The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-07
4 MURDEROUS ENCOUNTER.
John Bridges, James Barnett and Their
Wives Engage in Fight,
During Which All Are Wounded and Barnett
Fatally ShOt-CircumstanceS
of the ARRAY.

In Wayne township west of the city, yester-
day morning, there was terrific fight between
two men and their respective wives, the result
of long feud. John Bridges and James Barnett
are neighbors, and have been at sword-points
for several years. They are said, by people who
know them, to be turbulent and desperate men,
Bridges is stone-cutter, at present employed
on the State house, and Barnett is a gardener
Their habitations adjoin one another. They lay
about a mile northwest of the Insane Asylum
and near them is dark wood, on the BORDERS of
which the ARRAY occurred
1t seems that Barnett, who is an early riser, on
account of his work in the city, was at 5oclock in
the morning near the edge of the woods While
engaged in milking COW, so he says bullet
whizzed past his ear, preceded by the report of
pistol He turned and saw Bridges near a
fence through which he had fred. Barnett
backed to the shelter of tree, Bridges jumping
the fence and firing again. Barnett, being armed
on account of the standing quarrel returned the
fire. A sharp fusillade occurred, and the hatred
of years was eonsummated in a terrific struggle
AT this instant Mrs Bridges appeared
on the scene, armed with revolver
so Burnett claims, and almost instantly
his wife also appeared scuffle ensued be-
tween the fresh combatants, when Bridges over
coming his opponent, ran to the aid of his wife,
and using hoe as a missile he felled, by three
blows, Mrs Barnett to the ground This ended
the fight, as her skull was fractured. In the
fracas Barnett seems to have been worsted, as
two shots took effect one grazing the carotid and
subclavian arteries, just above the breastbone,
ranging upward, and passing out the
shoulder blade, and another lodging in the left
shoulder. He was also struck with the hoe.
Mrs. Barnett bruised Mrs. Bridges face in the
encounter, as she is much stronger and larger.
Bridges, it is also claimed, had his skull grazed
by bullet, and his head bruised by cenched
revolver used by Barnett a life-preserver
After the fight Bridges mounted his horse and
rode west on the National road at rapid pace.
When the news reached the city the sheriff and
police superintendent Immediately drove to the
scene and posse was organized and started in
pursuit of the fugitive, but have not yet caught
him.
THE CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE.
From interviews with some of the principals,
it seems that the cause of the vendetta is the
result of a long feud over partition fence, dat
ing back eleven years, when Barnett took to task
Robert Tomlinson, his brother-in-law, for abus
ing Mrs Barnett. This caused a trouble among
his relatives his brothers-in-law Bob Frank, and
Milton Tomlinson, becoming friendly to Bridges
side and Perry and Amos Tomlinson being
against them. He had originally sold a six-acre
in-law) resold to Bridges. There had arisen
some dispute concerning the partition fence, and
the hostile brothers-in-law had aggravated the
dispute. This is Barnett's statement He also
claimed that Bridges had threatened his life and
that he and one George Mcdowell, who works
for Bob Tomlinson, lay in wait and attempted
to shoot him. 1t is a known fact that these fam
lilies have been continually in trouble for years,
and their names appear on various pages in jus
tees dockets. Barnett and Bridges always
went prepared for conflict. and the CORY bat
tie is a natural sequence
MRS. BRIDGES STATEMENT.
Mrs Bridges was registered at the police sta
ton on the charge of assault and battery, with
intent to kill She is a slight woman, and bears
evidences of having borne her share of LIES
hardships When journal reporter saw her
last evening she complained that she was suffer
ing from violent headache, and that the
experience she had undergone during the
day had almost Frustrated her She knew
nothing of the beginning of the fight, and the
only part that she had taken in it was in trying
to separate her husband and Barnett. She
denied that she had given her husband a revol-
yer, and claimed that she had not had any
weapon in her possession. Her statement of the
causes leading to the difficulty is that the
trouble began over the refusal of Barnett
to bear a part of the cost of building
fence through meadow owned by Bridges and
on which Barnett's cattle were pastured. Liti-
cation followed, and all kinds of petty annoy
ances were resorted to- Barnett had circulated
slanderous stories abo ut her, but she and his
wife had been on neighborly terms. AS she was
going out of her house yesterday morning to get
some kindling she heard a shot, but she says
that she believed that Barnett was shooting at
squirrels and paid attention to the
matter. -Four or five shots then came in quick
Succession, and as she ran to where the noise
came from she heard Barnett call to his wife
She saw him holding pistol pointing from be-
hind tree, and begged him not to shoot but he
fired Her husband then jumped over the fence
which separated the two men and they came to-
gether She tried to pull her husband away,
and taking his revolver from him, threw it over
the fence Both Barnett and Bridges
were bleeding, and while trying to separate them
she was covered with blood Barnett struck her
husband with milk pail after they had separat
ed, and Mrs. Barnett struck her over the head
besides breaking hoe over her husband. She
claims however, that she did not strike Mrs
Barnett, and that she did nothing but try to pre-
vent the men from injuring each other.
CONDITION OF THE WOUNDED.
Barnett is desperately wounded, and the at
tending physician. DR.. H. F. Barnes last night
reported that he had a very slight chance for
recovery. Mrs Barnett is also very badly hurt
but it is thought not dangerously. The ex-
tent of Bridges wound cannot be determined
until he is apprehended, but it is evidently not
serious, or he would not have eluded arrest so
successfully. He has but little chance for es-
CAPE however, as the officers are in hot pursuit
of him. He did not leave home until
nearly an hour after the ARRAY, and then on
a horse which he hastily bridled, but put on no
saddle He told his wife that he was coming to
the city to surrender himself to the authorities
Upon reaching Mount jackson, however he was
told that Barnett had died and he accordingly