Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-08
OVER A NEGRO'S VOTE
All Previous Kentucky Personal
Encounters ECIipsed by a
Barbarous Fight
AT THE TOWN OF IRVINE.
Details of a Bloody Battle Fought on
Election Day.
TWO MEN FIGHT TO TIE DEATH,
And Several others Are Drawn Into the
Terrible ARRAY.
AT THE TOWN OF IRVINE.
TWO MEN FIGHT TO TIE DEATH,
And Several others Are Drawn Into the
Terrible ARRAY.
CLlNCHED IN EACH OTHERS ARMS
~rrcrAL TELEGRAM TO THE p1srArcHl

-srFC1AL TELEGRAM TO THE pTsFArcH.I
LEXINGTON, November THE particu-
lars OF the bloody battle that took place at
Irvine Nv. about 30 miles east Of
here last Tuesday. have just been
received. In the history of kentucky's
personal encounters this fight stands
without parallel for barbarity
and ierceuess. John Wilson and DR.. P.
a. Lilly were both young men. The former
was a strong Democrat and held the office of
Superintendent o. Public Schools for Estill
county, of which Irvine is the county seat.
Lilly was rising physician and
son of Circuit Judge Lilly The Lillys
were ALWAYS ultra Republicans. About
9 o'clock Tuesday morning DR.. Lilly came
TO the polls with a negro named White and
asked the Judges of election 10 allow him to
vote. John Wilson was standing close to the
voting window, and when White was in the
act Of voting, Wilson challenged his
right to vote. This incensed Lilly
ana some angry words passed be-
tween the two. In the meantime the
election judges had decided the negro could
not vote When they made their decision
known. Llllv's anger knew no bounds, and
he abused Wilson reundly for interfering
lu what he termed was MS own business.
Wilson claimed the negro was simply
raiIrOader, was nonresident and there.o
clearly unqualified to vote.
THE RATTLE OPENED.
The two excited men continued to handy
words 5or 4 lew minutes, when the lie was
passed and Dr. Lilly started to draw his
pistol Wilson saw his motion and
tried 10 yet his revolver out, but the
weapon hung on the edge of his
POCKET and one load was discharged
p.owing a wound in his thigh. Lilly had
not been 50 unluckv, Tor while Wilson was
pulling away at his pistol he had got his
own weapon out and had fired two shots,
both OF which entered Wilson's lett breast,
few inches from his heart. just as the
second shot Was fired, Wilson succeeded in
drawing his pistol, and, taking deliberate
sin at the doctor, sent a bullet crashing
through his body within an inch and a half
OF the heart He quickly shot again,
but this time the missile flew wide ana
struck Judge Lilly, who mad rushed to the
scene, in the calT OF his left leg. Wilson's
brother William also came upon the battle
field. aud seeing both the LiIlvs advancing
toward John, he ran up behind the Doctor,
and grabbing his pistol, ierked it out of his
hand. Lilly was now furious, and realiz-
ing be had been fatally wounded, he quick
:
.ockCt and opening it with his teeth,
rushed at John Wilson with the
ferocitv of 4 demon. Three times he plunged
the steel into Wilson's already wounded
breast when both men, weak from the loss
OF blood, fell TO tie ground clinched, in each
others arms.
DEATH STRUGGLE.
They continued their struggle in the dust
and dirt Of the pavement, and just as Lilly
was in the act of striking Wilson's throat
with his knife, his brother. Grant Lilly, ran
10 his assistance Wilson heard him
coming and with a supreme effort freed
himself from the doctor in time to escape
the descending knife. Rolling over on his
LETT side. he steadied himself on his elbow
and with his right hand trembling
from weakness and excitement, took
g..ck aim at Grant Lily and fred. The
ballet lodged in Grants abdomen and he
t1o fell about eight feet from Wilson. In
the meantime DR.. Lilly had grown weak
s-on loss of blood and when Wilson
looked around he saw his late antagonist
living ace downward and apparently dead.
Too weak to walE the wuuuded school su-
uerintendent, with all tie animal in his
nature aroused 10 its h.ghe-t pitch, crawled
over to The side % the PROSTATE
doctor. intent on finishing the work
ne had begun. He put the pistol
against his head and pulled the trigger, but
the cartridge failed TO explode. Then he
grabbed the weapon by the barrel and
-xsrting all his remaining strength, struck
his victim a terrific blow on the head
The hammer of the pistol tore
a hole in the skull, and giving a few feeble
-asps. Lilly expired, while Wilson fell ever
on his back and lay apparently dead. When
his friends picked him up few minutes
:.
Wednesday noon that ne breathed his last.
THE THIRD VICTIM DEAD.
Grant Lily fingered II late Wednesday
night, when ne also died. Three of the by
ISLANDERS besides Judge Lilly received
flesh wounds from stray bullets, but
none Of them are dangerously hurt
The affair has caused great excitement in
the mountains, where both men have large
followings, and some predict there will be
further trouble. 1t seems that the trouble
over the attempt to vote the negro was more
the result OF an old teud than ANYTHING
else. Wilson has always worked to defeat
Judge Lilly every time he made the race
for the Circuit Judgeship, and being man
Of much prominence Lilly has felt the force
OF his exertions. After being
elected, Judge Lily has been
unable 10 cope with the mountain despera-
does, and on several occasions Governor
Buckner has sent State troops to protect the
Judge and bis court.
THIKsTING FOR BLOOD.
Recently when the Governor declined to
send troops, Judge Lilly fatty refused to
hold court in Powell county. The news
papers OF the State roundly censured
the Judge for his display of
cowardice, as they called it,
ovG his tTo sons who were killed
Tuesday have been up in arms against the
offending editors The doctor few
months ago rode % miles to Rich.
mond, XIV, to whip the editor of
paper there who had reprinted some
structures the Courier Journal had made on
Judge Lilly. Grant Lilly drew a revolver
ou Editor Mccarthy, of Irvine, and threat
ened to kill him for the same reason not
long since. In fact it appears the young
Lillys have been thirsting for blood for some
time.