The Daily Texarkanian., 1894-09-22
DEPL0RABLE TRAGEDYl
PROF. GEO. 7. ELLIS DANGEROUS
LY SHOT BY PROF. G.
L. BRYANT.
A Lamentable Tragedy Which Has
Stirred the People to Intense
Excitement Threats of Sum-
mary Vengeance INDUCED.

ing, belowthe public crossing on the
Texas & Pacific railway, Prof G. L.
Bryant, President of the Inter
State College, shot, and it is feared,
mortally wounded Prof. Geo. 7. Ell
lis, former member of the college
faculty, and at present conducting
a private school, in this city.
Differences, of a personal nature,
have been known to exist between
the men, both of whom are promi-
nent in local educational circles, for
some time past, and the public was
not wholly unprepared for some
kind of sensational expose, as the
result threof, but even the widest
imagination never conceived so
bloody and terrible a tragedy as
that which resulted last evening,
as the direct result of these differ
ences.
1t is difficult to define the exact
nature of these differences between
the two men, but the outcome was
charges and cOunter-charges, by
one and the other, In the first
place Bryant claimed to have evil
dence, of an indisputable character,
proving Ellis to be a bad man, in all
the term implies, Upon the other
hand Ellis denied the charge in toto,
and charged that Bryant simply
sought to injure him personally,
and so break up his school.
Thus the matter stood up to a
day or so since, when two events
transpired, both of which contri-
buted to the tragic results of last
night, The first of these was the
receipt by Bryant of letter pur-
porting to have been written by
Ellis, himself, in which the charges
made against him, (Ellis), by Bryant
are, it lis alleged, substantiated The
second event, was in the shape of
information received by Bryant,
whether correct or not, of an effort
on the part of Ellis to secure his
Bryant's), indictment, on charge
of slander, before the present
grand jury of Miller county.
The trouble had thus grown in
extent and increased in bitterness,
when the final meeting between the
men transpired on last evening,
This meeting, according to the very
best of evidence, responsible eye
witnesses, was brought about as
follows: Ellis was seated in front of
Ragland's book store about $50
o'clock last evening, when Bryant
rode by on horseback, and accost-
ing Ellis, said: ellis, | have that
letter about your mothers death;
do you wish to see it? If 50, come
down to the Cosmopolitan Hotel and
| will show it to you" Upon this
Ellis arose and followed Bryant GO
ing in the direction of the hotel
mentioned,
What followed the meeting,
words spoken, and finally, the shoot
ing of Ellis, who has scarcely the
shadow of chance for recovery is
best told in the ante mortum state
ment of the wounded man, who,
with the full consciousness of his
critical condition and the fear of
death before him solemnly deposed,
as follows;
!, G.. T. Ellis, being possessed of
all my faculties. and conscious OF
approaching death, and knowing
that surgical operation is about
to be performed upon me on ac-
count of a dangerous pistol shot
wound from which Imay not recov.
er, make this, my free and volun.
tary statement and dying declara-
ton of the facts concerning the
shooting of me by Prof. George l.,
Bryant. 81 was sitting down in
front of Ragland's book store. Mr.
Bryant came riding along on horse
back, and said; Come down tC
the Cosmopolitan hotel; want tc
show you a letter. "He seemed
excited | told him that ! did not
care to 90 but he insisted that
should 60 SO finally | went Wher
| got there he said he wanted t
show me a letter, and requested me
not to grab it. We got into an ar
gument, and he said he would set
tie it with me in any manner that
chose at all, and without going tC
the courts. / said; "Mr. Bryant
the matter is now in the hands O
the Grand Jury, and | am willing
to abide with their decision, " but h,
said. "Well, if you will come out
of the corporate limits, will settle
it just as you choose" We walket