Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-01-17
THE DEADLY BULLET.
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY ON SUM-
BAY MORNING.

n. w. Gutberson MORALLY and Geo.
A. Hill Seriously Wounded I'm q
Shooting ARrny-Lffe SIX OF
m Dead and Living-Full Parttc-
uIars of the Battle.
Sunday morning, at half-past s o'clock,
two men, R. W. Guiberson and Geo. A.
Hill, met in the Empire saloon, kept by
Graham q Co., and began firing their pis-
tolls upon each other, as we'll as can be as
certained, at the same moment. The re-
suit was the fatal wounding Of Guiberson,
who died about noon after the ARRAY and the
SCATTERING Of the thigh bone OF Hills right
leg. His attending physician, DR.. Thoma,
does not know yet whether he will have
to amputate the limb or not. The wound
is not expected to prove fatal. The ball
entered the outer part Of the thigh about
two inches above the knee and ranged up
ward, breaking the bone about half way
from the pelvis. 1t has not been extracted
yet.
AsKETCH OF II MEN.
Hill is q dark complexioned, slight built
fellow, with very black eyes and hair,
something over 80 years old. He has a
swarthy look, and were not his manner
and gait so entirely American, he might
be taken for a Spaniard. He is one OF
those men whom the romantic females OF
abandoned character like for his "shape."
The woman with whom he lives, and on
whose earnings be il said to subsist, dis
played her attachment to him in his
trouble, which in a married woman even
would reflect credit OIL her for devotion to
the object of her affections. She came to
him when he was wounded and joined the
party who conveyed him to her room on a
shutter. There she pulled out a stocking,
which contained between 5000 and $500 in
$40 pieces, and declared that she was going
to take care of her "friend." The
suggestions contained in this statement OF
fact will open the eyes of many people
abroad, and Of some people even in Ne
vada, to a phase Of life which is peculiar,
going TO confirm the proverb that it takes
all sorts of people to make up the world.
Hill has been this sort of a fellow for q
number OF years, adding to his other dis
sipations, it is said, the destructive vice OF
opium smoking. He is frail in person and
fond of heavy drinking. Without physi-
cal strength, he nevertheless has the
"nerve " of the fighter. What real cour-
age he possessed has never been deter
mined, but he always went "heeled," was
apt to quarrel at any time, and ready with
his hand on his grD to take the chances of
death incidental to his way Of living. He
has some friends among those of his own
class, but living, as he did, without means
of support recognized as respectable, he
has in his troubles, but slight, if any SYM
pathy from the community at large. This
much has to be said, more might truly be
said, perhaps, but the subject OF the
sketch is PROSTATE and suffering from a
terrible wound. Abuse Of the defense
less does credit to nobody. Hill came
first into prominence when he shot and
killed Tom Smith in the Bank Exchange
Saloon at Elko, in November, 1879. He
and Smith had been confined in the
County Jail at the same time previous to
their fatal meeting, Smith on the charge
Of trying to "take possession 7" OF Tusca-
rora when on a drunken spree, and Hill
on the charge OF vagrancy, II our repor-
ter's memory is not at fault. In jail the
two quarreled. Hill retained and cher
ished the grudge against Smith ever
afterwards. On his way east to bring
his sister out with him at the time men
toned, he came down TO the railroad at
Elko. There he went into the Bank Ex-
change and inviting a friend up to drink
he extended the invitation to Hill, who
was sitting by the stove. The old bad
blood came to the surface and Hill shot
Smith in the stomach, from which wound
he died during the night. Smith was I'M
armed. The jury, however, who are pre-
sumed to be the best judges, acquitted the
defendant. 1t is possible that If Smith
had not had the reputation Of being one
Of the most reckless and dangerous men
himself Hill would not have escaped so
easily. Hill has been in Eureka off and
on since his scrape in Elko. 1t has been
expected that some time or other he and
Smith, brother OF Tom Smith, who lives
In Eureka, would have a meeting, which
at least one OF them would not survive.
But Hill kept out of trouble, being pretty
we'll Stunned on account Of his reputation
as a bad man, until Sunday morning,
when he killed Dick Guiberson.
R. W. auBERsoS.
R.. W. Guiberson universally known
and addressed as "Dick'O, the unfortun-
ate subject OF this obituary sketch, was
born In Ohio, and, according to the regis
try list, he was Sc years OF age in July,
1880, hence something over 3S when he
died. The writer will be pardoned il he
errs on the side OF kindness in writing up
the life OF poor, careless, light-hearted
Dick, "a fellow Of infinite jest" In this
wild Western country, richin sobriquets,
he was sometimes known as Laughing
Dick" When his afflicted relations and
his old parents in Somerset, Iowa,
read this they must not think that
this nickname was given the dead in deri-
sion. Not 30. Dick was serious enough
on occasion, but he had the lightsome
heart Of a child. When there was merri-
ment he was chief in the ~merrymaking.
AS the writer looked upon his splendid
physique, yesterday, cold and white in
death, watched only by a few friends de-
tailed for the mournful service from the
Hooks & Knicks, it was with a sense OF pain
that so much jollity and humor had been
taken from the earth. The melancholy
hours Of life are not over scarce, and the
happy spirit who lessons their number and
turns them into mirth is sure to be missed
when he is gone. Nor did Guiberson, with
all his fondness for fun, lack courage.
When once in the fight he would be found
TO the end face to the foe. Had he re-
treated Sunday morning, as did his adver-
sary, he would be smiling now as ever in
stead of wearing the stony look Of death
upon his face. Still swapping a worthless
weapon. he advanced until his antagonist,
who had gone as far back as he could go.
fired the fourth shot. Still confronting
his adversary. he received this shot
in his breast and fell paralyzed and
death-stricken TO the floor. The
unfortunate has cancelled all his
earthly accounts, let them be few or many.
He ia dead. For once let de mortuis MI
be regarded-though this paper has said
that the maxim IL more poetic than true.
He has ceased to be responsible among
men, and II las many do not believed there
is an account to be rendered elsewhere, let
that judgment be unspoken of here. The
deceased will not be remembered long for
his failings and for any violations Of pro-
priety that he may have been guilty Of In