The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-08-07
SHOT DEAD.
The Fatal Work OF q Marshal's Pistol.

when It Is somebody else, or q great way
off. But when II brings the presence Of
death within sight of your door or with
In sound Of your ear-when you know
that the man who but q moment ago
brushed past you on the street has gone
that long distance whittier the widest
flight Of thought can never follow him
when you know that the tongue that
but q moment ago spoke pleasant and
thoughtless greeting could now tell what
ell the ages have longed to knowAthat
the brain that but now was teeMing
with all the hopes and fears and passions
we call life, has come to grapple with
the realities Of another state Of being
then 1t is that it sends q thrill along the
nerve and staggers the heart. Such
were the fateful words that sprang from
lip to lip through the crowds that
thronged the streets OF Hillsboro last
Thursday evening, and turned the minds
Of men, intent upon the illusory objects
of earthly ambition, to contemplation
Of eternity and momentary realization
Of their own mortality. Another frightful
tragedy had been enacted in the open
street under the light Of the sun, and
another had been added to the list that
begins to make famous the criminal
record OF Highland county.
The killing, Of Edward Elliott, Of
Marshall, by John Lewis, City Marshal,
took place at about six o'clock Thursday,
July 3lst, near the corner Of Beech and
East streets in Hillsboro. The facts so
far as developed by the Coroner's in.
quest are substantially given here. The
witnesses examined were VIM. Cooper,
John Clancy, Burt Carroll, John Car.
roll, Amanda and Ella Williams.
At late hour Thursday afternoon a
disturbance was heard in Doorley's
saloon on North High street, and in re-
sponse to call for police, Marshal Lewis
came and entered the building by the
front door. Soon afterwards witness
saw Edward Elliot coming out the alley
from the rear of the saloon and walk
rapidly down Beech street followed by
Lewis who also came out OF the alley.
Elliot quickened his speed and turned
north on East street but was overtaken
by Lewis in front of the small house oc.
cupied by the colored man, Williams.
Lewis seized Elliott and started to take
him down the street, but Elliott was
seen to pull back and was heard by wit
nesses to say, "Let US talk about this,
John." and "Let us reason about this
thing" Lewis answered, "Come along;
we will talk about 1t a. we CO." When
the two had almost reached Beech
street, Elliott still holding back, Lewis
drew his mace and struch Elliott two or
three times. Then Elliott seized the
mace with both hands, and, according to
Amanda Williams testimony .'they
wrsssled about" for some time. Lewis
then drew his revolver from his right
hip pocket, still holding to the mace
with his left. At this moment the re-
volver was discharged, the ball entering
the ueck of Elliott, who fell backward
on the grass, the blood spouting fol
several feet from the wound in his neck
VIM. Cooper, who was within or
feet, states that the revolver struck thu
hand of Elliott and was discharged. A
physician was called and Elliott pro
nounced dead. Lewis was immediatel!
arrested by Cooper but was allowed Il
60 up street alone and give himself int
custody.
The body of Elliott was removed t.
Holmes undertaking establishment
where it lay until the arrival Of tn
Coroner. On Tuesday morning an au
topsy was had by Drs. w. s. Patterson
w. w. Shepherd and T. H. Holmes
The ball was found to have made q
opening 81 inches anterior to and belo,
the level Of the ear, fve inches from tn
spinal column and % in to the right Q
the windpipe. 1t passed upwar
and backward and struck the jaw bone
passed through the jugular vein, the
passing between the processes OF the 8
and 4th cervical vertebrae, and slight
shattering the spinous process of tn
third. The ball weighed 83 grains an
did not make an appearance througl
the skin. The above described woun
was pronounced as the cause of death.
The finding of the Coroner based upol
the evidence given and the autopsy is a
follows: St
After hearing the said testimony an
examination OF the body / do find ths
the deceased, Edward Elliott, came Il
his death by pistol ball fred from
pistol in the hands of John Lewis, tn
Marshal of Hillsboro, O., while in tn
line OF his duty in an attempt to arres
the deceased on the 31st day of July, A
d., 1890, in Hillsboro, 0.
j. X. MCNULTY,
Coroner Highland county.