The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1882-10-25
Terrible qragGdY |!
The Shotgun and Pistol /!
The Bloody End Of an Old Feud
Three Prominent Knox
williams Killed !
MAJ. THOS. O'CONNER AND
GEN. MABRY AND SON.

vile, that paralyzed business and
shocked the entire community. The
difficulty resulted in the instanta
neous death of Mai. Thomas O'Con-
ner, General Joseph A. Mabry and
his son, Joseph A. Mabry, jr. The
intimate friends of Gen. Mabry and
/ Mai. O'Conner have known that for
long time a difference of opinion
has existed between these two gen
tlemen caused by the lands of the
former being mortgaged to the latter.
Wednesday afternoon at the races the
opinions of these gentlemen were at
variance on the merits of certain
horses and hot words werc ex-
changed. Gen. Mabry threatened
at this time to kill Maj. O'Conner,
but O'Conner told him it was no
place to settle their difficulties.
Mabry then told him he should
die, and as O'Conner was not armed
and Mabry was no difficulty ensued
at the fair grounds. Later in the
evening Mabry sent word to O'Con-
ner that he would kill him on first
sight, and up to the time of his death
O'Conner went prepared. Know
ing the difference between the par
ties and their temperament most
everybody was very apprehensive
of a serious difficulty. Business
men near the Mechanics National
Bank noticed that O'Connor, who is
the president of the bank, walked
to and fro in a FESTIVE manner. He
would come to the front door, peer
up and down the street as if watch
ing for some one, and then retrace
his footsteps to the rear of the bank.
AT one time while he was hidden
from view, Gen. Mabry, accom-
panied by Bob Steele, a young law
yer, who has been his inseparable
companion for ten months, came
down Gay streets from the corner
of Chnch to Pargee's saloon, next
door to the express Office. As the
couple was entering the bar-room
Mabry stopped an instant, turned
his head in the direction of the bank,
and seeing no one, followed Steele
into the saloon. In a few moments
the pair came out of the saloon and
started down toward the Lamar
House. They passed the Express
office, Aker's auction room, and
were i'm front of Luttrell's hardware
house, and directly opposite the
Mechanics bank, when Maj. O'Con-
ner came out the bank door, raised
shotgun to his shoulder, and
poured load of buckshot into Gen.
Mabry's left side.
Mabry dropped dead in his tracks,
but O'Connor, feeling that his work
had not been perfect, raised the gun
again, and with the precision of
Bogardus, emptied the remaining
barrel into Mabry's hip. He then
stepped back into the bank, got
another shot-gu returned and
faced the opposite side of the street,
where Gen. Mabry had fallen. Just
at this time Joseph A. Mabry, jr.,
came diagonally across the street
from Ritter's corner in a fast walk
and with his pistol leveled at O'Con-
ner. The latter did not discover his
approach until a pistol shot rang out
on the air and ball struck his right
breast, passing through the body
into the heart. O'Conner turned
instantly and they both shot sim
ultaneously. Both men dropped
with heavy thud. Young Mabry
was pierced by twenty-nine buck
shot in his right side, and O'Conner
with his heart blood trickling out of
a CHASTITY bullet hole. Young Mabry
tried to rise, but could not, and fell
back dead
The scene beggars description
In the street in front of Luttrell's |
lay Gen. Mabry in a pool of blood |
and looking as fierce as lion. On |
the street car track young Joe was
lying with his body pierced with |
twent- nine buckshot and his features |
fixed in death. On the sidewalk in
front of the bank, Maj O'Conner's |
portly form was lying as pulseles as
the stone step at his head. The |
whole tragedy occurred within two |
minutes, and neither of the three |
spoke after he was shot. Gen.
Mabry had about thirty buckshot |
i'm his body. Four men had their
clothes pierced with buckshot from
O'Conner's gun. One man was
painfully injured in the thigh, and |
another in the arm. Several sIugs
were buried in the flesh of the ex-
press horse and so disabled him that
he had to be sent Immediately to the
stable. The affray caused great ex-
element, and Gay street was been
thronged with people all day.
Major O'Conner is well known all
over the State. He was president of
the Mechanics National Bank at
Knoxville, and has other large in
vestments in the city. He is one of
the firm of Cherry, ,O'Conner & Co.,
at Nashville, the we'll known lessees
of the penitentiary. He was pro-
badly the wealthiest man in the
State. Col. K. ]. Sanford takes inn
mediate control of the bank.
The dispute between the two men
was in reference to the transfer of a
farm which Major O'Conner had
purchased of General Mabry. Gen.
Mabrv claimed that Major O'Conner
had promised to give the farm to
his son, young Win Mabry, who
was murdered by Don Lnsby last
Christmas. After the murder Of
his son General Mabry's mind seem
ed to be effected and he insanely
that Major O'Conner had
hired Lusby TO kill Will Mabry in
order to release himself from his J
to give the farm to Win.
At the time of the Lusby trial, it is
said that Gen. Mabry made threats
against Major O'Conner's life, re-
Deating the charge that he had pro-
,ured the death OF his son.
Perhaps a review of the history s
or the past year Of this noted Mabry |
amily will not be uninteresting to I
,ur readers. Last Christmas Eve, q
win Mabry was in company with n
lis friend, Don Lusby, at a chicken e
ight near Knoxville. viii was r
mere stripping of a lad and Lusby y