Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-24
EDITORIAL DUEL.
Bloody ARRAY in the Street at
Columbus, O.
AN EDITOR KILLED BY HIS ENEMY.

The Result of ScandaIous Ink Singing
War with the Pen Which Did No One
Credit Ends in a War with Powder
and Bullet. and Two Against One-A
Bystander Killed and Several People
Wound ed-Confiicting Statements.
COLUMBUS O., Feb. pa horrible
tragedy occurred here shortly after l
o'clock yesterday afternoon. Two men
were killed and several wounded in
fusillade of pistol shots. The terrible af
fair was the outgrowth of a newspaper
feud which has been raging for several
weeks between the publishers of The
Sunday World and Sunday Capitol of
this city. Col. W J. Elliott. editor of
The Capitol, shot and instantly killed AL
bert Osborne, city editor of The World.
| W. L. Hughes, an old gentleman who
was standing near by, was shot and
killed with a stray bullet from Elliott's
| pistol The tragedy, as before stated, was
| the result of newspaper war. Two
weeks ago The World made charges
against Elliott's family. insinuating that
a female relative was unchaste
The Artillery Opens Fire.
Elliott retalated on the following Sun
| day with a four column article charging
! F. W. lowering editor of The World, with
| being the joint proprietor of an assigna-
! ton house e, being associated with a woman
| named Lou Burton in the disreputable en-
terprise lowering is an assistant state
oil inspector and prominent in politics.
| The charges therefore, created profound
| sensation. The charges against lowering
also implicated Claude Meeker, Governor
| Campbell's private secretary. lowering
| and his city editor Mr.. Osborne retail
ated Sunday with a sensational article,
charging Elliott with nearly all the crimes
in the calendar Elliott, with his brother
| Patrick and Osborne met yesterday after
noon in High street, near the American
hotel. Patrick Elliott opened fire upon
Osborne, and Osborne returned the fire.
Three in "a Row, All Shooting.
A running battle ensued, in which W.
j. Elliott joined. Patrick Elliott started
to run, followed by Osborne Osborne be-
ing followed by W. J. Elliott, all three
men emptying their revolvers as rapidly
as possible. One of the shots from w. j.
| Elliott's gun grazed Osborne's arm, and
he turned and fired at the former The
| shot missed its mark, and Osborne fled
| into Malcolm McDonald's hat store. As
| he did so, he turned and fired at w !.
| Elliott. The latter fired his weapon al
most sim ultaneously, and the shot took
effect in OsbOrne's chin. 1t went clear
through his mouth, upward and back
ward through the brain, and came out at
the base Of the skull. Elliott had followed
| Osborne into the store, and as he fired the
last shot, grappled with him. In the
scuffie which followed both their guns
were discharged, and Osborne fell to the
floor dead
An Innocent Rystander Killed.
Elliott retreated out the front door and
disappeared in the crowd with the re
volver in his hand. W. l. Hughes a
highly res pected citizen, was standing on
! the pavement watching the formation of
the Washington's birthday parade. He
was struck during the running battle.
The ball entered his head Immediately
over the left eye, and he dropped upon the
pavement, expiring Instantly. Patrick
Elliott was shot in the back and arm, and
has frightful wound on top of the head.
The physicians are yet unable to deter
mine how serious his wounds are Two
other men are known to have received
bullet wounds one in the arm, the other
in the leg W. J. Elliott was at one time
state supervisor of printing, and has taken
an active part in politics. He is per
sonal friend of Charles Stewart Parnell.
Both the Eilliotts are locked up at the sta
ton house
Editor ElIiott's Statement.
The two Elliotts were seen by report
er yesterday afternoon W. J. Elliott,
after saying he had nothing to conceal;
that he had called during the morning at
a gun store for pisto, he had left there
for repair, and that when the niger
gave him the gun he did not even look to
see whether it was loaded, as he had no
idea of getting into shooting scrape, as
serted that Osborne began shooting as
soon as he saw the two brothers on the
street, and they had to shoot in self.
defense. He had no expectation of meet
ing Osborne, as when that person wrote
mp any one he did not go on the street for
several days. implying that he was afraid
What Other Men Say.
On the other hand Gus and Shehan Johns
who saw The fight from the beginning
, say that Osborne was standing in front OF
Schrader's talkingto Frank Clarke an at
, torney, when the Elliotts appeared walking
, south on H gin street. The two men walked
: up close to where Osborne was standing,
2 and one of them remarked "Give it tC
2 the $ of q b." whereupon one of them
| fired at Osborn, who started to back to-
ward the norCh. He pulled pistol and
, began firing at the Elliotts, who were fol
lowing HIu WIFI TeNOiNtES III manu. SllOOJ
ing at him. The Elliotts say that Osborne
! killed Hughes, while eyewitnesses claim
that W. J. Elliott was the man. Osborne :
pistol has OF been found; those of the Ell
liotts the police have and both are nearly
empty of loads. Public opinion is against
the Elliotts
+ Comes Up in the Legislature.
In the sen ate yesterday afternoon Cole
introduced bill which was suggested by
the result of this newspaper feud. 1t pro-
| vides that any editor, proprietor, owner
or correspondent who publishes, or per
? mits to be published, any attack upon the
private character of any citizen with in
, tent TO injure his credit or standing il
: public, or To charge publicly any either
with unlawful practices in private affairs
shall be deemed guilty of a felony ant
fined not less than 81, 600 and confined il
the penitentary not less than one year, OF
both at the discretion of the court