The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-06-12
A PRISONER PARALYZED
By q Deadly Blow Admins
tered by His Cell
Mate.
Albert Smith Downs John Fitz-
simmons With q Heavy
Board.
Grave Fears Enter tanned of thu
Wounded Mans Recovery.

At an early hour yesterday morning a
BAzOO reporter learned that an alteration
had taken place between two of the inmates
OF the county Jail, resulting in the serious.
and perhaps fatal, injury Of one of the pris.
oners. Fastening to the county prison the
reporter. through the courtesy of Deputv
Sheriff Fred Conner, was at once placed in
possession of the facts in the case, so far az
the prison officials had been able to ascer-
! tain them.
Deputy Conner stated that at about $50
| O'Clock Yesterday morning the cells were
unlocked as usual, and the inmates let ont
into the corridor. After this duty had
been performed, and breakfast had been
served to the prisoners, the deputy went to
his morning meal. He he'd not seated
himself at the table when he heard COM
motion in the Jail, and cries of
FIGHT! FIGHT!
Rushing back and hastily unbarine the
heavy iron doors separating the sherif's
office and residence from
the Jail proper, MIR. Conner pro-
ceeded to investigate the cause of the dis
turbance. On reaching the first cell on the
south side OF the Jail, occupied by Albert
smith, boy sixteen years
OF age, and John Fitzsimmons, an
old man sixty-One years old, he found
the latter lying just outside of the cell
door IN an unconscious condition. From
the other prisoners the officer soon learned
that Fitzsimmors had been knocked sense.
less with heavy board. in the hands of
young Smith, his cell mate Smith was at
once locked up, his victim removed to
more comfortable quarters outside of the
bars, and placed on a cot. DIR. Overstreet,
the county physician, was at once sum-
monsd and promptly responded. Upon
he found that FitzsimmOus
was
DANGEROUSLY INJURED,
and Drs. King and Cartwright were called
in for consultation. The murderous blow
had been dealt in the fore
head and there was wound
tour and one-half inches long and one and
a half inches deep, laying open the brain.
The fracture runs from the outer cance- of
the LETT eve to the inner cancer of the right
eye The orbitsl arch was completely
severed. This large bone was at once
taken out by the surgeons, and twenty
smaller fragments of the skull removed,
after which the wound was sewed up. The
wounded man is in very critical condi-
ton, but the doctors think he will pull
through unless inflammation sets in.
FitzsimmOns, of course, could not be
to an interview, and the reporter
pi Oceeded TO obtain
SMITHS STATEMENT.
"Tke kid" as he is called by his fellow
prisoners, said that the row was about
q towel which the old man
claimed as his property; that after wash
ing, preparatory to breakfast, he used this
towel, which action on his part enraged the
Did man, who cursed and abused him, and
finally gave him good humping; that
he had also been cursed by his cell mate
he night previous and naturally felt mad
and revengeful. He did not deny striking
and did not seem to regret
nisNction. To the inquiry of the reporter
IS to whether he had any previous trouble
With the old man, he returned a negative
answer.
The board with which Smith welded
lis death-dealing blow was very heavy,
,eing about two feet long and six inches
vide and was used by the prisoner in the
ell as kind of impromptu dining table.
The prisoners who witnessed the diff
.ulty state that Fi,zsimmons came out of
lis cell and took q seat a little to the left
Il the entrance, with his back to the door.
The old man had hardly seated himself
shen young Smith emerged from the cell
With the board in his hand, and stepping
o the side of his enemy.
DEALT HIM A POWERFUL BLOW
q the forehead, whereupon Fitzsimmonsf fell
m inert and apparently lifeless mass upon
be floor.
Young Smith, the would-be murderer, is
harged with stealing watch from Mr..
,urd Petty, and in default of bond was
ommitted to Jail on the 18th of May.
Old man Fitzsimmons is serving out
all sentence for stealing several valises
rom the Garrison houses while he was in
state of intoxication. He was commit
ed ON the 9th OF Nav.