Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-03
A SERIOUS ENCOUNTER.
Two Men Near Tenleytown Meet and Ex-
change Shots.

Two Men Near Tenleytown Meet and Ex
change Shots.
The quiet that usually hangs over that par
Of the Grant road near Tenleytown was rudelJ
disturbed last night about O'Clock by tn.
sound attending the discharge Of two firearms
and the groans of two seriously injured men
VIM. Harding and his brother in law. Harrii
McSheen, were the principals in the affair and
the former now lies at his home with bullet
in his groin. while his adversary is attempting te
find rest at the seventh precinct station with q
load Of buckshot in his back. An unhappy mar.
riagc was the cause of the affair. It seems that
Mcsheen. who is addicted to the use of liquor
few years ago married Harding's sister,
but owing to the excessive use Of alcohol and
the consequential neglect attending the habit
she found it necessary to leave him and take up
her residence with her mother, Mrs. Harding.
As long as the husband abstained from the use
OF that which caused all the trouble the wife
was left undisturbed, but the moment whisky
took possession of the husband judgment he
would repair immediately to her house and try
to persuade her to forget and forgive. Last
evening, being full again, the husband once
more sought the home of his wife. from whom
no legal separation has ever been had. with the
Intention of trying to effect a reconciliation.
But he started about it in little different
u
named Tom Green, he gave him a note to de-
liver at the house and promise Of 80 cents.
Mrs. McSheen came to the door and after read
ing what was written sent the following message
back: Il do not desire to see you" Immedi-
ately on receiving the message McSheen app
preached the house which the boy had just left,
and as the door was opened forced himself in.
A few minutes later the wife's brother Hard
ing. who is conductor on one Of the Tenley-
town electric cars, came up. When he saw who
was within he dramatically threw open the
door and ordered McSheen out. On re-
fusing to comply with the conf
mand Harding. who is small. while McSheen
is an immense man, turned on his heel to find a
policeman. He was unsuccessful in his hunt,
however, and on returning and finding the big
man still there he caught hold Of him and pulled
him from the house. As McSheen was forced
through the gate the colored boy states Hard
ing picked up brick and threw it. at least he
thinks he did. An instant later two shots we're
fired and then third, which sounded like the
report Of shot gun Hardly had the encoun-
ter taken place before Officers McCabe and
Riley arrived on the scene in time to see Harding
crawling to the house with smoking gun in
his hand. Lying off to some distance they
found McSheen with wound i'll his groin.
Ha fding was found to be too seriously injured
to move. so McSheen alone was placed under
arrest and brought to the station. On the ar
rival q. the precinct DR.. A. B. Shekel was sum-
moned and the injured man surgically treated.
DR.. Chappell in the meantime had charge of
Harding.
All the parties refuse to speak Of the affair.
ARRA1GNED IN THE POLICE COURT.
This morning McSheen was taken to the Po-
lice Court, where he ives charged with assault
and battery with intent to kill He complained
of feeling badly, and said that while he had
picked number Of shot out of his side he
thought there were others remaining in him.
TO STAR reporter he complained that the po-
lice had given him nothing to ea: since he was
locked up last evening. and as no provision is
made for feeding prisoners Of the court he
would likely get nothing until he arrived
in jail. He told a reporter his version Of the
affair, charging that his sisterin-law's interfer
ence had caused the trouble between his wife
and himself. Last evening, he said, he called
to see his wife and while they were talking the
younger sister came between them and at
tempted 70 force his wife in the house. His
wife. he said, had agreed to go out and have a
talk with him. and while che was in the house
getting her hat her brother came out and or
dered him away. threatening to shoot.
You dare not shoot me here" said the
prisoner.
go off from in front of my property" he
said Harding told him, and he did walk away
Then he repeated You dare not shoot me
here"
liaTulIR, ne salu, tnen put MS gun IN the
house and followed him ont. They clinched
and when they separated he (McSheen) ran
down the road to avoid trouble. Harding, he
said, returned TO the house. got his gun and
followed him down the road. Thinking he
would shoot me, said the prisoner, II ran and
hid in the bushes, and Harding heard the
bushes shake when he was about twenty feet
away and he fired.
I'm order to protect myself drew my pistol
and fired. 1t was no. an aim, but n chance
shot
Then he said that if it had not been for his
sister-in-iaw interfering he thought there would
never have been any trouble between his wife
and himself.
Il heard that he was pretty bad off, said the
prisoner, speaking of his brother-in-law; but,
he added ~ hope not. don't want to zee
him injured, for l certainly did not try to kill
him."
The case was called to the attention OF the
court, but owing to the injuries Of the wounded
man an indefinite postponement was granted.