The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-10-11
grabbed the money and claimed he had

eFlQence VIII SHOW tn2l the party
changed and the same men were not
there all the time. 1t will show that
the same four men who at first sat in
| the game went out and ate oysters and
| that they joked about getting the old
mans money. Jhon Keefe went over
| TO the depot and asked for Ashley He
went and met Ashley in this open space
by the depot and they talked about the
| money. They sat down on the edge of
| the platform and talked ii over when
Ashley said: You ask me for that
money again and 1 will mash your
damn brains out. He reached over the
platform and picked up something and
came for Keefe. Mr.. Keefe retreated
! and drew his revolver and fired
| Ashley was a strong man. There is
| not as strong man on this jury. We
| have the evidence 10 show that John
keefe is an old man and crippled; that
he has lived in Kingman county for
years and all that time he has been a
good citizen and there has never been
| anything against him until this occur
renee We expect that the evidence
will show that before this catastrophe
occurred that Ashley made threats as
! 10 what he would do If old man Keefe
did not quit bothering him about his
| money. We viii show that Ashley lived
/ here in Wichita and went under the
assumed name or Brown.
FIRST WITNESS FOR DEFENSE.
James Sullivan was the first witness
called by the defense. He said:
Il live IN New Murdoch. I am
mason by trade. 1 was in New Muir
| dock on the I'D day OF December, 1893.
They had a turkey shoot there that
day. l saw Keefe and Ashley there
that day. 1 saw Keefe at the turkey
shoot and Ashley up in town. Saw
keefe about o'clock in the afternoon.
I The shooting match was down by the
elevator. / do not know who went up
town first me or Keefe. The next time
saw Keefe was IN the Music barn.
The railroad track in New Murdoch
runs nearly east and west and the bust
| ness street north and south. The barn
Is fifty or sixty feet from Main street.
Il went over near the barn to chop
some wood and heard some people talk
ing in the barn and l went in. There
We're several people in there, maybe
twelve or fifteen people there. They
were playing cards and l leaned my
back against a post and watched the
game. Ashley at that time was sitting
in another part of the barn. 1 did not
know what the men in the other part
of the barn were doing but they were
sitting down and / thought they were
playing cards. 1 heard them say they
were playing for the drinks but l did
not know. People frequently played
cards III that barn before but / never
saw Keefe and Evans there before but
had seen Ashley there before that day.
Il heard them talk of betting. George
Ashley said he would bet five dollars
that he could name two cards in
Keefe's hand. Keefe said if you can do
that there is no use for US to play cards
with you Then he offered TO bet ten
dollars. Ashley asked John Keefe how
much money he had. Keefe said TWEEN
~ dollars. Milt Evans told George
Ashley that he was bluffing; that he
could not name the cards. After that
both men took back their money. Each
one had laid down twenty dollars on a
box. Then 1 went out and left the
barn. The men that were playing had
liquor. l saw a bottle of whisky lying
by the box. 1t was a cloudy evening
and rained at intervals.
Il saw John Keefe at the depot after
l left the barn, it was dark when 1 saw
him at the depot. 1 went in there and
after a while the agent came in and af-
ter that Frank Hardesty came in and
asked about trains. About ten or ff-
teen minutes later John Keefe came in
and saluted US. He then asked John
Horn, did he see George Ashley Then
keefe talked TO Horn about the bet
that been made. As near as can recol-
lect he said George Ashley bet him ten
dollars that he could name three cards.
He said he named the ace and king of
spade and either the nine of harts or
diamonds, 1 have forgotten which.
Keefe said he had the ace and king of
spades but the red card named he did
not have but had the nine of the other
red suit. II Ashley guessed the nine of
diamonds Keefe said he had the nine
of hearts and if he said Ashley had
guessed the nine of hearts he had the
nine of diamonds. l have forgotten
which he said
Then he said he told Ashley that ne
had not named them and Ashley came
around and looked in his hand and |
said, I guessed them right, and grab |
bed the money. Talking on the outside |
commenced Immediately after Keffe eft |
the depot. The first thing that attract
ed my attention was the words, give |
me my money the another said, what |
are you going to do about it?' Then |
there was a shot fired and after that a |
knocking on the two windows" (Here |
the witness went to a window and i'm !
mitated the knocking, striking right |
and left on the glass rapidly. after |
which he resumed his place in the wit |
ness chair.
Il AM DYING, GOOD BYE"
'The noise on the depot windows !
sounded like il was made with some |
metallic substance. Ashley came in /
and said: He shot me- He then said: |
I am dying / said: George where |
are you shot?' He said: There point |
ing to his neck. He then murmured /
something that sounded like good bye /
l could not hear exactly what he did |
say. / did not examine the ground at |
the depot that night but l went the 1
next day TO see a car link that some |
body told me was there.
Ashley was a large man, weighing |
about 200 pounds I heard him say /
once that he was ~ years of age. / /
have seen Ashley mad l cannot tell |
how ne acted when in that condition. /
A person not acquainted with him /
could not tell when he was mad. ] al /
ways looked upon Keefe as being Of an /
impulsive nature, while Ashley was of /
the opposite nature. Keefe showed no /
anger when he came into the depot. He /
did not seem to be out OF humor but |
seemed worried. 1 kenw him pretty
well. / worked for him once fixing |
some flues. I have seen him frequent
ly since that time"
Court adjourned until 3 O'Clock to-
day.
LIKED PROHIBITION TOWN,
A Man from Kansas CITY Who Admfres