St. Paul daily globe., 1888-11-29
SHOT IN HIS CABIN.
A Desperate Struggle Be-
tween a Shoemaker and
a Policeman.
Put Out the Light With a
Bullet From His Re-
vOlveP.
John CoWie Meets a Fearless
Foe in officer Jerry
Sullivan.
A Thanksgiving Eve Tragedy
on the West Side
E1ofc

In the cabin of an isolated fat-boat
moored atthe rivers edge in the out
skirts of the city, a desperate battle
was last night fought in the darkness
between two tried officials of the law
and man crazed from the effects OF
drink, resulting in the desth of the citi-
zen and the miraculous escape
of the officers. 1t was shortly
after o'clock when Patrolman Jerry
Sullivan, standing at Fairfield avenue
and South Robert street, was ap-
preached Dy a boy of perhaps eighteen
years, who through fright and eXhauS-
ton with difficulty told the officer that
driven the family from their home with
a revolver, and begged the officer to
come to their assistance. Cowie had
been under arrest before, and the officer,
knowing the desperate character OF the
man when deliriOuS with drink, secured
the assistance of Officer Lauderdale
BEFORE ATTEMPTING THE ARREST. a
The boy led the way, the officers fol-
lowing. through the dimly-lighted
streets of the West side flats below
Robert street to the open strip of
ground skirting the river bank, where
they with difficulty picked their way in
the darkness among piles of logs and
wood to the rivers edge. Here the boy
pointed to one of the small. in long,
flat-boats covered with rude cabs. and
told them that it was their ''hOuse,"
and that his stepfatber was within.
Not a glimmer Of light was to be seen
about the place, and it was with fore
bodingS of evil that the officers walked
the narrow gangwayskirting the distance
from the bank to the landing on the
bow of the boat. All was still quiet
within, and after whispered conSulta-
ton the door was suddenly opened and
an entrance effected, Officer Lauderdale
proceeding with lantern. They were
barely inside the cabin, however, when
the occupant, armed with large re-
volver, appeared in the doorway of a
small compartment partitioned from the
main room used as bedroom, and with
the words: "Get cut of here, you
Of -!ns~eonfnenced firing, at dis.
tance of about four feet from Officer
Lauderdale. The first discharge of the
weapon
EXTINGUISHED THE LIGHT.
carried by Landerdale, and the horrors
of the fight which enSued in the dark
ness are Undesirable. COwie's first
shot was followed by two others before
the officers could bring their weapons
into use, when Officer Landerdale fired
twice, the first missing the mark and
the second taking effect in Cowie's left
arm. ''You touched me then, but I'll
kill you yet" yelled the craZed man,
with terrible oath. Officer Lander
dale attempted to fire third shot,
when his weapon failed to respond to
the trigger, and throwing it in the direc-
ton from whence came the last flash of
powder, he fed to the door. During
this time the officers had been
stationed one on either side of the
bedroom door, and oh Lauerdale's flight
CoWie fired fourth shot, which graZed
Sulliyan's face, and with an oath and
.'I'll get you yeti" his fifth shot was
fired. his arm striking SuIliyan's shoul-
der as he did so. Sullivan, who had
fired several shots at random, quickly
dropped to his knees, and, knowing the
exact location of his adversary, fired
the fatal bullet at short range. The
ball entered COwie's left side between
the seventh and eighth ribs, and, pass
ing clear through the chest, came out
on the opposite side little higher up.
The mortally wounded man pitched for
ward over Sullivan, firing
ANOTHER SHOT AS UE FELL,
Kissing in the agony of death: ave
got you anyway, you of a -, and
will kill your' Officer Lauderdale then
rushed in upon the scene, and the
wounded mau was dragged to the land
ing at the bow of the boat, where he
expired within ten minutes.
Officers from the DucaS street station
and Assistant Coroner Lewis were sum-
moned, and an inspection of the place
was taken, after which the body was
removed to the mOrgue. An inquest
will beld at the morgue this afternoon
at o'clock by DR.. Millard, acting coro-
ner.
A GLOBE reporter was upon the scene
soon after the occurrence above mar
rated, and at shanty few blocks back
from the river the family of the dead
man was found. The wife, weeping Bit
terly and moaning incessantly, ''Oh,
my God, my GOdw was unable to talk
intelligently about the matter. She is
woman about fifty years of age. The
boy was found and upon being ques-
toned told the following story:
flames Cowie was my stepfather.
We came here from Dubuque, To-, about
two years ago, and have lived on the
boat since last spring. He has been
employed. until about two weeks ago,
by Farbox, Schliek & Co., and is shoe
maker by trade. He has always drank
a good deal and was very dsageeable
when under the influence of liquor. He
has been almost crazy for several weeks
past. He came home drunk about
) o'clock this afternoon and did
not go out again. My mother, Martin
Haggerty and myself were in the house
at o'fock when he went to bed. Soon
after this he wanted mother to go to
bed and she wouldn't. He then reached
up on the wall over his bed and got
that revolver from the nail where he al
ways kept it and made us leave the
house. | then went for help. have
three other sisters here III the city. but
mother has no children by this man."
Cowie was man of medium stature,
about forty years of age and rather good
looking, his features marred. perhaps,
by a fierce sandy mustache which he
wore. The weapon used by him was
heavy forty-eight-caliber revolver, the
barrel of which is fully eight inches in
length, and the revolver with which his
death wound was inflicted was thirty
eight-caliber Smith & Wesson.
attach to Officer Sullivan, as the shoot
ing was clearly in self-defense, though
he is deeply grieved over the affair.
obscene Literature Seized.
New YORK, Nov. 28.-A number Of
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