Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-07-13
SHOT DOWN IN COLD BLOOD.
Assassination of Three Officials
of Grand County, Colorado.
{. P. Weber, Formerly of Mineral
Point, one of the Slain.
THE TRAGEDY.

tragedy occurred in Grand county
on the 4th, on account of the re-
moval of the county seat from Hot
Sulphur Springs to Grand Lake.
For several months there has been a
feud between the people of the two
places, both parties claiming the
right to the county seat. A tele-
gram to Governor Grant at II o'clock
last night stated that the hostile
parties had a meeting, and that the
county commissioners and clerk
were killed. From the information
thus far obtained it is certain that
Barney Day and r. G. Mills, COM
missioners, are killed, and E. P.
Weber, also a commissioner, and d..
J. Dean, the county clerk, were NOR
tally wounded.
The county was created by an act
passed by the legislature of 1879,
and the county seat located at Hot
Sulphur Springs. At the election
held in 1880 the people by vote
changed the county seat to Grand
Lake. This angered the owners of
property in Hot Sulphur Springs.
A suit was commenced in the dis
trict court to set aside the election.
1t was decided affirmatively. The
case was then carried to the supreme
court, where the decision was re-
versed and referred back to the dis
trict court for a rehearing on the
question of matter and fact. Ever
since the county seat has been re-
moved trouble has existed between
the property holders and the citi-
zens of the rival towns. Early last
spring an attempt was made by the
sheriff and county clerk to take the
records and books from Grand Lake
to Hot Sulphur Springs, but the at
tempt was frustrated by party of
armed citizens. The present county
clerk, d. j. Pollard, and the sheriff,
e. w. Roger, are said to be favorable
to the removal. ?. G. Mills and
Barney Day, two of the commission
ers, were opposed to the removal,
while Weber favored and urged it.
1t appears that a petition asking for
Weber's removal and signed by q
large number of citizens had been
presented to the governor some two
months ago, but he did not think it
wise to remove him.
A meeting of the county commits
sioners was called for the first Mon
day in July. In accordance with
the notices they went to Grand Lake
to hold the meeting, AMI, as at the
former time, employ ed Dean as their
clerk pro tenn. 1t is said that there
was no trouble Monday and We'd
nesday, and the business, though a
good deal of it had accumulated
during the long time in which no
meeting had been held, was nearly
all disposed of.
The town of Grand Lake is on the
west side of the lake. During the
meeting commissioners Day and
Weber and clerk Dean stopped at
Mrs. Young's boarding house, a
quarter of mile around the end Of
the lake. The road leading from
Mrs. Young's to town is through a
thicket of small pines. Yesterday
morning, just before 10 o'clock the
two commissioners and the clerk
started from the house to go TO the
place of meeting and finish up the
business before finally adjourning.
When about midway through the
thicket three masked men suddenly
sprang out of the bushes and COM
menced firing on them, shooting
them all down instantly. But before
the work had been done one of the
commissioners returned the fire, kill
ing one of the assailants. The other
two masked men, thinking they had
killed all three, disappeared in the
bushes. When the startled citizens
arrived at the place of combat a
moment later they found Day dead
and Weber and Dean MORALLY
wounded. They tore the mask from
the other man and found that he
was Mills, the other commissioner.
Weber was found to be shot through
the head and cannot live, and Dean
is shot through the right lung and
is, like Weber, thought to be dead
before this time.
ANOTHER REPORT.
DENVER, Col, July 6.-The Rocky
Mountain Nnmc hnC i1nct rnnaiNn