. Edward Bolton, an
other colored man, had already been hanged
for participating with Pringle in the assault,
and John Mobile, third participant, was
sentenced to imprisonment for life.
COLONEL CoCKRILL at the coroner's in
quest gave the following account of the
shooting of Colonel Slayback in st. Louis:
ga few minutes after o'clock 1 was sitting
at my desk talking with Mr.. McGuflin, the
business manager of the paper, and Mr..
Cole, the foreman. The door was closed.
My pistol was lying on my DESK for had
intended to place it in my pocket on chang
ing my coat and leaving the Office. Suddenly
the door opened and two men entered, clos
ing it behind them. 1 was facing the door.
recognized Colonel Slayback and Mr..
Clopton, a lawyer, who had a few
days before assaulted two members
of his profession in private Of
fee. 1 realized that l was to be assaulted
and arose from my chair. Colonel SlaybaclI's
bearing was that of man bent upon vio-
lence. His first words were: well, am
here He started as if to draw off his coat.
was in a corner next to the front window.
Instinctively 1 moved my hand toward the
weapon on the desk. He saw it and sud
denly readjusted his coat, and said, Is that
for me?' at the same time throwing his hand
to his hip pocket My reply was No, sir;
but secured my weapon as he drew his. He
presented it at me and 1 heard him cock it.
l shouted Don't do that and at the same
time, while his weapon was pointed at my
breast, 1 fired, believing myself at the
moment dead man. I knew moth
ing of the effect of the shot, for he closed
with me and thrust his revolver against my
side. At the same time Clopton approached
me from behind, and tried to wrest my pistol
from my hand which was hanging by my
side. 1 shouted to Mr.. McGuffin Don't let
these men kill me- He tore Colonel Slay-
backs pistol from his hand and pointed it at
Clopton's head, under the impression, pre-
sumo, that he was trying to shoot me. At that
instant Colonel Slayback released his grasp
upon me, and l realized for the first time
that he had been hurt. left the room while
Mr.. Clopton was calling for a doctor, my
head bleeding from cut received when
was forced against the window in the scuffle,
and l went into the lower Office to wash N.Y.
self" The coroner's jury found that Colonel
Slayback was killed by Cockrill, but ex-
pressed no opinion as to whether the act was
criminal.
RETURNS from every county but two in Ohio
put the Democratic plurality at about 10000.
ST. LOUIS dispatch says that the funeral
of Colonel A. w. Slayback, shot by Colonel
Cockrill, was perhaps the largest ever wit
messed in that city. A great number of lead
ipn buSinaSa and pr0fasGioOo1 man vvarai