The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-04-10

handed Goodwin five dollar bill. Good
win handed it to me. Not having the
change, i went into the stable to get il
from Joe McVey. When returned Good
win and Mcfarland seemed to be
QUARRELING MORE VIOLENTLY
than when / went away. They both made
the assertion that they had not been
treated right. Goodwin told McFarlaud
that during fair week he had charged
twenty-five cents for hitching in
side of the stable without feed
At this Combs came up and handed me
dollar to pay for his mule gave him
the change. At this, Miller drove up with
his carriage, and msds them move their
mules 50 that he could drive in. Stoe had
not said word prior to this, but when he
went 70 get on bis mule he told Goodwin
that he was wrong abont the feeding of the
mule Goodwin replied that he knew be
was not wrong. Mcfarland then called
Goodwin lying s-n of BIB and struck
him. / ran between them spd showed them
apart. Miller came up and told Goodwin
that if he was right to stick to it. Conbs
then put his right hand in his hip pocket
and said to Miller: Maybe yon want to
take it up" Miller and Combs then ran
together and struck each other with their
fists. then saw pistol fall on the side
walk and oe'and Mcfarland both grabbed
for it. i showed them back and Dave
Bartly (colored) ran and picked it up while
THE MEN WERE sCRAMBLING FOR IT.
Miller and Combs kept on striking ae
each other. BY this time they had got ont
in the middle of the street. All at once
they ceased fighting and Miller backed of
toward the stable. When about six feet
from Combs, he (Combs) fired. Miller
then reeled and fell on the platform close
TO the stable. Combs then backed off
about twenty feet and fred another shot,
which went through the pantaloons of
Jake Turner and into horses right fore
leg. j then ran to Miller, and did not see
Combs any more that night after he had
fired the second shot. / saw Miller have a
pistol like the one here in court q few
nights previous to the shooting.
The testimony of all the balance of the
witnesses, with but few exceptions, cor
roborated that OF Mr. Wright.
THE VERDICT
After hearing the evidence, the iurv.
which was composed of Z. Marshal. All.
Smith, Col. Richard Ritter, Charley Roll,
J. +. Scissor, Wm. p. Jackson and w. p.
Cousley, returned verdict holding Combs
for Miller's death.
A BAzOO reporter called on the prisoner
at the county Jail after the inquest and had
a brief interview with him. He was neatly
dressed in a suit of light clothes, and
seemed perfectly willing to talk. In an
swer to the reporters question he stated
that ne would be twenty years old in June
next, and that he was born and raised ON
a farm near Macon City, in Macon county.
His story Of the shooting is briefly as
follows:
THE PRISONERS STORY.
81 was with Mcfarland and Sioe at the
stable on Saturday evening when McFar-
land and Goodwin became involved in a
dispute over the payment Of iced bill of
twenty-five cents, McFarlsnd claiming
that the mule had not been fed, and Good-
win claiming that it had. They then came
to blows, and Mcfarland commenced back
ing of towards me, as I was then behind
him. had my hand in my inside vest
pocket, in which was my pistol. AT this
Miller ran up to me, and, drawing his
pistol, told me to take my hand out of my
pocket or he would blow my brains cot.
| then told him that / did not have any
pistol, and drew my hand out, in which I
held q picture. He then struck at me.
twice with his pistol. Thinking that he
intended TO kill me. drew my pistol and
fired, but did not hit him. / then stepped
back and fired again. 1t was this shOs
that hit him. saw him fall, and knowing
that the crowd was drinking, and thinking
THEY WOULD KILL ME,
I started away. The negro then snapped
his pistol at me twice, and tired q shot
at him. I kept on east on Main street,
and crossed the railroad near the mill.
When got to the prairie noticed q young
man following me. He commenced firing
and i commenced running. While i was
running lost my pistol and knife. The
fellow fired four shots in all at me. After
firing the fourth shot, he returned to town,
and / Kept on going towards my uncle's.
When captured i was in the woocs on
Muddy. hiding from the sheriff's posse,
which had been within ten feet of during
the night. intended to come to town and
give myself up. am very sorry that the
affair occurred. 1t would not have hap
pened had not thought he was goine to
kill me. This is the frs time that have
ever been locked up. The pistol did not
belong to me. / borrowed it from my
brother-in-law tefore starting, do not
know what make it was or the size of the
ball it carried, rs had never seen it before
until the morning before the shooting"