Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-02-10
A DOUBLE SHOOTING CASE.

A DOUBLE SHOOTING CASE.
A A.Washington Editor and q Newspaper Cor
respondent Involved.
A most shocking shooting affair occurred
at the office of the National Republican in
Washington, last night. and A. NJ. Soteldo,
ir., formerly editor of that paper and re-
Gently correspondent Of the San Francisco
Chronicle and Baltimore Times, received a
fatal wound. Several weeks ago MIR. So
teldo, in company with Col. James keegan,
dissipated person, visited house of ILL
repute in the capital. keegan struck one
Of the females in the face, and MI. Sotel-
do retaliated by giving keegan severe
beating. The latter, Soteldo claims, stole
from him diamond pin, and he caused
keeSan to be arrested, at the same time
recovering his property.
satisfaction of all tho parties concerned,
and the Republican published 4 full ac-
count of the disgraceful affair. The re-
suit of this publication was to destroy Mr..
SoteldO's domestic relations, while it af-
fected keegan very little, he having no
family or intimate friends interested in his
conduct Soteldo was clerk of the Senate
committee On railroads, of which Senator
Kellogg is chairman, and is believed that
the latter censured Soteldo very severely
for his conduct. Soteldo attributed the
animus of tho publication in the Repu6li.
can to Clarence Barton, it's news editor,
who had for some reason a spite against
him. SOteldO, who is 4 Venezuelan by
biitii, and possessed of a very high temper
and revengeful spirit, secured evidence
tending to show that Barton several years
ago had committed forgery, and stolen
money belonging to government en-
plOyee in Washington. The affray was pre-
cipi,ated by publication in the RepuDi
can, accusing Soteldo of having attempted
to bribe one of the compositors in the
Office to disclose the author Of tho original
publication against Soteldo. The article
also threatened further disclosures damag-
ing to SOteldo's character.
Between and 10 O'clock last night,
while Mr.. Clarence NJ. Barton, news edi-
tor, and Mr.. Frank Conger, business man.
ager of the Republican, were alone in the
editorial room, Mr.. Soteldo, and his
younger brother, Charles, entered and
took seats by the side of MIR. Barton.
According to the statement of Mr.. Con
ger. A. NJ. Soteldo, looking Mr.. Barton
full in the face, drew from his pocket a
paper or manuscript, which he requested
Mr.. Barton to read. Mr.. Barton inquired !:
sis that another OF your statements ?"
Mr.. Soteldo persisted in his request that
Mr.. Barton should read the paper, which
he finally did. After concluding the read
ing Mr.. Barton informed Mr.. Soteldo that
he must confer with Mr.. Gorham (the
editor) on the subject, that he (Barton)
could not act in the matter, and passed
the paper back, az the same time attempt
ing to rise from his chair, whereupon So.
tcldo struck him, knocking him against
the table at which he had been sitting.
Il scuftle ensued, in which student
lamp which was on the table, was tilted
toward MIR. Conger, who picked it up and
hastily left the room, whereupon three or
four pistol shots in quick succession were
heard. When the alarm was first given
the compositors employed upon the floor
above rushed into the hall and found Mr..
Barton in the act OF ejecting the younger
Soteldo from the editorial rooms. Two of
the force ut once seized Solteldo, upon Mr..
Barton calling out, 81 am shot," and
after some resistance took him down to
the street and turned him over to the
police, and by them lodged in the station
house. Mr.. Barton was found to ba shot
twice, once in the neck and once in tho
thought to be serious. He was placed in
4 carriage and driven to his home on Capt.
tot hill, where DR.. Bliss soon attended
him.
1t was not known for several minutes
that tho elder Soteldo had been shot, but
soon inquiry was raised Where is the
other SoteldO ?" and one Of the attaches
of the paper entering Mr.. Barton's room
found Mr.. SOteldO lying unconscious upon
the floor with the blood slowly oozlng
from bullet hole in the back Of his
neck.
Doctors were summoned, and an
nOunced that the unconscious man was
sinking fast and could live but few
hours. About 10 o'clock he opened his
eyes. called for water and feebly moaned
"Cut it out ); | can't move my hands,
Some whisky was put to his mouth, but
he refused it and called for "pure
water,' which was given him. Hi' pulse
and breathing became stronger, and the
doctors decided to have him removed to
the hospital, which was done about II
o'clock. The physicians concurred in the
opinion that he could live but few hours,
and might die within a few minutes. The
bail entered the back Of the neck, shat
tered the vertebra in its course and
lodged in the throat, intlicting a necessar-
lily mortal wound.
Mr.. Frank Il. Conger was the only
person besides the three actors in this
tragedy who witnessed any part of it, and
he did not see the crisis. Charles SoteldO
was lodged iu the station house, and no
one was allowed to receive his statement.
Mr.. Barton declined to receive any callers
except Mr.. Gorham. SO that his story of
the shooting could not be learned. There
seems to be no cause TO doubt that Charles
Soteldo shot Mr.. Barton, but whether
Barton shot the elder Soteldo or whether
the latter received a shot from his broth
er's pistol, which was intended for Barton,
is involved in doubt. The latter theory is
stoutly maintained by the attaches of the
Republican.