The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-12

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| smoking pistol from him, he cried:
Poor fellow Poor fellow! / had to do
/ it"
! Hank Cunningham left his home, one
mile east of Oklahoma City, at $ o'clock
/ Saturday morning He had no thought
of trouble and was unarmed at the time
! he took leave OF his family. He waved
| his hand atleCtionately to his children as
| he passed out the door He had
| business in the city. and came
| here solely for the purpose of
| transacting it. II appears, from what
can be learned of his movements, that
| Immediately after arriving in the city he
met several old friends and began drink
ing
About 10 O'Clock he met Mcclure at the
corner OF Main street and Broadway and
| assumed to be very friendly He in
| qulred of Mcclure as to when he thought
the hlckapoO country would open, and if
! he (McClurel could give him a chance to
! make something out of the opening. Nc
Clure has a partner in the Kickapoo coun-
try of the name of Cook who is also a
brother-in-law of Cunningham, and it oc-
Cured to Mcclure that Cook could do
| more tor Cunningham than he could and
told him so. Cunningham replied to this
! that he had no use for Cook and that he
would fix him one of these days ~ Gun
ulngham walked on and friend of Nc
| Clure, who was standing near, remarked :
Why, Bill, you and Cunningham seem
to be friendly again. l supposed Hank
was determined to kill you. "
NO, don't think Hank would inter
| fere with me, and / reckon he has about
| forgotten the old grudge."
Cunningham continued to drink
throughout the day, and by o'clock in
the afternoon he was considerably under
| the influence of intoXicants. IL was at
| this time that he began making threats
against his enemies, and those who knew
| him prophesied that he would have
! trouble during the night. He continued
| his debauch during the night and at
! about o'clock in the morning entered
the Turf, a saloon for the firsti time dur
ing his stay in town. At that hour the
| place was nearly deserted, the only per-
sons present being Bill Mcclure, Attor-
ney II. b. Mitchell, William Holloway,
Henry Storey, the barkeeper, and ne
gro porter Mcclure was standing at the
| bar chatting, when Cunningham came
forward and addressed him with aggres-
sive language. He finally became very
abusive, and Mcclure grappled with him,
holding him at arms length. At this
juncture Storey jumped over the bar and
fOrcibly elected Cunningham from the
place. He was gone some time, and IL is
supposed that while away he procured
from some source the repeating rife with
which he finally attacked Mcclure, and
left it in a convenient place in the rear of
the saloon. He returned again and re-
newed the quarrel and was again put out,
but before going he said to Mcclure:
You --, you know / am a killer and
I'll kill you"
81 never knew of your killing any one
but poor old man, " replied Mcclure, re
ferring to the murder of Rice, in which
Cunningham was concerned and was tried
and acquitted.
This remark angered Cunningham more
than anything that had been said or done,
and as he left the room his face was dark
with hatred and deep threats were on his
lips. He had been out but a moment
when the back door came open with a
crash. and he stood on the threshold with
his rife in position to fire. His deadly
intent was unmistakable, and quick as
lightning Mcclure sprang behind the bar
and grasped a 45-calibre Colt revolver
that lay on the sideboard, and wheeled,
firing as he turned. The first shot stag
gered Cunningham, who reeled, but did
not fall
Gathering himself together for an eff
fort he advanced, but seemed unable to
raise the weapon TO his shoulder, though
the muzzle was pointing in the direction
of his adversary. He moved rapidly and
threateningly toward Mcclure, who stood
cooking and firing his revolver with his
right hand, the left resting behind his
back. Three shots were fired as he came
across the room, all of which took effect
in his body The wonderful nerve and
vitality of the wounded man were here
displayed With his arm and shoulder
disabled by the first shot, which pierced
his shoulder through, and two other holes
completely through the body he continued
,I.l
and was obliged to move in a STOPPING pO-
sition. He had never spoken a word nor
murmured as the shots entered the living
flesh His eyes shot flames of anger at his
cool and collected antagonist, and the most
intense desire for blood was delineated in
every line of his cOuntenance. He moved
as quickly as his disabled condition would
permit him, TO position close against the
partition separating the barroom from
the sitting room of the cafe. He was
close to the swing door between the two
rooms and his wary antagonist occupied
relative position on the front or barroom
side Cunniughdm's intentions were I'M
dOubtedly to surprise Mcclure by a sud
den attack from this point. But Mcclure
was alert and perfectly cool up TO this
point, and was not to be caught mapping,
and, springing quickly into the doorway,
fired two shots in quick succession and
further attack.
But the ARRAY had come to an end.
Hank Cunningham sank to the floor with
a bullet through his heart, and the floor
was drenched with blood that trickled
from the five wounds in the lifeless body.
Every shot had taken effect There were
only five cartridges in the revolver, the
hammer standing, at the beginning of the
shooting, upon an empty cham Der. Cum
ningham lay across his repeater, and one
of the bystanders, fearing that the man
was not dead attempted to remove the
rife, but was stayed by Attorney
Mitchell, who recognized the Importance
of leaving the dead man in the position in
which he had fallen until the arrival of
the sheriff. who had been telephoned for.
Upon the arrival of Sheriff Fightmaster,
Mcclure gave himself up and was placed
under guard by the sheriff. Shortly after
this Mcclure was led away from the
scene, and he and Attorney Mitchell re-
paired 10 the Saddle Rock restaurant and
there took breakfast. Mcclure ate hear
tily, though suffering keenly from re-
morse. Several times during the meal he
bowed his head on his hands and wept
like child. Later he went home and
rested two or three hours, arising much
refreshed. He awaited anxiously the re
suit of the coroner 5 inquest, and whenIthe
verdict was rendered that The jury had
found it to be a Justifable homicide, he
appeared much relieved