The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-11-08
Defense Of LlanO County.
LLANo, Texas, Nov. 5, 1883.


Editor Statesman:
In defense of my county and of
truth and justice, wish to be heard
through the columns of your paper,
in answer to an article appearing in
your issue of November 2, entitled:
killing of L. ]. Dixon-Interview
Dixon-Their Account of the Trage-
dy." | regret very much that / was
absent when Judge Walters was in
Llano, for / would have shown him
the testimony taken before me in the
examining trial of w. G. Sawyer.
From this testimony Judge Walters
certainly would have arrived at diff
ferent conclusions, and have made al
together different statements about
the killing.
There was but one witness to the
difficulty on the road, Mr.. w. Hogan,
almost a stranger to both Dixon and
Sawyer, and seemingly very careful,
considerate man. He did not state
that Sawyer drew his ak in a striking
attitude, but that when Dixon drew
his gun he dismounted from his horse
and presented his gun and said "get
down you id son of b-h and 1
will shoot hi out of you," and that
Sawyer then took his ak from his
shoulder and placed it before him on
the saddle. This is the exact testi-
mony on this point, and although the
witness was closely cross questioned
as to whether or not Sawyer drew his
AK, he always replied that he did not.
The witness further stated that he did
not interfere to prevent the parties
from fighting, but that Sawyer called
to him and they rode off together,
Dixon following them with his gun
| in his hand that when they came to
Sawyer's house, Sawyer turned off to
| it and witness and Dixon kept on to-
gether about fifteen or hundred yards
to where the trail Judge W. speaks
| of turned off up the mountain that
here witness asked Dixson to go by
and get dinner, which he declined
saying he was going on the mountain
There is no evidence that Sawyer
asked Dixon to dinner or that they
spoke to each other after the difficulty
on the road, until they met in deadly
combat. As to the trail where Dixon
was killed being the only way to pass
over the mountain, the statement
is contradicted by the testimony
/ of all the witnesses, which
was that this was a bride path, anG
that there was wagonWay near by
The statement in regard to cragS OF
rock and thick bushes is contridicteC
by the evidence of at least four wit
nesses who testified that there werI
some small rocks and small bushes
but nothing to prevent man from
being seen. were he concealed there
and that the place where the shooting
occurred was In plain view of MI
Hogan's house, distant about 81,
hundred yards. i
Tie testimony Of several men in re
gard to the horse tracks makes it Ger
tam that Dixon was not waylaid
They say that the tracks show tha
the two men rode, meeting each othe
so within six or eight feet, when tn
Ehorses seemed to have Jumped
| as though frightened. The witness
es who examined the body of Dixol
did not testify that he had been tWic
shot with a pistol and once with
Winchester, but they all said that tn
wounds seemed TO have been mad
with gun or a pistol about the siz
of Winchester. There were no ball
found, nor was Dixon shot in the lef
side at all. He was shot through th
arm, the bali passing into the righ
| side; another shot grazed his left arr