The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1882-11-01
THREE MEN L
An ARRAY In Which Three Prominent Men
Lost Their Lives.

An ARRAY In Which Three Prominent Men
Lost Their Lives.
Intense excitement was created ct Knox
vile, Tenn, by the killing in a shooting
ARRAY of three of the city's most prominent
citizens-General Joseph A. Mabry, Major
Thomas Q'Connor and Joseph A. Mabry,
Jr. The difficulty began in the afternoon at
the fair grounds, by General Mabry attack
ing Major OConnor and threatening to kill
him. OConnor replied that it was not tho
place to settle their differences, whereupon
Mabry told him he should not live. 1t seems
that Mabry was armed and O'Connor was
not: The cause of the difficulty was an old
feud about the transfer of some property
from Mabry to O'Connor. Later in the
afternoon Mabry sent word to O'Connorthat
he would kill him on sight. The next morn
ing Major OConnor was standing in the
door of the Mechanics National bank, of
which he was president. General Mabry and
another gentleman walked down Gay street,
on the opposite side from the bank. O'Con-
nor stepped into the bank, procured a
shotgun, took deliberate aim al Gen.
eral Mabry and fired. Mabry fell
dead, being shot in the left side.
ing effect in Mabry's thigh. O'Connor then
reached into the bank and got another shot
gun. About this time Joseph A. Mabry, Jr.,
son<f General Mabry, came rushing down
tho street. He was not seen by O'Connor
until he was within forty feet of him, when
ho fired a shot from a pistol, the ball taking
effect in O'Connor's breast, passing through
the body near the heart. The instant
Mabry fired O'Connor turned and dis
charged the shotgun at him. tho load tax
ing effect in young Mabry's right
breast and side, and he fell pierced with
twenty buckshot, and almost instantly
O'Connor fell dead without a struggle.
Young Mabry tried to rise, but fell back dead.
Tho whole tragedy occurred within two min
utes, and not one of the three spoke after he
was shot. General Mabry had about thirty
buckshot in his body. A bystander was
painfully wounded in the thigh with a buck
shot and another was wounded in the arm.
buckshot. The affair caused great excite
ment, and Gay street was thronged with
thousands of people. General Mabry and
his son Joseph were acquitted only q
few days previous of the murder of
Moses Lusby and Don Lusby, father
and son, whom they killed q few
weeks since. William Mobry, another son
of General Mabry, was killed by Don Lusby
last Christmas.
Major Thomas O'Connor was a native of
Virginia, forty-eight years old, and ".
president of the Mechanics National bank of
knoxville, a director and stocliholdcr of the
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis rail
way, and also of the Tennessee Coal,
Iron and Land company; was q
member of the firm of Cherry, O'Connor
e. Co.. who lease tho penitentiary, and he
owned the largest wagon mandatory in the
South. He had large mining interests and
was interested in several large railroad con-
tracts in the Southern States. He was one
of the richest men in the South, being worth
nearly S. O 900. In politics he was promi-
nent, being q member of the National Demo-
cratic executive committee from Tennessee.
General Mabry was about sixty years old and
was vice-president of the Knoxville and
kentucky railroad. His son Joseph was
twenty-five years old, had recently been
elected q justice of the peace and was trying
o case when the shooting began.