The Opelousas courier., 1890-12-13
HON. JOSEPH C. GIBBS.
Particulars of the Sad Accident Which Re
suited in His Death,
Lake Charles Commercial, Dec. 6.

Lake Charles Commercial, Dec. 6,
Last Monday Judge Read, District
Attorney j. c.. Gibbs, Esq, and At
torneys Geo. II. Wells, A. r. Mitchell,
A. p. Pujo and r. P. O'Bryan. with
several other parties, went from Lake
Charles to L%eesburg, Cameron parish.
70 attend % special jury term of the
District Court, which began there the
next day. On Wednesday night al
half past eleven o'clock the Cameron
mail boat arrived at Lake Charles with
The dead body of District Attorney
Gibbs. The sad news came like al
electric shock to our people generally
Thursday morning.
On Wednesday afternoon District
Attorney Gibbs and A. p. Pujo, Esq,
with Mr.. Ben. Caldwell, mounted
their horses and went duck hunting.
When about Il mile and u half from the
residence of Mr.. Geo. w, Wakefield,
Messls. Gibbs and Pujo dismounted
and eachkilled a jacksnipe. Remount-
ing, the three gentlemen started for a
marsh near by, to look for ducks. AT
the same time Mr.. Pujo inserted a
cartridge in his hammerless breech-
loading gun, and while relocking the
gun one Of the cartridges accidentally
exploded, its entire contents entering
Mr.. Gibbs right side, at such a short
distance from the muzzle Of the gun as
to make but one pe%rforation ofhis body.
Mr.. Pujo dropped his gun and as he
and MI. Caldwell dismounted, and Mr..
Pnjo was making EXPLANATIONS of grief
and dismay, at the unfortunate occur
renee, Mr.. Gibbs begged him not to be
so distressed, assuring him that he,
Mr.. Gibbs, knew the shooting was &C.
cidental. Capt. Kelly, of Cameron.
who was near by aud saw Mr.. Gibbs
fall from his horse, came up; n OF
the party galloped to town, where a
large number of people were attending
court, a cot bed was procured and Mr.
Gibbs placed upon it, and a hundred
willing hands conveyed the sufferer te
Leesburg. There being no surgeon
there, nor within several miles, it was
decided to convey Mr.. Gibbs to Lake
Charles. He was Immediately carried
aboard a steam tug, and accompanied
by friends, Andrew Doxey, Capt. Mon.
roe and Mr.. Bonsall, of Cameron par.
ish, and by attorneys g. A. Fournet
and A. p. Pujo, of Lake Charles, Capt
7. r. Reynolds and wife, Geo. II
Wells, Esq, and Mr.. Ben. ChadwelI
being also on the tug, the little steamer
left Leesburg at 5 o'clock p. NJ, fol-
Lake Charles. At first Mr.. Gibbs suf-
fered intense pain, but he became sc
much easier on the boat, though he
knew and said his wound was a mortal
one, that some of his friends hoped
that he might reach Lake Charles alive.
Just before reaching the Kaough place,
twenty miles by water below Lake
| Charles, he became suddenly and rap
idly weaker, and expired oppositenshe
Kaough place at $40 o'clock p. N,
An autopsy held the same night, at
Lake Charles, showed that the contents
of the fatal cartridge had shattered two
ribs, and perforated the liver and lower
lobe of the right lung.
As early as possible Thursday morn
ing the sad news was telegraphed to
Mr.. Gibbs aged father, at Opelousas,
who, with his daughter and several
friends, arrived on the afternoon train.
A coroner's inquest was held on
Thursday, and a verdict of death by
an accidental gnnshot wound was re-
turned by the c%oroner's jury.
Mr.. Pujo, ever since the sad accident,
has been overwhelmed with grief.
Mr.. Gibbs was a native of Opelousas,
st. Landry parish, La, and was only
"a years old. Though admitted to the
bar only a few years ago, his ability,
coupled with All engaging disposition,
and pleasing address, made him a gen
eral foyorite, and secured him an ex-
cellent practice, while he was proba-
bly, the most successful district attor-
ney in the State. His untimely death
is the all absorbing theme OF CONVEX
s~ation, and has cast a gloom over the
entire city, all business houses being
closed, Thursday, showed in what es-
TEEN he was held by the citizens of
Lake Charles.
The remains, accompanied by a large
number of friends, were taken to Opel
ousas, for iuterment.