New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-04-11
Martele House and eye witness to the shootng
In reply question Of the reporter, he told the follow

Marele House and was an eye witness to tho shooting
In reply question OF the reporter he told the follow
ing storyt
killed. few seconds before the trouble occurred. was
walking up the track and near the Hazel Touring
came from pistol by the sound am used to the DIS,
charge OF firearms and can tell the difference between
rife and pistol shot am positive that t came from
the crowd About seconds after the pistol shot the
red from the crowd on the briose near where stood
| few moments before.
Special Agent Hewetts statement contained
| an assertion that he did not know who fired
the first shot from among the deputy sherfs When It
repeated by him first there was unanimous avowal
of ignorance by the deputies upon this point but when
he running over tho story the second time John
Knser another deputy said he believed that no fired
the frat shot and had killed the at whom he nred
Knser is short stout young man OF less than thirty
years. with bold expression Of countenance. He wears
10 beard but long and heavy yellow mustache relieved
the broadness OF face flushed By exposure. He 10
l native Of st. Louis, and gained his nickname OF
the Cowboy" from short residence IN Texas
| where he says he was an amateur Cowboy
| He afterward went to Santa Fe, and then
to Albuquerque where he got into difficulties He was
asked by tho reporter for statement Of his part In the
shooting at the Market Street CROSSING aud gave 1t as
| follows:
The men over thero have had 1t in for me because
of that mob OF 2I people sn SSs ovner tn the
crossing all of us ad rifles and carried Colts
volvers besides. They wero cursng me and yelling,
.kin the Co owboy' but didn't shoot until saw man
times the rife and then laid t down ana went Ior
my pistol and fired four times
| Knser has been firing for engine No. 81 and when
the OF the fremen went out In East ST. LOUIS ne re-
fused go with them and not only retained ais posi-
ton. accepted the position OF deputy sheriff when
was offered him by Special Agent Hewlett He refused
to leave his engine subsequently, when asked to do so
| and ninOa aailth at
was that he had mother little brother to support
and hal to work.
! Coroner Woods began to summon jury this after
the purpose Of making strict inquiry into the
shooting About O'Clock he succeeded In securing the
requisite number Of and the bodies OF the dead
were then viewed The inquest will probably last for
several days. there will be large number OF wit
nesses.
The City Hall. where the inquest was in progress, was
surrounded all day by crowd OF excited strikers They
threatened with lynchng the deputy sheriff who did the
shooting.
william A. Refs, school teacher, who lives in. Belle
! VILE. Ill. testifed:
was summoned by the sheriff as member OF tne
posse conitatus and had been DISCHARGED anu was on
my TO get a train for home was In company wltn
Mr. wener the Deputy cISn TRACK t toward
the the "1hsG Green 00T Tree I'll" House noticed eight
or ten deputy shers, deputy marshas standing on
Continually con inH anu brought their guns to their
shoulders and threatened people ,, who o,Uae were
wonJ then ieer and shout saw ono man raise his
and take am ana nIe 1S oe rh or ten
seconds the deputies began general fuslisde
snS,eG%entIy learned e was Major RyeEman the
Green Tree House, aud the woman iel snoro .noe
refuge behind a switch-house and looking toward
bridge saw another man fall about the centre @ ol
hind the switch-house and many OF them nad stones
said iue For Gods sake gentlemen don't You
exposed to the bullets After the first shot was nred
nss s crGTd n ali Resan the deputies fred
The man who fired the first shot was =
am positive there no cause for the shooting
stones thrown befoIe the saoOsS The rdee
was black with people. and after the hrst saoI sIan
pede occurred. aud while this stampede was Is owS
Richard iuS %sPu' Ftzsersd tsst,aed s Waoa
red beard stepped FROM the crowd Of deputies
and said Get off that crossing or Ill shoot rrdns dne
yelled this and the deputy became so nervous .
that he fell through the treste to his knees lie rose
then little tho fo9% ePSwa 'Rea Before 0ss Shooting
he show cd said rye got authority t9
pon OF Se crowd and motoned to the deputies
shoot. The little man paid no attention 10 tnehi pus
John n. Johnson laboreT testified Al About out Osi ten
skrs Of ps1ST the crowd | When little man. deputy
up and grabbed me by the arm, and levelng Ills
ARE you the man who called out you red
Gi's SAID No. partner not the man" m6a He said
kill you right here" Then he saia 10 @ bne o'nerS Tss
bali nd1 @' opened Let ro Tsy
E . tue gmn NJ me- pointed the end OF
the bridge and fired man fall near the tee-
SFaPn fpTu pGls loo,e i1SS Boys, and W all the men
fired toward the bridge Then they ,,er tqr9se s
shooting was over they took me down the track Inc
redheaded deputy turned to me ana su
." said. "No didn't and the little fellow SAID
shut up. aud give us no talk OF we VIII XIII you riSn'
IHey took me down the freight houss and put dep
uty over me- short time they all grabbed their
guns and ran away and came back TO town. saw no
stones thrown at the deputies
Joseph Alborn testified that he was on the
| way to st. Louis, when he reached the
crossing, was stopped by deputy on the
tre.tle who ordered him back at the muzzle OF
revolver. Alborn stepped back and as he did so ne
S Ss %aa %e.s ssp did ID o see any
The deputies threatening to Kill people passing 70
and fro the bridge several otner Pe'oh' cofo"
Two victims of the shooting found to-day. G. A.
Jones 2 rolling mill empoye was shot through both
thighs. and is believed to be fatally hurt; and John
| scollard was found with a bullet in his leg.
| A meeting OF the Knights was held IN Flannagahs
fall and the leaders counselled and abstinence
from LIQUOR The speakers said that tho companies had
always given out that tho Knights OF Labor were the
leaders acts OF violence. The mortality OF yes'eruay
showed 1t not the Knights and vindicatea the
assertions that the organization has maze from the pe
! ginning
and hey look upon them with greater respect than any
deputy shers In the employ Of tho railroad companies
command Reaulstons will be applied for Monday the
five deputie. imprisoned in st. Louis They refused 70
return to-day and state that they will die hrst as 1t
| means death any how.
! No disturbances have occurred since O'Clock TINS
morning All few Of the railroad crossings and street
have been small gatherings OF dscontenteu
men, but they are quietly dispersed by tho senti-
uels Tho Sheriff dismissed all OF his deputies
with the exception of three or four men, depend
| ing entirely on tho troops. All OF the platform
and yardmen OF the Burlington have returned ana
n freight train started this morning without being mo-
e.,ea Two freight trains arrived the samo road
this morning A portion OF the men employed In tho
,,oooo md Al,on and Ohio and Mississippi roads have