Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-01-29
THE oNEIL TRAGEDY.
More Details In Regard or the Muir.
der OF Conductor O'Nel.


Tho Marshalltown Times Republi-
can of the Esd says: Sheriff Foster,
of Tama county, arrived In the city
this morning to consult with Sheriff
Hixon In regard to the killing OF Con-
ductor O'Neil, Thursday morning at
Long Point by tramps, He had been
out allnight looking for tho lnurderers,
but failed to locate thcm. After the
killing the tramps took southern d.
rection, going to tho farm OF James
Crossman, one mile south OF Long
Point, where they stole n horse, and
it is supposed kept southwesterly
course, riding the horse till daylight
and then turning II loose. Sheriff
Fosters theory Is that the men sepa-
rated, us there were several horses
in the barn from which they took one.
He also believes that one OF the men
was wounded by Detective Purcell,
and is somewhere in hiding in the
vicinity. When O'Neil and Purcell
went up tothe car in which the
tramps were secreted, y Neil was two
or three steps In the lead and went up
TO the door OF the car to look In, Pur-
cell advancing near his side. At the
instant he put his head inside the car,
the tramp fred, blowing the whole
top Of his head OF. Purcell was so
close to him that his clothing was
completely covered with the brains
and blood of the murdered conductor
O'Neil fell back from the car rolling
down the bank into the ditch at the
side OF the track corpse. Purcell
stepped back about car length and,
at this juncture, the man who did the
shooting jumped from the car with
the gun in his hand, cooking 1t and
telling Purcell TO fly or he would kill
him, at the came time cooking the
gun and trying TO shoot him, but the
gun failed TO go OF, else Purcell would
have mot the same fate as O'Neil.
Purcell stood his ground and pulled
his revolver out, firing two shots at
the murderer. When he fired the
second time the tramp fell and drop.
ped the gun and crawled under the
train 10 tho opposite side. At this
the other man jumped out Of the car
and he, too, disappeared under the
train, which was standing still. Pur-
cell, in the excitement, had broken
his revolver after firing the second
sh OF, by pulling too hard on the trig-
ger. Notwithstanding this fact he
| followed the men TO the other side,
crawling under the train as they had
done. When he reached the other
side it is the opinion Of the detective
that the trlmps crossed back again
and in the darkness made their escape.
When the gun was shown to the boy
who owned it he told Sheriff Foster
that when he and bis brother were
shooting rabbits they invariably shot
the left barrel, as the right one would
hardly ever 90 of. This circumstance
accounts for the fact that Purcell was
not also killed, as the tramp was
within n car length Of him. Sheriff
Foster is Of the opinion that Purcell
hit one OF the men. A farmer lieing
in the vicinity OF where the crime
was committed, found vest OF one OF
the tranps, which had evident
ly served the purpose OF a saddle, the
marks on it indicating that such had
been the case. In one OF the pockets
was u card with the namo OF the mer-
chant at lie Grand, whose store was
broken into. Sheriff Foster has the
vest in his possession.
O'Neil leaves three brothers, two
sters, and widowed mother 10
mourn his fate.