Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-10-15
AN AsKAEsAW TRAGEDY.
This Fatal Termination Of a Long
Standing Fued-"Make Friends
or Die"
A shot ThrO gin a window Kills
nick RIan-The Wounded
Hurderer Escapes.
Little Rock Galstts. Is.

Little Rock GaIstte. Is.
A tragic and deplorable affair happened
at o Kean, in Randolph county, last week,
which resulted in the wounding of one
man and the instant death Of another
Yesterday evening Gazette reporter, in
conversation with gentleman just ar
rived from that section Of the country,
learned the particulars Of
THE TRAGEDY.
O'Kean il small station on the st
Louis Iron Mountain and Southern rail-
road A hotel kept by the widow and
son Of man named Bats stands near the
track, and not far from il is the water
tank Of the railroad. Mr.. Bats was
killed some time last fall, and his widow
and son have conducted the business since
that time. Young Bats, whose given
name is Butler, and who is between nine
teen and twenty years old had an old
grudge against a man named o. Dell, who
is q farmer living in the vicinity. A few
months since Bats and O'Dell had quar-
rel, in the course Of which the former shot
the latter in the arm, inhioting a slight
wound. He left the country after the
SHOOTING scRAPE
and remained absent until two or three
weeks ago, when he returned TO 0Kean.
When he reached Walnut Ridge on his
return he met two boys, whose names the
reporters informant was unable TO give.
To these boys it is said, he threatened to
shoot O'Dell unless the latter made up
their former quarrel with him, and be
friends. They all arrived at O'Kean, and
tho hove La alfr. fba IL,
they had had with Bats, so that it came
To the ears of o. Dell, who saw thattroube
was brewing. A day or two before the
tragedy, rs O'Dell came around the CO..
ner of the hotel, Bats met him
WITH SHOT GUN
which he pointed at his former foe, and
demanded that he should promise to make
friends with him. He had ODell in Il Q
mine hole, 50 TO speak; but the lat er
very coslly told him 10 20 and put up his
gun. Everybody seems 10 be provided
with small arsenals in that sect on, for
just at this interesting crisis a brother of
0'Delrs, armed with rife, came up. and
getting the drop on the belligerent Bats
hotel This ended the m ,tter until Fri
day, when, as 0'Dell was standing by the
water tank,
a SHOT WAS FIRED
from window OF the hotel, and be stag.
gered. He was hit IN the shoulder, and
the ball ranging downwar..s me out his
side Notwith landing his wounds, o. rell
ran 10 his house standing about z0J yards
from the hotel, and returned with a pis
tOl. As he c,me back man named
Thompson pointed to an upstairs room
and said Bats was there. Just at this
moment woman pulled curtain vt one
Of the windows, being alarmed Mt the fir
ing, O'Dell believing it to be his antag-
onist blazed away at the window, firing
THREE OR FOUR SHOTS
A man named Simpson occupied the
room with his wife and she il was who
had gone TO the window Hcr husband
was lying in bed sick, and she was nurs-
ing him. One Of the shots, which one no
one can ever tell, crashed through the
window and struck the unfortunate man
in the head. killing him Instantly.
ODell escaped, and is still at large.
Bats was arrested, brought before a mag
istrate at Pocahontas and, according to
our informant was acquitted of the
charge Of assault with intent TO kill.
The community is qui,e excited by
THE DEPLoBABLE TRAGDY,
in which the feud Of these two desperate
men resulted in the death Of an innocent
person, and it should be the duty Of
officers of justice to enforce the laws so
carelessly broken. This account is given
bv one who heard the circumstances and
Is given as fair and impartial account.
The man Thompson, who, il is said,
pointed out the room where he thought
Bats was concealed, has also been ar.
rested, and it is to be presumed that nc
effort will be left untried to capture the
wounded ODell