Milford chronicle., 1883-06-22

and the slayer this time is James Mutt
Capt Nuts eldest son, who is now il
Jail Just at dusk on the evening o
June 13, when many people were passing
along the street, the sound of five pistO
shots rang out upon the air in the diree
ton of the Post Office In a moment
everybody was running to the scene, anC
the word quickly passed along thai
Dukes was dead. The excited crowd
gathered around the Post Office, an6
there on the floor lay the lifeless body
of Nicholas Lyman Dukes. The work
was done so quickly, and so paralyzing
was its effect upon those who witnessed
it that it was difficult to get the correct
story. Officers Frank Pegg, Geo. B.
Hutchins, Alf Collins, and others who
suw the occurrence described it as fol-
lows -
James Mutt was standing against a
- ost inside of a room that Joins the Post
Office and fronts on Main street. The
room was until lately occupied by a
drug store, and the front wall taken
out, it being now fitted up for a DOM
for the First National Bank While
standing there Dukes came down the
street from the direction of the Jennings
Hotel, walking briskly, with a cane un-
der his arm. just as he turned the
corner toward the Post Office door,
young Mutt stepped outside, pulled a
revolver, and fired two shots at him in
rapid succession. Dukes looked around,
and started to run into the Post Office
door, whereupon Mutt fred again and
followed in pursuit. just as Dukes got
inside the Post Office his assailant fired
two more shots, and Dukes fell heavily
to- othe floor upon his face.
L. A. Lingo rushed into the Office and
stopped to pick him up Dukes tried to
say something, but could only gasp,
aud in a moment he was dead. By
this time Officer Pegg reached young
Mutt and laid hold of him. The latter
struggled fiercely to free himself, hut
when he discovered it was an officer he
quietly yielded, and was taken to the
Jail. Dukes's body was removed to his
DOM at the hotel, where Coroner Stur-
geon impanelled a jury.
On examining the body it was found
that three of the balls entered the back
near the side under the left arm andpen-
etrated toward the heart, lodging in the
breast very near the skin, where they
were cut out. They all three entered
within two or three inches of each other.
On Dukes's body was found his old pis-
tol, the one with which he killed Mutt,
and hanging to his suspender button in
front was dirk knife. The pistol used
by young Mutt was a 42-calbre Smith &
Wesson. He had in his pocket another
smaller pistol. A fourth bail slightly
9razed Dukess leg near the foot, while
the fifth missing its aim, passed through
one of the Post Office lock boxes.
The revolver with which the shooting
was done is the same that Capt. Mutt
carried on the morning of his death.
Young Mutt gave himself up, aud is
now in Jail. He was calm, but as pale as
q sheet.
The causes leading to the tragedy
we're as follows:
Capt A. @. Mutt, cashier of the Penn
iylvania State Treasury, was shot and
killed in Uniontown on Sunday,
Dec "a, 1882, by N. L. Dukes, a lead
ng lawyer and a member of the Legis-
ature. The tragedy grew out Of Dukes's
Illeged improper intimacy with Capt.
Nuts eldest daughter. Mutt, accom-
panied by his nephew, Breckenridge,
vent to Dukes's room in the Jennings
House by appointment. Mutt entered
he room, but Breckenridge remained
outside. A scufle followed between
Iutt and Dukes, and Breckenridge en-
cred and endeavored to separate them.
| man connected with the hotel ran in.
lie found Breckenridge holding Mutt.
Ie at once seized Dukes and succeeded
n getting him into a corner of the room.
1t this moment Dukes raised his revolver
nd shot Mutt through the head. The
man fell into his nephew's arms
nd expired in few moments. Dukes 4
walked to the Sheriff's Office and surren- /
ered himself.
Dukes's trial opened at Uniontown on
larch II, 1888 Letters between Dukes /
nd Mutt were produced in evidence 1
the formers intimacy with |
Iiss Lizzie Mutt Dukes admitted the |
itimacy, but alleged that the young |
,oman encouraged him, claimed that /
ther young men whom he named bore |
he same relations toward her, and said /
hat under similar circumstances Mutt /
-Ould have been guilty Of the same con- (
uct. In his reply Mutt said:
eff 1 had invaded the sanctity Of a
lone, as you have confessed to doing, l |
would hold myself fit only to be shot. /
When 1 cross the threshold of a mans
loor and become the guest of his family
r any member Of it, his wife and daugh-
ers are as sacred to me socially as my
wn. 1 have the physical courage to
eek you out and give you the alterna-
i've of repairing the ruin which you have
7rought or suffering death. 1t remains
nth you to say whether there shall be
legal farce or a tragedy. You cannot
scape from me or evade me. Leaving
Jniontown when I go there Will not
vail you. Twill be home again on the
Sd.
Dukes replied by applying an offensive
pithet to Nuts daughter, and said he
'ould be justified by Nuts letter in
hooting him on sight. He appointed
he meeting with him at which the tIag-
dy took place. He said he thought the
netting would result in an amicable
understanding.
Breckenridge was theprincipal witness
{ the trial. Two others described the
hooting. After being out a short time
he Jury returned a verdict of not guilty,
aouoh Judge Wilson's charge was dis
nctly against Dukes. "The verdict IS
ne that gives dissatisfaction to the
ourt. :" Judge Wilson said, after it was
''beeause we thought the
videnee sufficient to justify different
erdict. The prisoner is discharged.
An indignation meeting OF citizens was :