Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-10-20
A SOUTHERN VENDETTA.
TRAGIC EnDlso oF a rAA1LY rEUD.

"A OUU LII EHAN I4VDH1 i A.
fRAoIC ENDLso OF A FAMILY FEUD.
Three Citizen. CT Knoav,lIs, Tenn, kih zach
Otheri in the Street-A Triangular Duel
That Ended Fatally.
One of the most desperate aud deadly
shooting ARRAYS. tnat ever took place in
the q" shot-gun'' region Of East Tennessee
occurred on the main street and in the
heart of Knoxville Thursday morning.
Three prominent citizens were almost in
stantly killed, two were wounded and half
q dozen others had their clothing perfora.
ted by buckshot. The dead are General
Joseph A. Mabry, his son, Joseph A.
Mabry, jr., and Major Thomas O'Conner.
The Mabrys were family of fighters, and
q score of men have lost their lives at the
hands of the male members of the clan.
The triangular duel however, ended the
lives of the last two men of the Mabry line
in that section. In August General Mabry
quarrelled with a neighbor named Moses
Lusby about horse. They separated,
each vowing vengeance. A day or two
later General Mabry and his son Joseph
met Moses Lusby and his son Daniel.
The elder Lusby asked the general if he
was "fxed," which inquiry referred to
the possession of firearms. The general
replied "Yes'' and drew a navy revolver,
an example which was followed by his
son. The Lusbys also drew and began
firing FIRST. A dozen or more shots were
fired. Both the Mabrys were slightly
wounded and the Lusbys wero killed.
The Mabrys were arrested, released on
bail, tried last week and acquitted on tho
ground that they were acting in self
defense when they removed old and young
Lusby. While the fatal quarrel between
the Mabry and Lusby families was said in
court to have originated about a horse, it
was generally believed that the Lusbys
were killed out of revenge, Dan LUIS by
having shot and killed General Mabry' S
son, William, at u merry making last
Christmas.
Some months ago General Mabry and
Major O'COnner, president of the Mer-
chants national bank of Knoxville, disa.
greed about the settlement of claim
which grew out OF the transfer Of tract Of
land once owned by the general. Mutual
friends prevented duel and soothed the
angry men into quietude. The time of
the Mabrys was so taken up with the seq
tlement of the Lusby affair that they did
not reopen the quarrel with Major OCon
ner until Wednesday afternoon, when the
general met the major at the county
iair. Mabry publicly upbraided o Conner
and declared that he had not treated him
(the generaD as one gentleman should
treat another. Major O'Conner replied
that it was not a gentlemau's place to
settle private differences in public. The
general then told O'COuner that he should
not live. Mabry was armed, but OCOn
ner had no weapons. As Ma5ry was about
drawing his revolver friends interfered
and they were taken away from each other
An hour or so later Alabry sent word tt
O'Conner, who was at home with his
family, that he intended to kill him OF
sight.
Between o and 10 o'clock Thursday
morning Major O'Conner stood in the dool
Of the Merchants national bank, on Gay
street; smoking cigar. Down tho Other
side Of the strest walked General Mabry
arm in-arm with friend. O'Conner, wht
was awaiting the coming of his enemy,
stepped into the bank, picked up ono O
two double barreled shotguns that stooe
by the door and came out on tho steps al
the moment General Mabry camo up
Seeing O 'Connor. General Mabry stopped
and reached for his pistol as his companion
stepped back Before Mabry could dr.: -
his pistol O'Conner took deliberate ..i,l
| ard discharged one barrel into Mabry':
| left side. The general reeled, shook hi:
| fist at his murderer ami fell dead upon th,
| sidewalk. O'Conner fearing that the gen
eral might revive agai., raised the GUT
and sent another charge of buckshot into
the dead mans left thigh and body. I.
| an instant after the firing the street va
crowded witt people running to th- scen'
| of the trayeey.. O'Conner pushed his va,
through the first arrivals, entered ths
bank, picked up the other shotgun ant
came out bareheaded upon tie street
About this time Joseph A. Mabry, the gen
| erals son, who had heard the shooting an;
| suspected who was doing it, came rushing
/; up, revolver in hand.
The crowd scattered right and left a.
young Mabry advanced, and O'Conner
who was greatly excited, did not catcl
sight of him until they were within fortJ
feet of each other. The major raiset
his gun, but young Mabry was quickes
and the shot from his revolver entered
O'Conner's right breast and came out I"
his back. O'Conner fired almost at th'
same instant and young Mabry fell :
| corpse on the pavement. His side an(
breast were literally riadled with buck
shot, no less than twenty wounds being
found in space but little larger than :
mans hand. "A second after young Mabr!
fell Major O'Conner dropped dead upo'
| the steps OF the bank. The whole TRACED,
occurred within two minutes and not OF,
| OF the three principal spoke from the timt
i f1.o Ersc GonAro1 Notru haf
| moro than thirty buckshot in his bcdy
One bystander was shot in the thigh ant
arm. Tie affair has caused NOR
excitement than anything that ha
occurred there for years. The deat
throughout that section of the state
the richest men in East Tennessee, Col
E. J. Sanford, the vice president, tool
charge of the Merchants national banl
Immediately after the shooting.
Major O'Connor's Career.
A Nashville dispatch says: TIE mos
intense excitement prevails on account 0
tie terrible tragedy at Knoxville. Express
ions of profound regret are heard on ever
hand at the death OF Major O'Conner
who was universally beloved among al
classes. Major O. Conner's home is in Knox
vile, is located near Fort Saunders and il
said to be the most beautiful place in tn,
South. All that money could buy or in.
genulty suggest was used in beautifyin;
tho grounds, while the building was
private palace. 1t is said that durin:
| Major O'Conner's visit to Nashville a few
days ago he stated to some friend
that he decided to 60 to Knoxville
for he expected to have to kill the