The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-05-29
BILL WATFORD
STILL LIVES, AND ROBERT RU-
BIRTH SEES THINGS THROUGH
A GLASS DARKLY."
Two SuggestiOns-One to Sher-
Iff HOrnsby; Another 10
the ty.GOuncil.

| William Watford, the unfortunate
victim of Monday nights tragedy, still
lives, and some hopes are now enter
tanned by his friends. of his recovery.
| The ball, which was fired as he rose
from the ground, after having
been knocked down from behind by
blow in the head, seems to
have taken an upward range,
and is now plainly visible just back of
his right shoulder. at about $50
o'clock in the morning
ROBERT RUBIRTH,
was arrested at his house, and carried
before the wounded man, and fully
identified by him as the party who did
the shooting. George Mitchell was
also arrested and taken before
Watford, but could. not be identified
as the man who struck him in the
head, as the blow was received from
behind. Mitchell was released on $3.50
bond, and Rubirth committed to jail.
Between 2 and 3 o'clock in the after
noon Watford was
THOUGHT TO BE DYING,
and Justice Tegener was summoned to
take his an e-mortem statement. This
the Judge declines to make public at
present. Later in the afternoon
Watford seemed to rally again,
and when last visited by the STATES
MAN. was apparently resting easy. He
was concious throughout the day,
recognizing his friends who called In
to see him. Rev. DR.. Wright, of the
the first Presbyterian church visited
him in the morning, and offered an
earnest prayer in his behalf. Watford
declined to allow his mother to be tel
egraphed for, and closed his eyes
at the mention of her name. No, mol
1t would never have done for his
mother to have seen him dying there,
in that miserable hovel, the shelter of
shameless negro women. 'Twere bet
ter that she should never know that
he were dead, till long continued ST.
lence bade her cease to hopel
RUBIRTH'S STATEMENT
with reference to +. the affair.
which makes him out guilt
less as new born babe,
appears In another column of THE
this morning. Mitchell,
of course, is also innocent, and, in
fact, it looks as if it would not be
long before it would be proven that
no difficulty had occurred. Yet poor
Watford lies on his couch with the
death dews gathering on his brow.
SENSATIONAL RUMoR.
A rumor gained currency
on the streetE last night,
that the negroes were banding to-
gether, armed to the teeth, for the pur-
pose Of mobbing Fred Callahan, the
deputy sheriff, whose maltreatment Of
the woman Eliza Harris, gave rise to
the whole difficulty. The police were
instructed to arm themselves thor
oughly and patrol those portions of
the city in which the negroes were
most likely tn congregate.
THR BLACK ELEPHANT,
one of the favorite resorts
of the negroes, was visited by
a STATESMAN representative, several
times during the evening, and while
quite a crowd of darkies were as
sembled there, upstairs and at the
bar, there were no evidences of any
hostile movement being in contemp-
lation. The first ward, the scene Of
the difficulty, and the place where
Callahan was most likely to be sought
for. was visited, but nothing occurred
to Justify the reports In circulation.
SHERIFF HORNsBY's ACTION
in commissioning Callahan as depu-
ty sheriff, after he was discharged
from the police force for the disgrace
full cutting scrape of few months
ago, in which he came near losing his
life, is being severely criticised on all
hands. Were this Mr.. Hornsby's first
offense Of this character, little,
perhaps, would be thought of it,
but when the public can recall several
other instances where the principal
qualification of man for appoint
ment as deputy sheriff seemed to be
in the record he had made in violating
it is not 30 easy for them to look upon
Mr.. Hornsby as entirely blameless
for the reputation his deputies
have earned for Travis county.
Mr.. Hornsby explains that Callahan
was appointed as a deputy to follow
the gang of counterfeiters who re-
Gently visited Austin, and who, after
Showing" considerable portion of
the "queer," skipped out for parts un-
known; and that his commission was
to cease with the execution of that
duty. Callahan's commission has been
revoked.
A SUGGESTION.
The STATESMAN would suggest to
the city council, that much annoyance
to the police and to the respectable
portion of the community, as well as
many dlsgraceful rows, and often
tragedies, might be avoided by the
passage of an ordinance authorizing
the arrest of any woman found on the
streets after o'clock, except within
gentleman of known respectability, or
where, in case of sickness. it becomes
necessity. Such an ordinance is
full force in nearly every city Of size
in the state, and has been proven to be
productive of the very best results.
TWO THIRTY A. NJ.
DR.. Burt, reports Watford to be still
alive, though there is no hope Of his
recovery.