San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-07-06

and shot, and died soon AFTER pii'
Holmes was shot, but recovered. DIR.
Wilkinson shot Holmes, but who kill
ed Rothwell is not known. Several
others were wounded, but none OF the
Wilkinson party received scratch.
The whole country was shocked, and
excitement in this city was intense.
The office of the Gait house, the scene
of the fight, was literally covered with
blood. 1t seemed hardly credible that
SO much blood could come from two
men. There was snow on the ground,
and 1 remember with what horror the
people gazed on the tracks of blood all
over the city, made by the feet OF those
whose curiosity led them into the scene
of the tragedy.
The Wilkinsons and Murdough at
once surrendered to the city marshal,
Fred Turner, and were put in prison,
where they remained five days. On
the Goth or 2lst they were brought in
to court, and after"a hearing, in which,
all the legal talent of the city and Ben.
Hardin and John Rowan were inter.
ested or engaged. They were held in.
$50, 900 bail. The sureties were Cole
man, Ward 81 Co., James Hewitt and
Heron, Lins Il Co. In few days
Judge Wilkinson was married at Bards-
town, KY, but whether in that suit
made by Redding or not L never knew.
Redding had hosts of friends, but,
many censured him for dragging his
brother-in-law into such ascrape. Both
well was liked by every one, was the
sole support Of a mother and two sis
tiers, and was doing well. II
The Wilkinsons got change OF, ven
ue, and trial was set for the 4th of
March, 1889, at Harrodsburg, KY.
There were about fifty. witnesses sum-
moned on both sides, two.thirds of
whom knew nothing about the case.
"A part. of. these. two-thirds Were. sum-
moned to testify as to the character of
the remainder Of the two-thirds. If a
person happened to have on new suit
of clothes in Harrodsburg it would at
once be asked, "Who bought those
clothes, Redding or Wilkinsons?"
On the first of March the town of
Harrodsburg began to fill up with peo-
pie from all over the country. sup
pose there never was trial in the state
of Kentucky where so much legal tai
ent was engaged as in this one. The
three great lawyers of that day were in
it, viz: John Rowan, Ben Hardin and
the great Sergeant Prentiss. Before
such lawyers hired and perjured wit
nesses would stand no show at all, and
after they got through with one of them
the remainder skipped the town. This
one was man Of means, but of no
principle, and his reputation for verac-
ity below par. After these lawyers
had scourged him, dashed him and skin
ned him alive, he was a sorry looking
spectacle. No other witness of this
kind dared to face the ordeal, and so
they incontinently fled.
The prophetic remarks of S. S. Prem
tiss at the trial will ever be remember
ed by all who heard him. 1t was in
substance as follows: "You see that
man (Redding) sitting there; that hand
some, healthy looking man; that man
who ought to be occupying this chair,
(pointing to the prisoners chair) well,
take good look at him; and should
any of you meet him in after years you
will see only the wreck of man, with
hollow cheeks, sunken eye, and ema-
ciated form; a wanderer up and, down
the earth, seeking rest, but finding it
not; seeking peace, but for him there
is no peace; not even on the seas, for
the white-caps will remind him of Roth
wells winding-sheet. For [ tell you,
he is the direct cause of every drop of
blood shed on the night of the 10Th of
December, 1888, at the Gait house, in
Louisville, Ky"
OF course the Wilkinsons and Muir
dough were acquitted. Although Red
ding had published card as to his
standing and character, signed by about
forty of the best citizens of Louisville
(only two of whom are now alive-Dr.
Il. S. Bell and James Harrison), he
could not make any Roadway against
the terrible castigation he received at
Harrodsburg from Prentiss. In two
or three years his wandering COM
,,a,caJ He first tried Sbelhvville- |
and shen Lexington, and in lS49 l met
him in New Orleans; he was keeping
part of the st. Louis hotel. had a
talk with him, in which he said that
DIR. Wilkinson had insulted him about
his calling or trade, and that the hial