New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-03
AFFAIRS IN BROOKLYN.
A DEADLY BLOW IN RETURN FOR BULLET.
JOSIAH w1LLETTs SHOOTS A FORMER BoARpER
Avn GETS HIS SKULL FRACTURED.

JOSIAH wILLETTS SHOOTS FORMER BoAkpE"
AND GETS Ills SKULL FRACTURED.
A donb,e assault took place yesterday at the once
pf The south Brooklyn Steam Engine WORKS, at van
Brunt and summit sts. which VIII pfooaoN res". III
thc death of Josiah wllletts. fifty years old, law
clerk Of No 2T5 PresldeHtst VINO shot ana seriously
oomnded Dolphin NJ. Cobb. a member of the company.
pe hal fred one shot and was about to fire another
whon bc was overpowered by workmen, and his skull
was fractured in the struggle.
Tie only iniimatiOn the injured asSailant wonNd
maize as TO the OF the ARRAY was that 1t arose
fror, family troubles Mr. Cobb is about th!rty-tve
ars old dresses Lshonably and until recently board
ed with Mr. Wiiletts and his family The laiters vile
died week ago. and he has a daughter, twenty-seveh
rears old Mr. Cobb now lives at No. 2l6 Carrollst.
lie was seated in his Office about II a. M yesterday
when Willetts appeared. Mr. cobb saw him through
he window. and directed workman In the room 10
lock the door, Bat this was not done before "liietS
entered Wllletts said =" am here now and As MI
cobb rose Willets drew his cooked revolver from hS
pocket and fired If Mr. Cobb had remained seated the
punet would probably have reached vital part but
as lie rose it entered his thigh.
lie sank back into his chair, and Willetts was apou'
to fire again when workman named Iat1ck oui"h'
who had hurried into the Office, seized Wlllcus from
behind and by a desperate struggle managed to wrest
the weapon from him and strike him terrible dow
on the head with the butt Of it. which feled MN 10
the floor and he lay unconscious with fractured skull
An ambulance at once summoned and when
Mr. Cobb found that lie not dangerously hurt no
WAS taken TO his home in coach. lie declined TO say
ANYTHING about the cause of the shooting. WilleS was
found to and probably fatal fracture Oh
the skull. lie removed to the Brooklyn Hospital.
ON tho way a detective asked him the reason Tor the
shooting and lie said he had reasons for not telling
the facts.
.You would shoot man under certain crcum'
stances wouldn't you? - he suddenly asked the dc
tective. lie then said it family matter anu ''0
WAS sorry II had resulted it had His place o JUST
ness al No Ill Broadway. Newlork
Coroner Rooney was called in to take his ante-mor-
tenn statement. In it he said that he was an L"sHs
man. lie visited Mr. Ccbb'S Office to tax WIFI n,ln5,
ind they engaged in quarrel and lie was 50 chiaso
Ifat he drew his revolver and shot a WOhhdi nnd
the weapon and struck him on the heal put no 'ou. wv.
not identify Quinn the man VINO struck nun, ~;
tTnuch Il was another man. Qninn was arIcsteu a1
held TO await the result of the injuries Ing "ouueI
man steadily refused to state the cause OF INC S
between him and Cobb. and would not 10 eu " nuns
env admissions lie resting clmf0TaplN ia.. evti
Ing at the hospital, and although he was lot eApe''e
,o recover. a fatal result was not eNpectei AT once
Wctss daughter was questioned by thc Ro na a mo-
.aid That her father left home at {! a. m lie hao ~
,avnlver so far as she knew. She knew what ING
tronblc with cobb was. but declined 10 speak aUouV ~
EMIL she had communicated with her friends