Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-30
SHOT AT CLOSE RANGE.
A %" FIREMAN USES HIS GUN WITH
DEADLY EFFECT.

Attacked by Two Strikers He Kills One
and Fatally Wounds the Other--Testi.
mony Of the Only Eye Witness and state
ment of the Shooter-TaIk of Lynching
and a Guarded Jail.
GALEsBURG, Ills, April 3O-An ARRAY
occurred in this city Saturday night by
which Herbert Newell, a striking railway en-.
gineer, lost his life and George Cable, a
striking fireman, received a wound in his
head from which he is likely die, The shooter
was w. A. Hedburg, "A Burlington fireman,
one of those employed since the strike began.
There We're but two eye-witnessesof the affair,
except the participants, and one Of the lat
ter is not available as witness,
as he is in n critical condition. He'd
berg gave himself up as soon as the shooting
was done and was put in Jail There was In
tense excitement among the strikers and their
friends and much talk of lynching, but the
officials placed a strong guard armed with
Winchesters around and in the jail, and the
orders were TO shoot TO kill if any mob law
was attempted The inquest on the tragedy
was begun yesterday, and the testimony of
Mrs Alex Mckee, who was one of the out
side witnesses, was as follows:
She says that she saw two men, unknown
of them coming from behind tree These
turned out to be Newell and Cable. The
shorter one struck at Hedberg She heard a
pistol report, and turned her head to cry to
her husband. "Soms one is killing Hedberg.
As she turned back she saw the same man
strike again at Hedberg, the latter holding
one hand up to protect his head, and draw
ing revolver with the other She saw the
CLEAN of the barrel and the flash after the
two reports. Newell sank down out of sight,
and Gable ran across the road and then back
again, falling several times in doing 30.
Alderman Erickson was startled by the re-
ports from his newspaper reading. He heard,
as he opened his front door, Hedberg's mother
saying: my God, Albert, what did you do
that forl" Hearing a groan, Erickson
searched until he found Newell, who was in
the agonies of death. Hedberg had then re-
turned and was standing by him. In answer
to a question he confessed that he had shot
Newell. The alderman put him under arrest
and took him to the calaboose, the young
man offering no resistance.
Mrs McKee's husband is one of the new
engineers on the 70" and she showed
marked aversion for the strikers, so much SC
as to impair the force of her statements
When Gable rushed up to her, his face Gov
cred with blood from the horrible wound il
his head, she coolly asked:
"Are you striker!"
He said he wanted doctor.
She repeated "Are you a strikerl" and
then added: off you were not a striker
would ask you in the house and bandage your
head, but If you are | will not. There are
doctors on Main street You had better run
there"
Hedberg says: az have been threatened
several times with violence and subjected to
all kinds of insults. These two men never
threatened me that l know of. saw them
coming toward me, but did NOT think of any
violence being done me. Newell caught me
around the body with one arm and around
the neck with the other, twisting my head
back. My left arm was fast / was then
struck in the face. l drew my revolver with
my right hand, and fired twice without know
ing where the weapon was pointed Newell
let go, staggered, and fell into the gutter,
while Gable ran.S
Saturday night the lump on Hedberg's
cheek was noticeable. The ball that struck
Newell entered his left side and passed up
ward through his heart, coming out the right
side of the neck and dropping into his coat
That hitting Cable struck him in the fore
head and followed the skull around issuing
from behind the right ear. Cable is in u
critical condition, and his doctor predicts his
death at any moment
The inquest was not completed, and it is al
legged that there are witnesses who will swear |
that ia "a pool-room but half hour before |
the shooting Hedbsrg threatened toshoot any |
striker who followed him, and that on three |
he had told the strikers that they |
could call him all the names that they pleased, |
but must keep their hands off him. Although |
some of the neighbors were sitting on their |
stoops and others were at their windows, and |
nearer than Mrs. Mckee, yet they say that |
they heard no disturbance previous to the
shooting.
Mrs Jennie Sears, sister of Mrs Mckee, |
WAS the other eyewitness, and she oorrobor-
ated her sisters evidence.