The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-10-04
THROUGH THE HEART
Percy Williams Shot by a
/. s. Fresno Hickman,
A Quarrel Over a Game Of Cards Ter
T.. minated by a Bullet.
The Murderer Severely Wounded by His Vic
81 TINA Passion for Gambling Caused =.
r. /: The Young Mans Downfall. =
Special to THE MORNING GAIL:

-. this morning byJaek Smith, haekman.
: Smith and Williams had been gambling aud
:. GIT. into an alteration. Blows were 'ex-
changed, and it is said Williams drew
:. revolver and shot Smith in the elbow. Smith
almost simultaneously drew aplstOl and shot
: Williams through the heart and he fell near
the bar dead. Smith was placed under ar
: rest and Williams body taken in charge by
" the Coroner Williams is q brother of Tom
Williams, the well-known horseman of San
Joaquin County. He was o very quarrel
some and oyerbearing man. -Four shots in
. ali were fred.
.>>:Willi1ms was here attending the fair, and
is said 10 have lest heavily in the pools and
at gaming. Last night he began shaking
Z" dice for money: He was drinking heavily
and became intoxicated and .quarrelsome.
1t is said he made threats against Smith
during the evening and friends tried 10.
persuade him to 60 to led. Finally Smith
and Williams went to the card-Toom and
began playing seven-up for SIS a side. Bud
Breeder stalking both the men. The stakes
of:the last game played were clamed by
:: Williams. Both men jumped up from the
table and exchanged blows, but were sepa-
rated by:their companions, who urged that
they 90 10 the bar and take a drink.
= AS they stepped UP to tie bar the quarrel
was renewed and Smith applied an offensive
:eplta ct to Williams. The latter drew his
::pistol.Gnd fired TWO shots at Smith, one of
" Lich' struck him on the lett forearm,
breaking the bones, and the other missing
hfnl+and lidging in the wall.
Smith at once drew pistol and fired at
Williams, his first Slot missing but the sec
ond hit Williams near the right nipple and
passed through the heart. Williams fell
: dead. and Smith at once called for sur
geGn, and subsequently, surrendered himself
: TO Officer Anderson.
- When the Coroner took charge Of Will
Jams body his pistol had disappeared. and is
:. supposed to have been removed by friends OF
- the. deceased.
There were but three. or four witnesses to
the affraS, and they are very: reticent-
Smith, when interyiewt by reporter, re-
~-fusedte. make any statement.
:. .At,ihe Corouer's inquest the Deputy Coro-
ner testifed.tha he had removed Williams
pistol from his hands. Three chambers had
= been, discharged, tut an undischarged cham
Der was between them.
=. DR.. Maupin, ties iiied as to the wound. The
ball entered directly at the right nipple;
passing through The BODY.
-: Dan Brown testified that the men had been
playing cards, quarreEed over the 9 me and
had,quit. When. they went into the bar
roam Smith continued to talk about the
game, and said ne never would pay Brown
tie money he had borrowed, and tlGally
struck Brown, knocking him down. lie then-
struck ~ Hllans, and when Brown recovered
his feet the shooting waS going on.
F. The inquest tonight developed the fact
that Il. ere we're three witnesses to the. kill
ing:.@Dan Brown, an intimate friend of
W iAiams; :. Harry Lawrence, night bar
lender at the Hughes Hotel. and +. W.
brown, who is usually employed as nurse.
brown was a friend of Williams. He
SAYS Williams and Smith quarreled over
game OF cards. They arose and walked TO-
ward tile bar, talking very loud. After a
=feS: words Smith struck Williams a blow,
which Knocked him against the wall
= He than struck him Blown so
heavy as TO fell him to the floor.
=. menced. He: was not positive who shot
tlrsti and. after the shooting Smith walked
into (he office and Brown saw his gun in his
: :hp-pdcket. 1t was big gun.
!. Lawrence said tho men had some words in
The box where they were playing and came
: 10 blows there. They came out fighting.
bolh men having their hands up, and
b: Brown taking part in it, Smith seemed
to have the best. Of il. Williams
=: irstpuiied his gun ard fired, with Smith a
.
were fired, and while he believed that Will
Jams fired the third shot, he was not posi-
tive but he knew Smith fired the last shot.
~ Brown zorro borated this testimony in de-
!; tail, but reversed the position of the men,
- llac Ifg Williams. near the Office door and
Smith near the street door.
- Lie proceedings at the inquest were
: spicy" Eom Williams, brother of de-
ceased, who came from Stockton yesterday,
=. cros,-examiped the witnesses and eXh bited
faaI 'iNnr rat Il pAt ar
That the deceased came to his death on
the 80 day of October by a gunShOt wound
inflicted by The hands of Jack Smith.
- Percy Williams was the third son of Cen
.eral Thomas II. Williams, the deceased mill
= i6naire, formerly Of the firm Of Williams IL
BiXier.. Percy was born in 1865 III the Will
Jams residences near South Park, when that
part OF the city was the fashionable quarter
OF San Francisco. Although his home was
in this city then, General Williams was prac-
tEcing law in Virginia City in partnership
with David Bixler. He lett there some ten
years later wealthy man and bought
:. handsome house on Market street, near
Tenth, in Oakland, where Percy attended
school. He was always known as gener-
Gus, spirited lad and was very popular with
his school companions His sporting pro-
clivities were noticeable at an early age.
While attending the Irving Grammar School,
=. being rich mans son, with an abundance
OF money he devoted himself extensively to
satisfying his love for sport, including horse
racing, raising fine dogs. ponies, rabbits and
pigeons. His sporting inclinations never LETT
: him and with his elder brother. Thomas II.
Williams Jr., Percy had lately taken an ac-
= tive interest in turf events.
Inc firm of Williams IL BiXler is largely
:: engaged in retaining tule and swamp lands
OIL Grand, Union, Roberts and other islands
:. in the San Joaquin River. They have seve-
raj endless chain dre1geS at work, and run
the pretty little steamer Mary B. Williams
Captain Thomas II. Price MASTER between
those points and this city, for their own
business purposes exclusively. They are
p. also large property owners in this city.
=; The up-rountry headquarters Of the firm Is
<UGdine Farm, Union Island, few miles
-. fIom Stockton.
-: Percy, as one of the heirs to the Williams
!; estate. III measure had charge of affairs on
The ranch, which engages large gangs OF
" Workmen and is stocked with many cattle
and horses. He proved himself a bright
and shrewd business man in dealing with
all who had transactit ms with him.
About two and half years ago he mar
ried Miss Bessie Trahern. the attractive
daughter of g. w. Trahern, the Stockton
banker the couple had one child, which
died.
Two brothers and one sister survive young
Williams They ave Thomas, who is well
known in this ely aad elsewhere; Bryant, a
younger brother, who lives in Stockton,
and Mrs. Goodrich, formerly Mrs Frank
johnson, who is now in New York. Sherrod,
the eldest boy, died in Germany few
years ago.
Thomas Williams, upon learning Of the
TRAGEDY, started Immediately for Fresno.
He Will bring the remains to this city. The
funeral arrangements have not been made,
but the interment will be in the Williams
plat at Lone Mountain.
Probabls Fatal Accident
SACRAM ENTo. Oct. 3.-Last evening" Fred
Ulrich, a recent arrival from Marysyille, at
tempted to board freight.train which was