The herald., 1893-05-17
SOME OLD SOLDIERS IN COURT
A Case Involving Several 6. A.
r. Members.
j. L. Sullivan Charged with Assault
ing Commander Thomas.
at q Meeting of Stanton Post Sullivan
Talked About Gen. Beauregard,
and the Result Was Row
and Shooting Match.

Quite number Of grand army men
were in Justice Bartholomew's court
yesterday afternoon, the occasion being
the examination OF J. L. Sullivan upon
charge OF assault with deadly weapon
The complaining witness in the case
was o. I. Thomas, commander OF Stan
ton post G. A. r. OF this city, and the
witnesses were all members of the post
and comrades OF the defendant.
The facts of the trouble, which oc-
Cured at Pythisn Castle, No. 11S1a
South Spring street, the night of April
29sh during meeting of the post, are
best told by Commander Thomas, who
was the first witneas called.
81 have known Comrade Sullivan for
seven years past" he said. "He hes
been setting type at the Evening Ex
press Office, where | also have worked
for some time past. We were
having a meeting the night re-
ferred to, and about $3.50 O'Clock
Mr.. Sullivan came in while we were
having friendly discussion on the good
OF the order. He took exception to the
remarks of one of the comrades, and be.
gan talking. He was very erratic and
wandered off upon something entirely
foreign to the discussion. I called him
to order and he finally took his seat
But he interfered again, and ordered
him to leave the hall. He obeyed re-
luctantly, cursing. and one of the mem
bers showed him through the door. In
about Is minutes the guard at the door
called me, and when | went to the door
found Sullivan in the ante-room, very
much excited. He pulled out and
fiourished revolver, and said he was
going to shoot the g. b. who showed
with him, but he grew more
excited, and finally said, "WelI,
will shoot you, too" Then
I grabbed him by the arms and
forced him out into the outside ante
room. AS we went out he pulled the
trigger and the ball went under my arm.
got the revolver away from him, and
told him to go home, which he promised
to do, but almost the first man I saw on
the street when | went down stairs after
wards, was Sullivan. He was under the
influence of liquor, but / do not know
whether or not he knew what he was
doing. He was perfectly wild when /
went out in the ante.rooms."
"What did he discuss in the room,"
asked J. Marion Brooks, on cross-exam-
ination.
s'He brauched off on General Beaure-
gard. Knowing him SO long gave him
more latitude than others thought |
should. What he said was out OF place.
Mr.. Osgood showed him out of the door.
had similar experience with Mr.. Sui
livan over year ago. If the ball had
not gone up at an angle of about As de-
greee, as it did, would not have
thought that he was trying to shoot me.
| don't think he wanted to shoot me
when | first came out, butgot mad at
me for reasoning with him. told him
after his arrest that we would try TO get
as light charge against him as possi-
BILE. don't, personally, want to prose-
cute him. But the district attorney said
he would issue no papers except IN ac-
cordance with the facts"
VIM. s. Daubenepeck, comrade, saw
part OF the trouble. Just as he came
into the ante-room Sullivan said, "I'll
shoot you /" Thomas grabbed him and
they scuf1ed out of the ante-room. He
did not see the shot fred, but heard it,
and saw the bullet hole in the partition.
The bullet ranged upwards and lodged
in the top of the door on the other eide.
George Livingstone threw little
more light on the scene in the LODGE
room. He saw Osgood push Sullivan
out of the door of the hall, which was
not especially his duty. Sullivan was
going out of his own accord. Osgood
stepped down from his seat and as Sulli-
ant oh ~
ing, "Get out of here and stay out"
Qsgood read paper before the meeting
and it was about some portions OF it that
Sullivan took exceptions, and about
which, in his nervous way, he made the
remarks which disturbed the meeting.
But he got clear away from the subject
and rambled off on Gen. Beauregard.
The paper WAS political in it's nature,
which was out OF place in the lodge.
Osgood was angry when he pushed Sui
livan, and | suppose took that means of
expressing his feelings. a
The witness saw only part OF the
row in the ante-room, hearing Sullivan
say something about shooting q g.
b." and "He showed me-"
This closed the testimony for the pros
ecution, and J. Mills Davies, William
Forrest and L. D. Callahan were called
for the defense. They testified as to the
generally pesceable qualities of the de-
fendant, and described his peculiarities
and nervous temperament. He suffered
at times from wounds received during
the war, and was under a physicians s
care frequently. He was given an excel
lent character by the witnesses.
Mr.. Brooks being obliged to go away,
continuance was granted at this juno
ture until May 26th at O'Clock, when
the examination will be concluded.