The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-24
INDIANA ANDILLINOIS NEWS
Desperate and Bloody Fight at Wash
ingtOn, Which Nay End in Murder.
An Orphan Girl Savagely Beaten by Reject
ed Loyer-DOuble Murder at Spring
field. llL-Notes and Gleanngs
INDIANA.
A Desperate Fight, Which May End in the
Death of One of the Participants.

| Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON. Aug. pa desperate and
bloody fight occurred in this city last night
which will no doubt end in murder Two men,
| Walker Meredith and Daniel Fagans, became
| engaged in a row, when Meredith shot Fagans
in the left breast, within one inch of the heart
Meredith has stepped out and has made an
effectual escape. Fagans is in dying condition
| at his nome, in the suburb of this city, sur
rounded by his family. Your correspondent
! secured the following statement from the dying
q, man this evening:
IAN old erudge has existed between Jack
Mattngly and myself ever since last Christmas
l was boxing with gloves then, and Mattingly
was bothering me, and 1 told the boys to take
him away from me. Mattingly got mad
that night. On the night after
went into a restaurant and met
Mattingly and others. Mattingly stepped up
and insulted me, and tried to make racket
with me by threatening TO do me up Mattingly
was always slurring me, and insulting me, and
| Dragging that he could do me up. Last night l
met HIM again, and as soon as he saw me said he
could whip any of the - Fagans /
| could not stand that and knocked him down
near the depot, and he fell under locomotive
and pulled him out After that l met Jack
Mattingiy, Walter Meredith and Frank Coleman
at Himbergs saloon. Mattingly jumped at me
and said, You hit last night, didn't
your I replied Yes, l did He then
pulled a billy out of his pocket and
struck at me- 1 caught him by the
| tripped him over a spittoon, when Coleman
| &c ,
1 raised up, Walter Meredith yelled, Give it to
| him, it, give it to him. l then got
away and started home. got as far as the
| depot. The men in the saloon followed me. l
| called Meredith up and asked him, Have you
got anything against me-? He replied, No
What did you tell Mattingly to give it to me
! for!' 1 didn't say that, replied Meredith, and
told him ne did, and Meredith says, You are a
| liar | struck at Meredith then, and hit him in
| the head, and then turned and went
into Browns store. I saw them com
ing down street, when I heard Meredith
say - him, Iii kill him yet, and Cole
man said, Yes, - him; give it to him I ran
into Ulrich's saloon for protection, and told them
not to let those kill me. They rushed in ON
me. Meredith didn't say word but pulled his
revolver and shot me in the breast, excaiming,
Now we've got you Coleman jumped on me and
hit me in the head and mouth, when Meredith shot
again, the bullet grazing my head and passing
though my hat. | started to run, and Meredith
shot at third time. ! fell out OF the back
door, and before | got away from the assassins l
fell three times I found 1 was shot in the
breast, and placed my hand the wound and
walked home, but fell down several times on
the way. When I got home / could hardly
walk. The shooting occurred about 10 o'clock"
| Facans is only nineteen years DID, Meredith
is the son of Burrl Meredith one of the
wealthiest and most prominent citizens of Wash
| ington
An Orphan Girl Beaten by a Rejected Lover
| Special to the indianapolis Journal
| VINCENNEs, Aug 23.--Lew Hixon, of Patolla,
| young farmer Of that neighborhood, twenty
miles south of this city, had been waiting on a
young lady Of the village named Downey. Hixon
| fell desperately in love with Miss Downey, and
! proposed to marry her, but she spurned his
| offer Enraged at this last Sunday Hixon went
to the home of Miss Downey, and, finding the
door locked broke in the house. and, approach
| ing the girl, again sked her to marry him. She
refused, and he made an indecent proposal to
her. and pulled his knife out and threatened to
cut her heart out. He knocked her down and
stamped on her, beating and kicking her in the
most horrible manner. He also swore he
would kill the girl, but at that
juncture neghbors interfered, and Hixon
disappeared. The girls condition is critical
Hixon escaped, but last night was captured at
Wash ington by Marshal Lewis and brought
10 @Ao .o;l
fellow, twenty-five years of age. Hewas arrest
ed for rape and assault with intent to kill Miss
Downey is an orphan, her mother having died
three weeks AGO. The neighbors at Patoka are
greatly enraged.
The Change in the MOntezuma POstoffce.
Special to tho Indianapolis Journal.
MoNTEZUMA, Aug. 22.--About 1867 a Demo
cratic postmaster was appointed for the Office at
this place. He held the place through all
changes UP to 1883, when the Rev. Thomas
Griffith, an old soldier, seventy years of age
and an excellent citizen, was appointed to and
has since filled the place. 1t is here the almost
universal sentiment that never has a postofice
been kept in better shape, nor by more courte-
Gus and obliging official. So much was this the
general opinion that upon the advent of the
present administration, petition signed bv a
majority of our Democrats, by nearly all our
Republicans and including 95 per cent of the
patrons of the office, was sent on to Washington,
asking that change be made and that Mr..
Griffith be continued as postmaster Instead,
however through the Vaccinations of Mr.
Lamb, Mr.. Voorhees, and some smaller fry poll
ticans, Mr.. Griffith has been removed and
ladv aDDOinted who cannot evan claip pact
services rendered the party This has made
the leading Democrats mad, and walls of wrath
arise. Curses long, and loud, and deep are heard
on every hand at this manifest injustice shown
to the wishes and interests of nine-tenths of our
people In case change had to be made, James
Stephenson, leading Democrat late president