Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-02-26
SHOT TO KILL.
Details of the Awful Tragedy En-
acted at Columbus, 0.
Account of the Fight Between Rival
Editors in Which Two Men Were
Killed and Six Wounded.
sENsArIoN Ar onIo,s cArrrAr.


day afternoon runs high. BESIDES the
killing of Osborn and Hughes,
=. j. Elliott, was shot in
one arm and in the back p.
c. Sullivan, a clerk, was by
stander and was shot in the arm
Among the wounded spectators were
John III. Reese, government statistical
agent, shot through the left leg, not
serious: c. w Sullivan, bool-keeper,
shot through the arm; r. +. Gardner,
of Danville. o.. shot through the ankle;
C. w. Reifschneider, struck in the
breast by spent ball.
The excitement here Monday night
was very high and the situation looked
threatening Large crowds continued
to hover about the scene of the tragedy
w. j. Elliott and his brother were held
at the city prison, and owing to threats
which have been openly made the
police authorities have taken extra pre-
cautions to prevent any outbreak or
mob violence. The prison doors have
been securely fastened, and only Off
GERS having business in the prison are
allowed to go back and forth w. j.
Elliott was interviewed and among 9TH
er things said:
"At ] o'clock p m. l drove TO town from
Arlington, and thought would 70 and see the
parade. ] met Pat, my brother, and we started
south on High street. When opposite Parks
gun store said to Pat that l had left pistol
in there TO be fixed about a week before and
that believed that would go in ana get it.
When the man gave me the pistol
! put IL into my pocket, not even look
ing to see whether the fellow had loaded
it. We started on south / did not ex
pect 20 see Osborn, as he never came up town
for several days after he wrote anybody up.
When ia front of Schrader's saloon / turned
aud saw Osborn with a revolver pointed at me
Preached for my pistol when / heard a bullet
whiz by my head think he shot two or three
times at me and fired back Osborn started
after Pat. and Pat ran into the street through
the crowd, Osborn firing at him and into the
crowd
A large number OF eyewitness say
that w. J. Elliott opened fire on Osborn
as he came along the street, and the
best information is that the first shot
fred by Elliott hit Osborn in the
side of the head or neck. Osborn.
after returning the fire at both
Elliott and his brother. ran into a
hat store, where he was followed by
P. j. Elliott and they had hand
to-hand struggle, during which sew
eral shots were fired and Osborn
was shot through the head, the
ball entering the chin.
The story of the shooting, as related
by Gus and Shedan Johns. eYe-wit-
nesses, is that A. c. Osborn was stand
inor IN, front ~ C.braJar.c t,1Iy;ucr ~
Frank Clark. an attorney, when the
Elliotts appeared, walking south on
High street. The two men walked up
close to where Osborn was standing
and one made remark, whereupon the
other fired at Osborn, who started 10
back away. He drew a pistol and
began firing at the two Elliotts, who
were following him, revolvers in hand,
and shooting at him. When Osborn
reached McDonald's hat store he
opened the door and ran in. Patrolman
McManamy caught w j. Elliott and
took the revolver away from him.
When the police entered the hat store
they found Osborn lying dead on the
floor and Pat Elliott standing over him,
revolver in hand.
Pat Elliott says that Mr.. Hughes was
killed by Osborn, while eye-witnesses
claim that w. j. Elliott was the muir
derer. w. j. Elliott said that he did
not regret the death of Osborn in the
least, but would have rather served
twenty years in the penitentiary than
be Indirectly the cause of Mr.. Hughes
death.
/. w Beavering is the proprietor of
the Sunday World and Osborn was the
city editor. The Elliotts had made
charges of immortality against Lever
ing, also duplicating Claude Meeker,
Gov. Campbell's private secretary The
World on Sunday retaliated, making
charges against the Elliotts.
w. j. Elliot came to Columbus TO nc
cept the appointment of state printer
by Gov. Bishop in 1879, and on retiring
from that office, two years later,
bought the Capitol which he
has conducted ever since as a
sensational publication. He left
an unsavory record in Cincinnati and
during his career has been in many
serapes because of his style Of journal
ism. -Four years ago state Auditor kiz-
wetter shot and slightly wounded him
because of a publication rejecting on
his official character He is the repre-
sentative of the Clan-na-Gaels here
who was unfavorably alluded to
at the time of the murder OF
DIR. Cronin at Chicago as being in
the conspiracy that led to the doctors
death. Both he and p J. Elliott were
born in Ireland. The latter has been
in his brothers employ ever since he
has been in Columbus, and just now
holds the Office of state employment
bureau agent Osborn was about 80
years old. and came here from
Reynoldsburg, O., about five years ago
70 work for the man who killed him
He was at one time mayor Of Reynolds