The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-11-13
TRAGEDY IN KENTUCKY.
An election Row i'm Lexington-The
Breckenridgo and Owens Fend.

An Election Row i'm Lexington-The
breckenridgc and Owens Fend.
LEXINGTON. KY, November 8.-A
bloody political tragedy occurred in
Lexington this afternoon at O'clock
when John Traynor, marshal of Athens
KY, cut Lew Sharpe, probably fatally.
and shot Ike Davidson to death.
Sharpe and Traynor were both DEM
Gratis, Sharpe bcing an Owens man and
Iraynor Breckinridge supporter.
they met in front of the Leland hotel.
Sharpe accused Trayncr of having
voted for Denny, the Republican.
Iraynor denied 1t, when Sharpe called
him q damned liar.
Iraynor struck Sharpe, who is badly
crippled, as the result of having be6a1
shot in the knee during the war. The
piow knocked Sharpe to the sidewalks,
and before he could get up Traynorl
drew a knife and began cutting theF
old soldier. Pat Toomey, youneI
friend of Sharpe's, rushed to his as1
sistance and knocked Traynor down.
Ike Davidson rushed in and tried t(s
separate the men. Traynor scrambled
to his feet and. apparently trying t.
get away, went de- = the street wit
Two pistols in n.e nan, (, but he turn
and fired, the bullet striking Davids
In the stomach. He died in an>h'
Sharpe was taken to the hosp,.
where he is suffering greatly and it \
more than likely he will die. Traynd
was locked up.
Davidson was well-known distillet
The origin of the bad feeling betwe&
the men dates back some time. Oh
eiection day John Green, who WI
Marshal TraynOrs deputy, shot alb
fatally wounded George Toomey, k
brother of the man who took part /.
to-day's atfray.
Fat Toomey, Sharpe and David5n
came to town this afternoon to hare
Iraynor arrested as an accessory Ito
the shooting of Toomcy, as the latkr
Is likely to die before morning. TIDY
nor had been arrested and releasedOn
bond when Sharpe met him ia front of
the hotel.
There is already great deal oftho
bad blood between the Owens and
Breckinridge men here, and it is feared
that this will not be the last Of the
trouble. Green, who shot Toomey,
was Rreckinridge man and Toomey
an Owens follower.
LEXINGTON. KY, November o.
Marshal John Traynor, OF Athens, KY,
who shot and killed Isaac Davidson. a
prominent distiller, and probably
iatal'y cut Lew Sharp, Il country poll
tlclan, will have his trial here this
afternoon.
The body of Davidson has been sent
to his family at Athens, and Sharpe is
IN serious condition ut the hospital
here.
The killing grew out of an old feud
between the Sharpes, Traynors and
Toomey. Sharp came into possession
OF fine farm near Athens through an
old doctor whom he had ht his com
mand. The doctor had onc child, a.
girl, and she was the heir to the estate
through her mother. She would not
sign papers conveying the property to
her father, and being a Liquor liend he
died suddenly after drinking whisky
brought from Lexington by Sharp and
his old friend. the doctor. There nas
always been Il mystery about the mat
ter which has been whispered from
mouth to mouth.
1t was not long after. this when the
Iraynors and Sharpe fell out. Judge
Ioomey, being a ncighbor, waited on
the girl and was impressed by the
peculiar circumstances attending her
fathers death. a law suit afterwards
made them bitter enemies and tho
bitterness Of the political Campaign
here served to widen the breach, and
trouble between their boys led to a
crisis.
There is to be more trouble since
George Toomey, who was shot bv
Traynor's deputy, Green, has several
brothers and Sharpe has some who
will doubtless take themattcr up.