Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-02
THOMPSON's FATAL SHOT.
What the Dead Mans Friends say of
the Affair.

lne AHalf.
The killing Of Walter IL. Davis. a mer.
chant of HarrOdsburg, KY, on FRIDAY
last, by Hon. Philip B. Thompson, mem
Der of Congress from the Eighth Ken
tucky district, is the reigning sensation.
A brief dispatch gave the particulars OF
the tragedy, which took place at Harrods.
burg junction. After the shooting
Thompson returned to i. Harrodsburg,
walked into court and made a solemn
statement to the effect that Davis, taking
advantage of Mrs. ThOmpsOn's craving
for stimulants and drugs, had led her
astray. lie claimed to have clear proof
OF Davis Vlllainy and placed himself at
the disposal OF the court. Judge Hardin
promptly released him on bail.
y special dispatch from HarrOdsburg.
dated Saturday, gives the Davis side of
the tragedy. 1t says:
The interest in the ThOmpson-Dayis
killing has grown rather than abated in
intensity this morning. In an interview
with reporter Mrs. Robinson, the mother
OF Mrs. w. ii. Davis, said: Mrs. Davis
knew nothing of the cause of the killing
until l told her last night. She is now
almost distracted, and think will die of
the shock. We know that Walter was
innocent, and hope the press will he
charitable until we can have the case in
vestigated. ThOmpsOn's wife told me
this morning that Thompson had slain an
innocent man, that Walter had been to
her brother, and that she would say
before heaven that there never was any
other relation between them. She saws
her husband has repeatedly accused her
OF the same crime, duplicating one man
and another; that he has been trying for
years to rid himself of her, and that she
has letters of his making accusatiOns.'' =
Davis funeral services were performed
to-day at his residence. An immense
crowd was present. He was both an Odd
Fellow and Knight of Honor. and the
two lodges were present in full regalia.
Inc services were performed by the Rev.
MIR. Young and the Rev. Mr.. CLAY. In
the sermon Mr.. Young omitted all refer
ence to the cause of death, and spoke
but little OF the family. He said he had
loved the dead man as he had loved
few men; that there were many Christians
outside of the church. and that Davis
had lived an upright and honest life
and had done no man a wrong. The wife
bore the ordeal better than was eXpected
put she and her SlSter-in-laW tainted at
the grave. Mrs. Thompson, / am told,
was at the funeral. She was certainly al
the house shortly before and after. She
Is vehement in her prOtestations of the
innocence of both herself and Davis. She
said: Il will die prOclaiming him innO-
cent, Oh, why was not | Killed rather
than poor Walter?" She saws that her
husband has been killing her by inches
for years; that she has cried until the
fountain of her tears is dried. She has
become haggard in day. The ThOmp-
sons say they feel only pity for her.
Mrs. Davis says she does not want
ThOmpsOns blood, but that her husbands
character shall be cleared. Her family
ana relatives are wealthy, and if ThOmn
son is indicted the ablest counsel that can
be secured VIII prosecute him. No court
was held this afternoon. and Judge. iIrora
and litigaDts attended the funeral. There
were over hundred carriages in the pro-
cesslOn, and many that were present did
not follow the body to the cemetery.
Roth, of the st. Clair, denies that the in
cidents on which Thompson iustifes his
action ever occurred,
Witnesses of the Cincinnati affair were
to-day summoned before the grand iurv
which is favorable to Thompson. Thomp-
son mas received kilograms from all OVER
the country sympathiZing with him.
Davis said to his partner, +. b. Fisher
the day before he was killed, that he was
of wrong, and that if he could
see Thompson he could explain all.
In November, 1873, Philip Thompson.
the Congressman's father, and two
brothers had fight with Theodore Davis
and his three sons.j 1t arose out of a law
suit, III which Thompson accused Davis
OF stealing note that Davis said he had
paid. In the fight the father and two sons of
DAVIS were killed, and three of the
lhomps0ns were wounded The Thomp.
sons were tried by an examining court.
ana acquitted on the evidence that the
DaVlses sought and provoked the diff
Guilty. Walter II, Davis, the man killed
Yesterday, is Of another family. and is re-
lated to the ThOmpsOns, whose cause in
the former trouble he warmly advocated,