Daily south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1881-18??, 1884-10-04
BANG! BANG!!
Rang out two Pistol Shots at !
O'clock Friday and Frank Doug
lass was a Corpse at the
Fair Grounds Gate.


AT o'clock Friday afternoon two
pistol shots rang outin quick success
sion just outside the front gate of the
Fair. Grounds and as the smoke
curled above the heads of the specta-
tors, Frank Douglass, COL, gave flew
gasps and groans and died wcltering
in his blood from two pistol shot
wounds inflicted bya weapon in the
hand ofNick Gibson, a white man. A
representative of the South Kentuck-
ian was one of'the first to reach the
spot and lie found Douglass lying
under gambling tent in the agonieS
ofsdeath with blood gushing from his
mouth and oozing from hufet-hole
in his stomach. The dying man was
moved into shade and soon died
without ever being conscious after
being shot. A crowd Of negroes was
around the tent where the killing
occurred and they told so many con-
tlicting stories that 1t was impossible
to get at the facts. 1t was evident
that they were biased in their opin-
ions and disposed to make the affair
out a cold blooded murder. After
considerable inquiry the reporter
succeeded in finding reliable eyer
witness, in the person Of MI j. X.
Hicks, of this county. Mr.. Hicks
said he was standing close by when
the shooting took place. Douglass
was manipulating "chuck luck
box at the tent just in front Of the
gate. Gibson came up and took a
risk in the game. lfin throwing the
dice three skies were thrown Gibson
was TO be paid 50. Three skies were
thrown and Gibson claimed the mon
ey. Douglass refused to pay it over,
claiming that there was cooked die
and that it must be tried over. Glib
son cursed Douglass and told him
that he intended to have the S3 or
kill him, to which Douglass replied
with an oath, at the same time draw
ing pistol, "If you can shoot quick
er than can, light ill.," Quick as Il
flash Gibson smatchcd out a lfcock-
ing Smith a. WessOn and sent bull
let into the upper part of Douglass
stomach before the latter could pull
the trigger Of his weapon. Douglass
fell back and his hat fell of and Glib
sons second shot went through the
falling hat and struck in the corner of
his mouth and passed through
his head. Douglass dropped his pis-
tol after the first shot. These seem
to be the facts in the case. Both
wounds were necessarily fatal. I'M
mcdiately after the shooting, Gibson
ran towards the hill on Russellville
street. lie was followed by crowd
of negroes, but he fired one or two
shots at the pursuers and they quick
ly gave up the chase. Several officers
were close by and they followed him
and captured him in the suburbs OF
the city. His pistol was empty when
he was caught. The prisoner is now
in jail aud claims that he acted in
self-dclcnse. Another man said TO
be half.brother of Gibson's was ar
rested and dubbed over the head by
some negroes who thought he was
Gibson. Ills head is badly gashed
but it is onlya scalp wound. This
man-IIenry Brewer by namc-is al
80 in Jail, charged with being Access
sorry after the fact in trying to aid
Gibson 10 escape. The men are resi-
dents of the Fairview ncighbOrhoot
and Gibson is, we believe, cousin tt
a man of the same name who was in
dictcd for murder by the last CRANE
jury but who has never been caught
Nick Gibson, the principal in Fri
: days tragedy, is young man
hcavy-set and swarthy with a blacl
moustache.
The negro killed lived in this city
and appeared 10 be about 30 year
, old. He worked in one of the ware
houses and was regarded as YER
good negro, except that he had
propensity for carrying pistols an
was rather turbulent in his DISPOSE
ton.
OF course the case will have to re;
q on its merits when the facts ar
: brought out in the examining tria
O There will doubtless be contradictor
s versions of the affair given.
III
It THE boy who left the piece of ice |
|. the sun TO warm up was no more FOOLS
than the man who opened the store an
70 1911 ..1o.olo H. l,,,,k l,;n, ont NJ,