Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-22
Richard Shaler Shoots Leonard Hill
ton in a Tumble-Down Shanty
in EardScrabble, and
THEN STARTS OFF FOR A DOCTOR.
He'Confesses to the Shooting While Excited
Over the Game, but Says 1t Was
Accidental.
HOW MRS. HUDSON DUPED HER HUSBAND.
An Abundance Of Small Police Matters in Pittsburg
and Allegheny.

Half a dozen colored men, sitting cross
legged on the dirty floor of a Hardscrabble
shanty, grew so excited over a game of
craps last night that one of the number,
Leonard Hilton, was shot and fatally in
jured by Richard Shaler. The victim lay
dying at the Homeopathic Hospital last
night, while the major portion of the colored
inhabitants of Hardscrabble had lodgings at
the expense of the city. Half an hour after
the shooting Inspector McAleese had Shaler
confessed to the act and he and all his
friends safely behind the bars.
Vhe shanty where the affair occurred is a
rickety one-story structure in the rear of
the old brewery on Hill street. 1t has long
been loafing place for the crowd that Wis
tied it yesterday. They were there early in
the afternoon, sitting around in circle
shooting crap" with all the fascination of
professional poker sharps.
Shot for Thirty-Five Cents.
About o'clock in the evening the game
grew especially interesting, and the circle
was excited. Suddenly Len. Hilton reached
toward the money in the center, amounting
to about 35 cents Quick as flash Dick
Shaler drew revolver and pushed the
muzzle to Hilton's face.
eff you take that money I'll shoot" said
he.
Hilton hesitated and the revolver went
off. The terrified gamblers saw their COM
panion fall and broke away in all direc-
tions. In a moment there was nobody in
bo cha hr1f Sha1a Tha
former laid his revolver on the floor and ex-
amined Hiltons wound. He found hole
near the right temple where the ball had
entered and from which the blood was fow-
ing freely. The man had lost consciousness.
Shaler then left the place, but instead of
attempting to escape went in search of a doc
tor He soon had one on the scene and the
injured man was sent to the Homeopathic
Hospital Shaler was then arrested by
Officer Lennon and taken to Central sta
ton He admitted having shot Hilton, but
said it was accidental He said he pulled
out the revolver just to scare Hilton, but
did not intend the weapon should go of.
The Murderer a Recent Arrival
Schaler is a recent arrival here from
Washington, d. c. He has been stopping
at the Hotel Preston. A woman, supposed
to be his wife, came to see him shortly after
his arrest, but was not admitted. Several
gentlemen friends, however, whose anxiety
about his welfare led them to the station
house, were admitted to see him and then
locked up. Those who did not come were
soon sent in by Inspector McAleese, who
drove around the district in his buggy and
kept Nc. J wagon busy hauling in his sus-
poets. Among those present at the game
were James Hall, Edward Reed, Fred
Tvlar opd William Gatevood who wpre oil
locked up.
Hilton, after being removed to the
Homeopathic Hospital, was taken to the
operating room, where the surgeons found
that the ball had lodged in his brain. After
nearly two hours probing they had failed to
find it. They say Hilton can hardly re-
cover. Hilton is only "a years of age.
The police say he has been arrested num-
Der of times. He is an undersized man, and
is known among his associates as "Shorty"
Hilton. His home is No. Ludlow street.