The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-06-15
DUKES DOOM.
The Taking Of Of Capt. Mutt
Avenged at Last.
N. L. Dukes Dies at the Hands of
James Mutt, Son of. His
Victim.
A Sisters Ne5ucer and a Fathers
Assassin Falls, and the Pee
pie say, Amen.

UNIoNTowN Pa, June l4.-Lyman Nichols
Dukes, the man who boosted of seducing Cap
tain Nuts daughter and then killed the
father, who sought revenge or honorable
marriage, is himself slain, and now lies hfeless
in the same room in the hotel in which the
| tragedy of Dec "a was enacted. The slayer
this time is James Mutt Csptain Nuts Oldest
son who is now in Jail The news of the
second awful tragedy came upon the eomIni
mty hike thuntler-clap. 1t was the work OF
but at Instant just as dusk was
dla wing on, and many people were passing
along the streets, the sound of five pistol shots
rang out upon the mir in the direction of the
postoffice. In a moment everyone was run
ming to the scene, and the word quickly
passed from mouth to mouth and ear to ear
that Dukes was dead The excited crowd
gathered around the postoffice, and there Oh
the floor lay the inanimate bofy of a man
whose deeds had cast shadow over the whole
of Fayette county The work was done SO
quickly, and SO puzzlinfi was its effect upon
those who witnessed it, that it was difficult
fcf a time to obtain the correct stcay. OF
ficers Frank Pegg, Geo. B. Hutchinson All
Collins and others who saw the occurrence
describe it as follows:
James Mutt was standing against post,
inside of a room that joins the postofiice, and
fronts on Main street. The room was until
lately occupied as drag store and the front
was ell taken cut, it being now fitted up as
an Office for the First National bank. While
in this position Dukes came down the street
from the direction of the Jennings hotel,
walking briskly, with cane under his arm
Just as he turned the corner toward the post
Office door young Mutt stepped to the outside
and, and as the hands of the clock pointed
500. he pulled revolver and fired two shots
in rapid succession. Dukes looked around
and starte I o'run into the postolfice door,
whereupcn Mutt fired again and followed in
close pursuit Just as Dukes got inside the
pestofflce his assailant raised his arm again
: and two more shots sounded on the ears of
the bystanders. As they entered his body
, Dukes fell heavily 70 the floor upon his face.
{ In an instant f. A. Lingo rushed into the of
! fee and stopped down to pick him up. Dukes
tried to say something, but could only gasp,
and in moment he was dead BY this time
Officer Pegg reached young Mutt and laid his
hand upon his arm. The latter struggled
5 ferctly to free himself, but when he discov-
credit was an officer he quietly yielded and
was taken to the jail.
Prior to the shooting, and after the arrival
of the evening train, Dukes was seen stand
ing in front of the Jennings hotel, chatting
with some of his friends. When the mail
was distributed Dukes started down to the
p0stotiice, as was his custom about that time
in the evening, for his mail The distance is
E only a square A short time after the trains
, came in Mutt was seen walking up from
Broadway toward the postoffice, which is
. about halfway between that street and the
Jennings hotel He spoke to friends as he
passed along, and nothing unusual was no.
> ticed in his manner, when he reached the
well-known round corner building in which
l the pOstoffice is located he stepped up on the
inside and was standing there when Dukes
came walking along. Some of those who wit
messed the shooting are unahleto say whether
I Dukes saw Mutt before the latter fired or not
I There is also a difference of opinion as to
I whether Dukes even looked back after the
shots began, some saying that he started to
2 run at once and never turned around
Dukes body was removed to his room at
the hotel, where Coroner Sturgeon impaneled
. a jury, consisting of A. J. Gilmore, foreman,
a and William H. Miller, DIR. L. S. Gaddis, w
L. Robinson George c. Marshall and John
N. Dawson No testimony was taken owing
to the difficulty of getting witnesses, and the
inquest was adjourned till morning:
On examination of the body it was found that
three of the balls entered the back, near the
side, under the left arm, and penetrated to-
ward the heart, lodging in the breast, very
, near the skin, where they were cut cut. All
j three entered within two or three inches of
each other. Dukes old pistol, with which he
killed Capt. Mutt was found on him, as was
also a villainous looking dirk-knife Young
Nuts pistol was a 42-calibre Smith & Yves
BON, and he also had another pistol in his
e pocket. The fourth ball grazed Dukes leg,
f while the fifth missed him.
4 1ater-The coroner's investigation has
e been held and the verdict is as follows: owe
q find that said Nicholas l.. Dukes came to his
# death from wounds received from a revolver
. fired in the hands of James Mutt on the cor
:, ner of Main and Pittsburg streets, in Union
town, on the 18th day of June, about the
= !. hour of 7:15 o'clock p m.
- DR.. W. A Sturgeon testified that there were
e three pistol wounds to the left of the back
Il they passed through the body, one lodging in
the sternum: the bali that struck the back
1t bone lodged in the heart and the other bal
1t took diagonal course, also passing through
the heart.
There is large influx of the rural popula
ton eagerly inquiring into every particular
n of the horrible affair. Among the masses tht
question is, What will be done with young
Mutt The people are afraid to trust thu
>, tribunal which acquitted the murderer o
= Captain Mutt and would iike to have hi
y avenger tried by a popular vote. Thes
III questions are little premature but the past
present and future are all discussed in on
H. and the same moment.
J THE MOURNING PROCESSION.
y At eleven O'Clock a mnd-splashed sprin
re wagon drove in front of The Jennings House
ID This was the hearse of Nicholas Lyma
Dukes The corpse was hurriedly borne to th
ut hearse There were neither tears nor flower
e for the dead Following is the order of til
s. procession: Spring wagon, bearing corpse
v buggy containing Mrs. Struble, Duke
at mother, and his half-sister, Miss Struble, Mr.,
: Helm, another half-sister of deceased, in
: buggy. and in the rear Mr. Asbury Strubl
~ and his son George, on horseback. The II
=, ', mains were taken to the Struble residence ii
IL German township The inteIment viii tax
"a place Saturday morning, in Churchill Gem,
ol terry.
i ORIGIN OF THE VENDETTA.
III The crime which was the father of the pre-
10 emit crime is of too recent date to requil
We more than brief recapitulation of the saliei
/ points. Capt. Nicholas L. Dukes was prom
Id Using young lawyer of Uniontown, who ha
TX been returned as the representative of the di
pt trict in the legislature. Ee had been for son
IN time paying devoted attention to Miss Liz
Mt Mutt the daughter of Capt Mutt, a prom
be nent citizen Of the place. who had held mar
nv offices Of public trust. As time wore c
H. Dukes tired of Miss Lizzie and their engage
lie, ment was broken. Capt Mutt demanded al
nd explanation of his conduct, which at ono
az produced a scandal in which Dukes h.guret
In a rather dishonorable light His reply t.
of the demand for an explanation was serie
no Of letters violently assailing the reputation o
:: his former lady-love, asserting that she stoo