Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-02-28
SHOOTING OF HAL COSTING.
Details of the Tragedy.

GALVESTON, Feb. 22.-The News
San Antonio special gives the fol-
lowing details of the killing of Mar
shall Hal Gosling: Marshal Costing,
accompanied by two of his trusted
deputies, J. +. Manning and ]. l..
Loving, were conveying two United
States prisoners from Austin to San
Antonio for safckeeping. The pris-
oners were James Pitts and Charles
Yager, who have won notorioty in
Lampassas and Burnet counties as
highwaymen and postoffice rob-
bers.
The officers and their prisoners
occupied seats in the smoking car
on opposide sides of the coach. The
prisoners were securely handcuffed
together. They were escorted by
Mrs. +. a. Drown, grandmother of
Pitts, and Miss Rosa wager, sister
of one of the prisoners. The women
occupied seats immediatelyin front
of the prisoners, who in turn were
escorted by four men occupying re-
moved from them. The smoking
car was well filled with passengers,
among whom were several cattle
men in q high flow of spirits.
The two women left the smoker,
CARRYING with them leather valise
into the first second-class coach adj
joining. After a short absence
they returned to the smoker and
occupied the same seats immcdi-
ately in front of the prisoners.
This man9uvre attracted the at
ton of Marshal GOsling and his
deputies, who eyed the prisoners
closely until they became satisfied
that all was we'll. The prisoners
and women were quite affectionate
in their demonstrations, but not
more so than than they had been
before the man9uvre occurred.
The first intimation that any,
thing wrong was going on was the
sharp report of a pistol. This was
followed by the rapid discharge of
shots, which filled the coach with
a dense smoke, in the riffs of which
the prisoners were noticed to be
moving toward the opposite seats
occupied by Gosling and his depu-
ties.
| The first shot evidently missed
the marshal. He was in the act OF
drawing a pistol, and while rising
to his feet q second shot rent the
air, and simultaneously with the
crack of the gun the gallant marsha
fell forward with his head in the
aisle and his weapon drawn, pris
, oning Deputy Manning for the time
to his seat.
Before the deputy could free him
,, self from the body of his chief h,
received a ball in the neck and on,
in the shoulder. Clearing the sea
Manning took position in front o
the door to prevent the escape o
the prisoners by that exit. After
, he had fired every shot in his pis
tol he deliberately drew a pencil
and began to remove the exploded
shells from his six shooter Will
. the prisoners were popping ava.
at him. Deputy Loving backed t
the rear Of the car, firing wheneve
a glimpse of the prisoners was t
be had through the smoke.
The prisoners pushed on to tn
i, rear, forcing Loving to the platform
q of the sleeper, where the deput,
fired his last shot as the despel
ADDE'S jumped from the train. j
g was in full motion, and as the
e struck the ground Col. Mayfield, c
: Helena, earns county, who was i
, the rear end of the first-class coach
fred we'll directed shot at tn
c prisoners, as did Conductor Georg
A. Fowler, who was attracted I
n the smoker by the firing. The pri:
q Oners made off in a northerly d
rection up a lane four miles mort
, of New Braunfels. Pitts is pre-
d sumed to be wounded, as Yage
Y was almost dragging him when the
: were last seen in the lane.
The train after a delay of thre
or four seconds, was stopped. A
!, was confusion. The coach wa
8 filled with the stencil of blood: AN
r powder fumes. Investigation r,
: vealed that Marshal Costing wa
dead, lying on his face on the sea
occupied by him before the firing
e The fatal ball took effect in the req