Omaha daily bee., 1889-09-09
lie DOWNED THREE OF THEM.
A Lively Shooting Sorapo South Of
the City Limits.
ONE MAN MoRTALLY WOUNDED
While Two Others VIII Remain In-
doors For a Timc-How Con-
stable Mastcrman Kept
Order.
A Fatal Shooting Array.

Bang Bang Bauglll
A succession of pistol shots rang out on
the still night air and three men lay wrth-
ing in agony, one mortally and the others
very seriously wounded.
II happened last night about 10 o'clock In
Tom Maguire's saloon on South Thirteenth
street, just outside the city limits, in what is
known as "Oklahoma," or mo Mans
Land" and Constable AL Masterman was
the party doing the shooting, while John
Jones, Jim McCarty ana Jake Vanislaus
were the men who were shot
Then came cries of "liill the - Of
-!' "Stamp the life out Of him ~ and
other EXPLANATIONS of like ilk, followed by
tremendous scufiie, from which man bruised
and bleeding managed to escape and seek
refuge in the trees hard by.
Yesterday was sort of gala day in the
district mentioned. Tom Mcguire, a South
Omaha man, had purchased saloon of one
Hansen, ana had advertised grand opening.
He had crowd composed III the main of
graders, who are working on South Thir-
teenth. very tough crowd they are as
rule, and are generally on the lookout for
trouble.
They got it,
Albert Masterman. the constable, is en-
ployed by the three saloonkeepers in Okla
homa TO deep order. He has been on duty
there for some time. For the last three
weeks he has had trouble with a crowd OF
men who nave visited the place for the pur-
pose of doing him up"
pOne week ago yesterday they went up to
Maguire's place and raised a row by shout
ing and using profane and indecent language,
for which Masterman elected two of them.
This seemed to anger the crowd, and last
night about q dozen of them went up and IN
formed the constable that they proposed to
fix him." He argued that they had best
not try it, and was promptly knocked down
| for his pans. Then the trouble began with
| the result as above stated.
After the shooting Masterman was beaten
and kicked into jelly, and his life was saved
| only by his activity in making his escape.
| His effort was that of man who saw death
| staring him in the face, aud when he ut hast
saw that he was out of harm's way the
action set in, and by the time he had reached
the city he was SO weak he could scarcely
| speak. He tells the following story:
81 am employed in Oklahoma to keep order
at the three saloons owned by Tom Mcguire,
| Flannery and the old place still owned by
| Hansen. Mcguire had dance last niggt,
and j was there as usual, This gang of men,
| who last Sunday gave me some trouble,
came up about 8 o'clock and said they
them not to try it on, and then they said
! that if / would set up the beer il would be
all right but told them | would not buy
| anything. Then two of them knocked me
| down and ran out Pretty soon they came
| back with about eight or ten more and said,
| Now we have got YOU, you S. of a b
and made for me. pulled my gun and told
| them that if they touched me there would be
| trouble, but they kept coming and l began
firing. | held my pistol low, because | did
| not want to kill anyone, and kept on firing
| until it was empty Then they knocked me
down and kicked hntil am, as you see, a
| mass of cuts and oil Uses They hit me with
knuckles, aud one of them tried to chop me
| with knife. l finally managed to escape
| and was arrested by two mounted policemen,
| who were sent out to look me up, and that's
| all / know about it,"
| Masterman's appearance testified as to the
success his opponents had His head was
| cut in several places. while his face re-
| semDed piece of raw beef. His body was
| one mass of bruises. and he was, IN fact, a
used up man. 1t is doubtful if he gets out
| again for some Tune.
Down at the graders campof Ryan s. Can
field different story was told. All the grad
ers were unanimous In saying that Masterman
began the racket Jim McCarty, one Of the
wounded men, who was shot through the
scrotum and thigh, contended that he was
only bystander, and that the parties who
began the row were strangers to him. Mas
| termau says, however, that he knows that
McCarJy assaulted him. Jones Is u young
boy, and was shot in the right leg. He, too,
dsclaimed any knowledge of wrong doing
| Vanisaus could not speak.
| McCarty and Jones, while painfully
wounded, will, in the opinion of City Physi-
clan Ralph, who attended them, recover in a
| short time, while Vanislaus' condition is
critical. The ball which hit him entered
| about an inch above the left nipple, in
close proximity to the heart, and could not be
located. The young fellow was in great ag-
ony while the physician was present. The
shooting was done with 32'calibre re-
| volver.
The scene of the shooting IS a very hard
| place, and is neither in Omaha nor South
| Omaha; hence the authorities of neither city
| have any jurisdiction. The saloons are the
resorts of the toughest characters of both
| places. Hansen feared trouble yesterday
| afternoon and closed at o'clock.
| All the parties implicated will be arrested
to-day with the exception of Vanislous, who
cannot possibly get away. Mcguire, the sd
| loon man, will also be arrested.