Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-02
A FATAL SHOT.
L. NJ. Billings shoo:s and Kills Francis
nnxr l.ir.hA..li.

Jbboom street. Billings camein and gave
himself up to the Sheriff, and soon there
after the dead man brought to the morgue.
The Coroner's inquest held last evening
developed the following facts:
Luther 0. Lightall, father of the de-
ceased, testified as follows: l reside on the
Billings ranch, just north of the city. l
have lived there since last fall, having
rented the place about October 1st Since
that time the Billings ranch has been my
residence. Billings came there to-day and
tried to drive US off the ranch in every con-
ceivable manner. l put up my hand and
pushed him back, saying, Mr.. Billings do
not want you TO put your hands on anything
here until we come to some settlement"
son got one l lodged both of them. l
turned my head and saw him strike my
boy. My boy had nothing in his hands,
That is all / saw until l heard the report of
the pistol. He killed my son. the only
son | have. Both of them struck at me
and l knocked the boy down Billings
said good many times he would just as
soon shoot man as dog" and frequently
took out his pistol and showed ii to US.
After he had shot my boy he came and
pointed his pistol at me. when young
Billings said: g No more shooting here !"
Then Billings put his pistol in his pocket.
l had no weapon; never carried one in my
life. ! forbid him removing anything
until the matter, which was simply mat
ter of business, was settled between us.
Billings delivered to me an old set of har-
ness without tugs. He came out and
claimed he was going to take hay away
We had some words few days ago, and it
was agreed he was to give me S125 and l
was to move away. He then
came out with two teams to move
US away. / asked for the money before
consenting to move. He said, Come TO
me tomorrow and l will pay you"
said, mo. sir; / want my money before l
move" I had a bill of sale of the teams for
$2l9. / said, II can pay you within two
hours" did SO and kept my team. On
Thursday he came out for load of hay and
got it. He also came out for brown mare
demanded my one-third for the pastur-
age, he being entitled to two-thirds.
said he could not take the animal without
he paid ME. He then came and demanded
the halter. He demanded it in the presence
of two women. He then asked for the
milk pail. l told my niece to get it for
him from the cupboard but before she
could do so, he pushed by and took it him
self and walked out with it. There was at
that time no hard words or fighting.
The next time he came was this morn
ing. There was no one present but me
and my son, Billings and mis- son, and a
little girl by the name of Olive Hilduth
My sons name is Francis Dow Lightall :;
he was born In Saginaw county, Michigan !;
age, 81 years.
In answer to questions by members of
the jury, the witness said When Billings
came to the ranch this morning he said he
was running this ranch and always would
do SO. My lease was to the effect that l
was to give him two-thirds of all the rev.
enue; was to have one-third We agreed
to give up ali the place, all we had done,
all our crop, for $155; l wanted to get
away, and he wanted us to get away.
1t was small amount; in fact, it had cost
US that much to live on the place during
our stay. There was nothing said in the
lease about the milk of single COW that
Billings had left us, and he came out and
claimed one-half of the milk. He said ::
" will come out days and get it, and you
can have the night milking" Billings
collected for the milk he seld, but never
paid us over one-third. l saw that he was
dishonest, and then | wanted settlement.
This was not in accordance with the lease.
When he undertook to drive us off this
morning put up my hand to ward him
off. | heard no words from my son. Bill
ings and his boy both struck the first blow.
| saw Billings shoot my son twice. He
shot him twice. My boy was standing still
at the time he was shot.
DR.. G. A. White the County Physician,
being duly sworn, said he had made an
autopsical examination of the body of
Francis D. Lightall. l found two bullet
wounds upon the body of deceased One
was situated upon the upper and anterior
part of the left thigh and lodged under the
skin in the gluteal region. The second
wound was three-fourths of an inch below
and slightly to the left of the left nipple.
The ball making this wound passed be-
tween the fifth and sixth ribs directly
through the heart and upper border of the
liver, and lodged under the skin between
the sixth and seventh ribs on the right side
of the body. This wound was necessarily
fatal
The jury was out less than ten minutes.
when they brought in the following YER
dict:
SACRAMENTO. March l, 1889.
Inquest held on the body of man who died
suddenly at his ranch about one half mile north
from the city, in Sacramento county, California,
on Friday. March l. 1889.
We, the Ccroner's Jury, being duly summoned
and sworn by the Coroner, to inquire into the
death of said man, do find that his name is
Francis ID. Lightall, native OF Saginaw
Michigan, aged q years, and that he came to
his death from pistol ball wound in the left
breast, as described by DR.. George A. White
Said wound was inflicted by pistol in the
Thought