Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-07
One of Our Foremost Citizens Shot
Down and Killed.
j. w. Davis, a Clerk in the House,
Kills B. C. Evans, President of
the Company.
The Entire City in Mourning for the Man
Who has Done so Much for
Her Prosperity.

| that which took place at 40 yesterday
afternoon in which B. c. Evans lost his
| life, and whole city is plunged in grief.
The blow stuns, it paralyzes, men
| stand aghast with horror, grief
and rage while the poor, heart
broken widow weeps and the fatherless
children gather about the sacred dust of
the once loving parent. Better had Fort
Worth been laid in ashes than that B. c.
Evans should have been robbed of life in
| the way he was, for Fort Worth
would have risen from her ashes more
| beautiful than ever but the taking off of
| the good man, the loyal citizen, the fond
| husband and father, the great merchant
| and the promoter of public affairs cannot
| be undone.
AT $40 yesterday evening j. W. Davis
! shot and killed B. C.. Evans. Hundreds
who were within few blocks of the b.
| G.. Evans Company establishment on
Main street heard the sharp ring of
! pistol fired five times with remarkable
| regularity, and from the interval be-
| tween the shots, with apparent great de-
| liberation. Men standing a block away
could see the smoke from the pistol curl
| ing out through the entrance to the
| carried away by the gulf breeze. At the
! first shot hundreds started to the place,
| and when the last shot had been fired
| and Davis was putting the pistol
| in the inside breast pocket of his coat,
scores of men were at the store. Mar
| shall Farmer was there, and at once took
! the pistol from Davis and took him in
custody Charles 1 White, an en-
| ploye of the company, ran to Mr..
| Evans who lay on the floor of the little
| Office in the carpet room, his head and
| shoulders projecting under the baIze cur
( tain and partially lifted him up. Ply
sieians were summoned at once,
! but nothing could be done
and in ten minutes the soul of B. C.
Evans was with the Creator. A scene of
wild confusion was witnessed both in
| the house and on the streets. AS If on
| the wings of the electric current the
news had flown down the streets. ''B.
! C. Evans is dead. -
''B. c. Evans has been murdered!''
| flew from lip to lip and passed from
/ house to house.
MEN PALE AND EXCITED
came running from every directlon-the
laborer, the mechanic, the banker, the
| lawyer, the merchant, the clerk, pressed
forward to the point where the
mortal remains of B. C. Evans
! Law. The clerks in the house
came from every point and floor, and
from every counter and gathered about
| the remains. The doors were closed
hastily to keep out the crowd and hide
from those without the body of the dead
and the weeping employees. Yes
many wept, as there was cause, for the
| best friend many a man and woman in
that house had would never again speak
kind word or lend a helping hand.
BREAKING THE NEWS
! to the widow was a heart-rending task.
| Two lady relatives went at once to the
| family residence on Lamar street and
told the wife with choking sobs that Mr..
Evans was badly hurt. Then Mr.. Whit
| Dryden, a brother of Mrs. Evans, came
and told her that the injuries were severe,
! that the doctors had little hope; that DR..
| Burts said there was no hope. And then
came friends bearing the corpse of him
| who had been so much to her, and who
| but a few hours before had kissed her
| and mis- children goodbye, stopping
at the threshold to take little Ethel, his
| two-and-one- half-years old baby girl i'll
his arms and embrace her for the last
time on earth. They bore the form into
the parlor and laid it gently down, and
even then the widow could not believe
him dead and the agonized children
| called for him and to him.
In another home friends came and told
a stately old lady of sixty-five that her
son was in jail and why he had been
placed there. That boy was her all, he
was her son and she wept for him. He
| had supported her and been kind in her
old age and she gr1eved, she would have
| given her own life to have undone
that days work, but TOO late and the in
| exorable laws of time and God went on
with their work.
THE FACTS OF THE CASE.
As far as careful and rigid investigation
| could arrive at the facts, they are these:
Six years ago J. W. Davis entered
the employ of B. G.. Evans. Previous to
that time he had been with the st. Louis
dry goods company He was trusted
employe OF Mr.. Evans, who had been
very kind and lenient to him on
many occasions When sick the en-
ployer had gone to see him and saw that
| he wanted for nothing. Davis was adj
| dicted to drinking, and Mr.. Ev-
ans had repeatedly spoken to him
about the evil effects of the habit and its
| damage to his business prospects. Davis
| was in the clothing department, and
| sometime ago, his drinking contInu-
ing, Mr.. Evans placed James
! Johnson in charge Of the department
making him superior in rank to Davis
and at the same time reducing his salary
1 Yesterday morning Davis came TO tie
| store and it is said had been drinking.
Mr.. Evans had a conversation
with him in the morning
| and told Davis he could stand his drink
| ing no longer; he must stop drinking or
| quit his employ; he must begin new
Monday or get another place. About
| noon Davis went to A. j Anderson 3
| and bought .4I-caliber pistol, saying
he wanted it TO kill dogs. He returned
to the store and II Is in evidence that ne
| abused Mr.. Evans to the other clerks
and made threats against his life About
3:l5 the conduct of Davis and the threats
made, induced Robert Sandidge, one OF
the clerks, TO go to Mr.. Hollingsworth,
] the treasurer of the company, and tell
t.him that Mr.. Evans should be warned.