St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-10-28
SHOT IN A SANCTUM.

|
ST. LOUIS, Mo, Oct. IA.
Alonzo W. Slayback, prominent
attorney, was shot and killed by John "A.
Cockeril. editor of the Post Dispatch, TINS
city, Yesterday afternoon. Witnesses sa'0
different versions of the affair, but II was uh
derstood that Mr.. Slayback, accompanied
by friend, visited the sanctuih W
demand satisfaction for an editorial punh-
cation. Mr.. Cockerill, in sworn statement
at the inquest to-day, thus tells the story Oh
the tragedy:
On the evening of the 3oth of September
| social entertainment was gwen at Tue rooms
of the Elk Club. As President OF me ol.I,,tn;
| tiOn it was my duty to receive ana e!ltertalL-
| guests About 10 O'Clock my Afternoon was
| called to Col. Slayback, who was sitting at a
table with Mr.. II. W. Moore anu othGra %, ,.i no
was speaking in loud tone, and using NO.
| lent language toward the Post DtSpntch'
| went into a different part of the buiiuhS 10
avoid hearing his language, tor teareo .ls,'
| in his excitement he would say something UNI
| pleasant to me. and wished to aVola d scent;
A half hour later Mr.. Moore spoke to me, anu
"blackmaier" to the editor OF the rosy KS KS
| patch, and had made serious threats. As tlls
| had taken place in a public asscmpla@e OF my
friends. felt called upon to ask MN lor an
| explanation. l went TO him in the next room,
touched him on thealm and told h'nl "ls s11eu
to speak to him. We went INTO the small
was standing open. l quietly said to
him: colonel, 1 understand that YOU
have made soe very this sitter evening"
and would like to know if You meant them
| to be personal to me-especially,d do you mean
to apply the term blackmailer to me- His
answer was that he had not intended to
! brand me as blackmailer. He then entered
| upon a bitter TRADE of abuse against the pa
| per to which | listened quietly, telling nm
| at the same time that he was entitled to ms
| opinion to the course of the paper IN op-
posing the candidacy of his partner, Mr..
| Broadhead. Then, suddenly, he spran@ to the
| door and closed it, and locked it. With his
| fist c1nched, he said: "You have brought me
| in here to bulldoze me and now we are alone,
| and man to man, and | tell you now that 1t
| the Post Dispatch ever attacks me or assall5
my character will 60 to your office ana Kill
You. 1 will take the life OF any may who en-,
blows newspaper to abuse and injurc me-"
| ! assured him that l had no intent to bully
him, and that had simply called nm IN the
room to ask for an explanation that was due
me. further assured him that had always,
| entertained a friendly feeling tor him.
had never written line against him,
1ittu spoke l"le' Of '' his partner MI.
Broadhead, and the charges that had been
made against him, repeating several times
! that he would shoot anybody who would pub
| fish such things of him. He told me that
would be held to account for the course Of the
| paper and declared that before the campaign
| was over he would go on the stump and from
| house to house to denounce the Post Dispatch
and break up its business. There was much
| talk OF tins character on MS pdft. d>Sulcu
| him that was at all times in readiness to-
| meet any responsibility that belonged to me-,
and that when properly called upon would
| render any satisfaction that gentleman
could demand. He gave me to understand
that he held himself subject to the same de-
| mand. and that il occasion ever arose he
| would certainly put me to the test. After still
| further conversation. in which assured him,
| that had no i'll feeling toward him, and in
which attempted to show him that he was
| not called upon to go TO extreme lengths in
| maintaining Mr.. Broadhead's candidacy, 1
succeeding in calming him. He shook my
| hand and we agreed to be friends, l assuring
| him that no act of mine should give him per-
sonal cause to feel hostile toward me- At his
invitation entered the sideboard room
sat down in the main hall for an hour, listened
| to some songs and stories, drank together
| and parted in the most cordial way. When
nextI saw Col. Sayback he called at the office
| on the day of the parade of the Yelled Proph-
cts to ask me to suppress all mention of the
action OF certain citizens regarding the irish
| float Our meeting was pleasant and he
| went away in good feeling, first asking me-
if 1 had been sufficiently supplied with
tickets to the Yelled Prophets ball. Meantime
had been informed that if the course of the,
| paper was not changed toward Mr.. Broad
| head would be shot. had reason to believe
that this threat came from Slayback, but no
reference made to him in the paper
whatever. / was guarded that there should
be nothing TO which ne could take personal
| exception, for had assured him OF my 1ndl-
vidual friendship, and meant to maintain it..
Yesterday morning read in the daily. papers
that on the evening previous Col Slayback
| had addressed Il Democratic meeting in the
| Eighteenth Ward, and had Indignantly at
| tackled the Post Dispatch and its conductors. I
| noticedthen that he was putting into execution
| his threat made to me to denounce the paper
| from the stump. Later on saw persons who
| were at the meeting and who gave me some
idea of the bitterness Of his assault. ! re,
| garded it as an open difiance-an Intentional
| provocation which would call for some re-
| spouse from the Post Dispncth I did not write
| ANYTHING myself, but simply reproduced Fri
dow affn a
| by Mr.. John M. Glover year before, inserted
in the first edition of the Post Dispatch and
| taken out of the last edition by Mr.. Pulitzer,
who did not wish to give otfense to Col Stay
| back. l expected, from the tone of the con-
versation had with Col. Slayback at the Elk
| Club that he would send me a challenge if ne
| felt himself sufficiently aggrieved and Gid
| not think that he would come to the Office to.
assault me, though was apprehensive OF 3.
reasonable means to avoid it. l was de-
| tanned at the office yesterday evening
some matters connected with the composing
| room. AT few minutes past 5 O'Clock was
sitting at my desk In my room, by appoint
manager of the paper, and Mr. Cole foreman.
The door was closed. My pistol was lying on.
my desk, for had intended to place it in my
| pocket on changing my coat and leaving the
| office. suddenly the door opened and two,
men entered, closing the door behind them
I, was facing the door f rec"g ar1 ra COL.
nzed Mr. Clopton. lawyer who had a few
| days before assaulted two members of his
profession in a private office. 1realized that
! was to be assaulted and rose from my chair.
| Col slayback's bearing was that of man
bent upon violence His first words were,
| Dwell, / am here" He started as If to draw
| off his coat. Twas in the corner next to tie
front window. Instinctively moved my hand!
toward the weapon on the desk. He saw It,.
| suddenly readjusted his coat, and said is
that for mel at. the same time throwing
his hand to his hip pocket. My relsy
| was: mo, SIR" But l secured my
/ weapon as he drew his. He pointed it DELHI
erately at me and heard him cock it. There
| was second of delay. l shouted: Don't do
| thatr and at the same time, while his weapon
| was pointed at my breast, fired, believing
| myself at the moment a doomed man. knew