Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-07
The Ugly Conduct Of william Taylor
as Revealed In His Exnmln,
ing Trial.
Made his wife and children join Him ia
Drinking Assault on His WIFE,
The Demon Drink
oorreaponacnee 81 lhe Gatelle


r. M. Slime, county judge Of Clay
county, yesterday morning, 10 stand his
preliminary trial for assault with intent
to murder his wife, and the testimony
was concluded to-day at noon. No ar
gument was made by counsel for either
state or defendant, but the facts submit
ted to the court, and the court found him
guilty and fixed his ball at $1,000 for his
appearance at the next term Of the dis
trict court OF Clay county. The entire
testimony given upon the trial Is embod
led In the testimony Of two witnesses,
who were the defendants wife and son
Tom, whose statements differed but very
little. The testimony showed the fol-
lowing facts;
That William Taylor came home the
lived In Henrietta) from the saloon with
u pint OF whisky about sappcr time and
offered IL TO his family 10 take drink
with him, and Jane took n dram or two;
defendants wife took two drinks, and
after supper defendant went up In town
and returned again about 10 O'Clock at
night with another pint OF whisky and
offered II to his family 10 drink with him.
Tom took a drink or two, and the wife
does not remember about drinking any at
this Time but when the most of IL was
gone out oflth bottle defendant said to
his daughter Jane, "Plcasc drink some
more for your father, aud Jane told him
that she did not want any more, that she
already felt the effects OF what she had
drunk. Them defendant caught her and
beat her over the head with his fist and
made her drink the remainder Of what
was in the bottle, and the wife and Tom
then pulled him away from Jane and told
him he did Jane right, merely to keep
him In good humor. This was about II
or IL O'Clock. Defendant then got quiet
and sat in his chair and went 70 sleep,
and then fell on the iloor. About
O'Clock the wife and Jane then took hold
OF him and carried him to the bed, and
took his pistol out of his pocket aud put
II away, Then all went TO bed. About
O'Clock the wife awoke and missed de-
PENDANT, and heard him In the room
where Jane and the other children were
sleeping. She then got up and went into
the kitchen where there was door that
entered into where the defendant was,
and the defendant heard her and imme-
diately came out, and she stepped into q
little closet In the kitchen and closed the
door after her. Defendant pulled the
door open and said "fIore You are
again, catching her by the back hair of
the head. She threw one arm around his
neck, pleading with him to let her 80;
but he said, "You can't beg off any
more,p and led her by the hair from the
kitchen, through the dlning-room, and into
the room whore she aud defendant slept.
Defendant then apparently was looking
about az II trying TO get something TO
| strike her with, and finally, discovering
pair OF scissors lying on the table, led
her 10 them and took them In his other
hand aud said ''You can't beg off this
Time and opened them and drew them
back AS II to strike, looking her in the
face, with her head drawn back. Just
about this lime Jane ran IN and caught
defendants arm when he had the scissors
drawn so the defendant could not strike,
| but kept tying 10 get his arm loose,
throwing jane about. Then Tom shot
defendant, wounding him In the breast.
Defendant then said that lie was shot and
Killed and that he would give up, aud let
the scissors fall from his hand and tried
to run off. He succeeded In getting into
the next room, but was then brought back
by Jane and his (deiendants) wife, who
had never let loose of him. BY this time
Tom had the gun reloaded and pointed IL
at his father (defendant) and said that he
expected TO kill defendant IL he continued
to make efforts TO XIII any OF the family.
But defendant begged off, and as Tom was
taking the gun down from his shoulder
DESCENDANT ierked II from him, catching Il
on the stock with one hand and the barrel
with the other, having IL about waist
high, Mrs. Taylor said she caught il by
the barrel as quick as she could and
threw the muzzle toward the floor TO keen
II from shooting anybody, and about then
the gun went OFF, the ball passing through
the feshy part of James leg, about six
inches above the ankle Then defendant
made no further efforts, but sat down IN
a chair with his wife still holding her
hands on his shoulders, and remained
thus until the doctor came, which was
about an hour or less after tho difficulty
Soon after the shooting defendant said
that he did not want Tom hurt for shoot
ing MIN, ny he had done right II nc
thought he was going TO Kill his mother.
Defendant afterwards said that llo did not
Intend 10 kill her. One OF the nefghiots
came IN while Taylor was sitting In the
chair with his wife ahold OF his shoulders
aud tins neighbor testified that TAYLOR
spoke TO him IN u low tone and said NOT
TO let any of the family hurt him, that he
missed his pistol and did not know who
had II, but that he did not see any of the
family showing any intention of trying 10
hurt him. Tom and Mrs. Taylor said that
defendant had made statements before
that he would start in some OF these times
and kill the whole iamily, but that when
no would make these remarks he was
drlnkingi that dciendent had frequently
brought whisky home with him, and gave
II to BIS family TO drink with him.
Defendant aYails himself Of every pos
siblc opportunity OF speaking to his wife
and while she seems sad and often sheds
tears, he acts toward her like he was
counting her Tor the first time. lie has
spoken 70 her several times when
no one heard what be said except her.
Deiendant'H son, Tom, who Is about
thirteen or fourteen years old, was rather
timid and excited while upon the witness
stand, Defendants wife seemed also
rather timid, but not 50 much as Tom.
Aftcr defendant was tried as above
stated, and his BAH fixed At $1,000, the
next case on die was the one Tor assault.
Ing his daughter, Jane, with Intent 10
Kill and murder der. Judge Slime then
immediately called this for trial, and
County Attorney n. Il. Nundv for the