The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-05-04
SHOT ON SIGHT,
Some Of the Facts in the Thomp-
son-Dayis Tragedy.
Testimony of the St Clair House
People, Miss Buckner,s
Statement.
What Mrs. Thompson Says The
Grand jury Brings i'm am IndIet-
memt for Murder.

| grand jury yesterday returned an indictmen
of murder against Phil B. Thompson, Jr, so
killing Walter Ell. Davis, April -. The return
was made in the afternoon The witnesse
named for the commonwealth are j. p. Chinn
| K @. Smith, J. H. Wilson, r. Z. Coleman, ant
John Maurer. Thompson will be rearrested
Under much prevailing custom he will
probably be let out of prison, being nominall,
under arrest in charge of guardian, who's
salary is paid by the prisoner. Then habeaI
corpus proceedings will lead to a preliminar,
trial to determine if he can be balled and wha
| the amount shall be-
The indictment creates surprise, though gen
| orally approved The defendant and his
| friends expected it would be for mansIaughter
| IL is expected the prisoners father one of tn.
| ablest lawyers in Kentucky, will be counsel fol
| his son.
The sentiment is growing that the killing OF
| Davis IS to be classed as an assassination
| There is a disposition to criticise the conduc
OF Miss Bnekner upon whose statements
| posed he made his attack on Davis. 1t is
| said that when Miss, Buckner, some years
ago, was in trouble somewhat similar to the
1 charge made against Mrs. Thompson Davis
/ did not stand her friend. There are witnesses
| who contradict Miss Buckner with reference
/ to Mrs. Thompson's drunkenness.
The implication that Davis was fleeing to
ner had sold their stock of groceries in order
| to devote their whole time to the whisky
trade, and Davis had agreed to go to Chicago
| to close out the branch house, and was ON
| his way 10 Chicago ON this business when he
was killed
| BOTH SIDES OF THE CASE.
MIR. John b. Thompson, brother OF the slayer
OF. Walter Fl. Davis, arrived home yesterday from
Cincinnati with three affidavits in his posses
sion, and accompanied by John Manrer, the
porter at the st. Clair hotel Cincinnati. Maur-
er appeared before the grand jury that after
| noon and made his statement II is to be pre-
sumed that Maurer made the same statement
before the grand jury that he did in affidavit
obtained from him in Cincinnati by Mr. John
B. Thompson.
John Maurer,s statement is to the effect that
on the 2Sth of November hast he was night
Waterman at the St Clair hotel and about 9
O'clock Walter Davis and Mrs. Thompson came
up tosthe fourth floor in the elevator; both had
been drinking and Mrs. T. was very drunk
Davis room was No. 10 and Miss Buckner's
room, in which Mrs. Thompson was staying,
No 40 Upon getting off the elevator Mrs
Thompson started to go to her own room, but
Davis called her back, and took her into his
room, where they were for an hour and a half
when Mrs T. came out with Davis, who was
going to show her to her room, but was pre-
vented by the Waterman, who called Mrs
Roth, and she took charge of the drunken
woman and took her to her room. Maurer
said he informed Mr.. Roth of the. two
being together in Dayis's room and Roth said
he would attend TO it Davis left the hotel
next morning before breakfast
The affidavit of Mrs. Louisa Roth Is to the
effect that at B or o'clock on the afternoon of
the 2sth of November, she noticed Mrs.
Thompson IN the hall of the hotel walking
queerly, and with puzzled look on her face
Shed appeared Eunder the.infiuence of liquor
She was dreadfully drunk, and could hardly
talk, and was barely conscious of what she did.
After humping her head against the wall and
distractions in the hall, she finally reached
her room. Mrs Roth states that she listened
to hear what Miss Buckner would say to her.
and she heard her say, why, l thought you
were going the theatre" so we did Mrs
Thompson replied Miss Buckner said. 3Nwhen
l go to the theatre it Is not out until IL
o'clock, and it is net II yeti Mrs Thomp-
son said, we left before it was through"
Dir. Charles q. Roth, manager of the St
Clair hotel, and husband of the previous depo-
nent, says, in his affidavit that gentleman
before dinner and was assigned to
room 10, who wrote his name H. Davis of
Ky. Mr. Roth found out after
ward that his real name was w. H. Davis
When the porter, MaHrer, told /. of the oc-
currence between Mr.. Davis and Mrs Thomp-
son, he did, not go to see about it, as he
thought the parties were all right, and that
they were some way related. He concluded
afterward that something was wrong; STILL as
they had been represented to him as first-class
people, he did not want to be hasty about the
matter. In the morning Davis went away
without getting breakfast When Mrs Thomp-
SON went to the Office to pay her bill, she
looked somewhat ragged" about the face, as
If she had been on spree the night before.
She appeared shamefaced as if she did not
want to be known.
John b. Thompson has brought with him the |
page of the st Clair hotel register containing |
the siguHture of H. Davis" When Mr. Davis |
left the St Clair hotel, the morning after the |
70 him fatal night, he went to the Gibson
house.
ANOTHER THEORY.
On the part of Walter II. Davis the following |
is given, and is much believed here, as theory |
Of what, under any circumstances, must be
taken as an assumptive story
When Davis met Mrs. Thompson and Miss
Buckner. he conceived the idea that he would |
pay the latter lady some attention She is one
If the most beautiful women in Kentucky Her
'eputation has been played pitch and toss with
1t various times, but that is not here nor
here. To say the least of her, sheawas not
Lverse to the attentions of gentlemen Walter
4. Davis was good father, and a devoted
husband, but probably, like mankind univer-
ally, would not hesitate to be agreeable
o pretty woman when henlet one. The very
act that Jessie Buckner had as is alleged, as
erted that she would separate Davis and his
wife only gave the liaison the greater piquancy
accordingly, he went to the same hotel she
md Mrs. Thompson were stopping at His |
egistering under false name is explained by
ear that the news would spread to Harrods-
'urg that he was at the same hotel with Jessie
'uckner, woman whose charms were the ad- /
niration among men where she was known
He bought three tickets for the theatre, for
70 could not, with any proprietF, ask one lady
0 favor him with her company unless he Fl
sked the other, But Miss Bucknef refused to |
o. She had other engagements Wine was
rank in her room before starting, Davis.
moving the weakness of Mrs. Thompson. for
quor, should ktye stopped right here, but the
me went to his head; he could never stand |
oaor. Then in the evening he took Mrs
thompson to tho theatre She was unmis-
ikably under the influence of drink, and he
'ok her out soon after entering Ne her had |
aten any supper at the St Clair, and 80 they |
-ent to the st Nicholas. With their order
1ey had served pint bottle of champagne
hen they returned to the hotel He realized
hat Mrs. Thompson was, as Mrs. Roth saws, :
drunk. His conscience, no doubt.
pbraided him, and he feared that Miss
S1ckner would upbraid him, would try to
make good her threat of separating his wife
rom him by letting it be known that he and
frs. Thompson got drunk together. So.he
Induced Mrs Thon son to go to his room,
linking that she would sober up. In the
morning he fully appreciated the disgrace he
nd the unfortunate lady had brought upon
themselves, and in shame he left the hotel |
Without waiting for breakfast