The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-01-23
his right hand grasping for the weapon as If
insthe act of cooking but the hand of death
prevented his purpose.

his right hand grasping for the weapon as i
insthe act of cooking but the hand OF deatn
prevented his purpose.
| WHEN THE SHOOTING BEGAN
Judge Parker sprang into hallway on the
north side of the stairway and was snortly
after seen with his revolver drawn and
pointed toward Little, one of the Jayblrds,
who was trying to get over the jail fence,
but was commanded not to shoot by Dep
uty Sheriff Balfour, when Parker put up
his gun and sought safety down town.
| Besides the shot that killed Terry two
shots entered the Newell post near Terry
head, where he fell on the stairs. One
went through the door into the collector $
office; another through the partition and
| two glancing shots pierced the plastering
near the ceiling where the Gibson party
stood when the battle opened. There IS no
| telling how many shots were hred, put
| there was enough to throw everything into
| the widest kind of confusion, and cause a
sudden adjournment of the various courts.
These in brief are the details OF few
moments work.
The following statements of eyewitnesses
of the tragic scene will explain the rest:
Judge r. T. Wheeler was standing in the
main entrance on the left, and was in
position to see the firing party IN the cor
ner. He says: There were three men
firing. l recognized them as Volney Glib
son. Dan Ragsdale and young Mitchell.
| They were all shooting. 1t is a humll-
| iating shame and disgrace that this tragedy
should have occurred in this county
much less in the court house. and you can
say the district attorney is largely response
| BILE for it. Yes; | mean to say he could,
with the district court to have sustained
him, have prevented any man from ap-
preaching the court house bearing arms.
In company with the county attorney.
went to Mr.. Oliver and urged upon him
the absolute necessity of the ut
most precaution to guard against
la possible infracti3n on, .oioau OF the the
situation and circumstances, and why just
what has happened was possible. Our i'm
portunity was received with scarcely COM
mon civility. / am not prepared to say
that the sheriff and his deputies were dire
lict in their duty, but l do say that this
shameful occurrence could have been pre-
vented by the district attorney"
DIR. ]. NJ. WESTON,
who was shot in the arm, when interro'
gated, said: 81 was standing at the door
of the sheriff's Office talking to Mr. Little
one of the witnesses on the Gibson slde
with my back turned toward the door by
which Terry entered. AS soon as L heard
a shot fired turned and saw Gibson with
a revolver in both hands taking deliberate
aim and firing at Terry who was going uI
the stairs with Judge Parker. Almos
simultaneously Little disappeared, and Dave
Ragsdale and Jas. Mitchell, who were sitting
in the sheriff s office in charge OF an oncer
came forward with guns in hand and flreC
at me. am sure it was Mitchell that sho
me. Ny opinion is that it was a precon
ceited plan to assassinate us all. They haC
threatened to do so. think some one is Il
blame for this affair. There was body o
armed men in the court house under ar
rest, in charge of an officer. Ishould thinl
that they should have been deprived o
their weapons"
J. w, Ferguson and ]. w. Cabell, wht
were with Judge Parker and Terry, ex
pressed similar views.
DR.. Weston's wound was dressed by DR.
R. G. Fenner, of Houston, who was an ey'
witness to the shooting. He had to juml
out the window to escape the bullets. Th'
ball entered the fleshy part of DR.. Weston
arm. No bones were broken.
PARKER's STORY.
!; Judge J. w. Parker said: "It was cold
blooded assassination. 1t was wholesai
attempt at murder and plot previousl.
arranged. They waited until Terry's bacl
was turned and then fired at him. DR.
Weston's statement, which 1 heard, is cor
rect"
DAVID S. TERRY,
brother of KYLE, who had come from Cali
fornia to attend the trial of his brothe
! and who was arrested in the hall of tn
! courtroom soon after Gibson was takel
into custody stated, when interyied, tha
he arrived here a few days ago to be witt
Kyle during his trial. He walked to tn
court house with his brother and the othe
gentlemen previously named. He stopped
on the sidewalk and was talkin
with an old friend whel
I the shooting occurred. He OWNED wha
the shooting meant, and started to get in
AS he did SO some one placed pistol IN hl
: hand. He did not get in in time to see tn
shooting, and knew nothing about wha
. occurred. He asserts that he went to tn
courthouse unarmed, having been assure
| that every one entering the courthous
! would be searched.
LITTLE FRANK TIERNAN,
son ofthe sheriff, was in the office whel
3 the firing began. He says when his cousi
ran out to stop the shooting some of Gil
t sons friends retreated into the office; tina
s he followed his cousin Dick to the dool
saw him grab Gibson and command ther
TO stop firing; that Gibson broke loos
when his cousin caught him again ana
. heard some one say:
e 9 Turn him loose, you son of b-h, c
will drop you"
, He then Jumped back and closed the offic
: door, shutting some of Gibson's friends II
l They followed him to the door, saying, d
!, you want all US to be murdered by theT
damned "Woodpeckers." He threw ope
. the door and implored them not to shoe
! when one OF them jumped onthe tab
l that stood in front of the door with
la navy six-shooter in each han
y pointed toward the open door, whi
the others stood behind him with pisto
p drawn. He cannot say whether they fire
any shots or not. 1t becoming too war;
/ for him he opened side winuow, jumpe
Il Il out and ran to place of safety. AS he di
u u so one of the men i'll the room rushed
the window, thrust his pistol out but SCI
u ing who it was did not shoot.
- LAWYER LovEJoY.
e states that as he, Terry. Parker and JUDI
Wheeler entered the court house, he sa
n Gibson and his party clustered at q corn
e near the sheriff s office. AS soon as Gibsc
a saw Terry he thrust his hand under II
n vest and partly drew his pistol; that
e commanded Gibson to put up his pisto
is and that he partly thrust it back, but wht
IS Terry reached the stairway to go out
s brought him facing Gibson and his part
y and then Gibson Instantly drew his pist
d down over his left arm, took deliberate al
and fired. He at once called out: