Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-22
A Tragedy Growing Out of the
Sharon Divorce Case.
Sarah Althea's Husband Slaps the Face
Of Justice Field and is Killed
by a Deputy Marshal.
A Wild Scene in a California Dining Hall.
The Slayer in Jail and the Arrest
Justice Field Ordered.
JUDGE TERRY KILLED J..

killed Dy deputy OnlIeQ states MdfsnaI
David NagIe at the breakfast table in the
depot hotel at Lathrop this morning. The
shooting was caused by an assault made
by Terry upon Justice Field of the Uni
ted States supreme court.
LATHROP, CAL. Aug. 14.-Upon the
arrival of the southern overland train
here at 1920 tins morning United States
Supreme Judge Stephen j. Field and
Deputy United States Marshal David
Nagle walked into the depot dining room
for breakfast and sat down side by side.
Soon after Judge David H. Terry and wife
came in also. They were proceeding to
another table when Mrs. Terry evidently
recognized Justice Field and did not sit
down, but retired to the train for some
unknown purpose. Before she had
reached it, and as soon as she had left
the dining room, Judge Terry approached
Justice Field and stopping over him
slapped his face. At this juncture Dep
uty Marshal Nagle arose from his seat
and shot Judge Terry through the heart.
As he was falling the deputy marshal
shot again but missed him, the bullet
going through the floor. Both shots
were tired in quick succession.
The judge never uttered q sound after
being shot. He had hardly fallen when
Mrs. Terry rushed to the side of his body
and threw herself on it. Then ensued q
scene of the widest excitement. People
rushed from the dining room and others
rushed in. During this time Justice
Field and Deputy Marshal Maggie retreat
ed TO the sleeping car where they were
securely locked within At times Mrs
Terry would call upon the citizens to ar
rest them. Before the train pulled out
Constable Walker entered the sleeper
and was carried away on board the train.
He informed the spectators that he knew
his duty and would perform it. During
the time the train was standing at the
depot Mrs. Terry was running wildly, al
ternately from the body of her husband
TO the sleeper, demanding admittance
that she might slap Justice Field s face,
and ut the same time begging that they
be detained and have their examination.
Previous to the entrance of Constable
Walker into the sleeper Sheriff Puryfs
and a deputy of Stanislaus county had
already taken charge of Deputy United
States Marshal Maggie.
JUSTICE FIELDS ARREST ORDERED.
After the shooting Deputy United
States Marsha! Nagle backed up against
the wall of the dining room and warned
every one not to arrest him, saying he
was United States officer in the dis
charge of his duty. There was no SEM
blance Of an attempt to mClest him at
any time.
Constable Walker took Deputy NagIe
from the train at Tracy and proceeded
with him to Stockton, where he is now in
Jail.
District Attorney White ordered the
arrest OF Justice Field upon his arrival in
San Francisco, ana telegraphed the order
to the sheriff of San Francisco.
THE TROUBLE NOT UNEXPECTED.
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. Aug. 1.-THE
announcement that Judge David S. Terry
had been shot ana killed in railway de-
pot at Lathrop, Call, this morning asa
result of an attempt to provoke a per-
sonal alteration with Justice Stephen J
Field of the United States supreme court,
caused extraordinary excitement in this
city. The scene of the tragedy is eighty
three miles from this cS1y by rail, aud is
the breakfasting station for the overland
train. The possibility of an encounter
between Terry and Justice Field
has been recognized ever since the i'm
prisonment of Terry for contempt of
court, ten months ago, owing to the
known temper of the man who killed
United States Senator BrodeTick in the
early days of California.
David Terry was at one time chief JUS
tice of the supreme court OF California,
and has always been a prominent figure
III the political history of the state. The
killing of Broderick caused at the time
deep personal resentment against Terry
by portion of the people of the state,
which threatened to terminate his career
in California, but he always had.7
number OF adherents and remained in
the state, though he has only once or
twice been before the people for position.
He was married to Sarah Althea Hill,
who claimed to be the wife of ex-senator
Sharon, while prosecuting her claim
against the Sharon estate. This brought
Hill into a resentfuI attitude toward
Justice Field, who last year rendered a
decision in the United States circuit court
in this city denying her claim to be the
wife of Sharon.
JUDGE FIELD ARRIVES AT OAKLAND.
San FRANCISCO, CAL, Aug. 1.-THE
Switzerland overland train arrived at
the Sixteenth street station, in Oakland,
shortly after II CLOCK this morning.
where q great crowd had collected. TeIe-
=
edy had preceded the arrival of the
train, and the sleeping car in which Jus
tice Field was sitting was at once be-
sieged by United States officials and
men. Justice Field main
tanned his quiet demeanor and replied TO
& press representative, when asked TO
narrate the particulars of the shooting,
as follows:
81 can tell you the story in few
words. For the last few months ali
manner of reports, both public and per-
sonal, have reached me that Judge Terry
has threatened 20 subject me to some
form of indignity if he should happen to
meet me. This fact caused the United
States marshal TO decide to provide such
protection as he could during ny stay in
this state. When I started to Los An
geles to hold court Deputy Maggie accom-
panied me. He seemed TO be a quiet,
official, though 1 only met
him twice while away
THE CAUSE OF THE TRAGEDY.
ANA IA