The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-18
HIS SHOT WAS FATAL.
John Shepich Tells How He
Killed Thomas Blanek.
WITH AN EXPLOSIVE BULLET.
The Wounded Deputy at Last Able 10
Tell His story The First
Shot saved His Life.

returned the compliment by rid41lng
Bianck with bullets was in this city yes
teruzty from his home IN Kent. ard claims
TIE sole credit OF killing The desperate.
he "a now convaiescznt from the wounds
ini1lcted BY Blanek's bullets. although he
VIII carry the bullet in his body for life.
The ball first passed through hts wrist
uroke MS collar bone and now lies buried
close 20 the neck. The wounds in the
wrist are nearly healed but the wound in
IN. shoulder rs Sill open With draining
tube Kept In 1t 10 facilitate the granulat-
ing process He carries his lefk arm an
q sing and rhs shoulder Is still bansiagsd.
tie Is, however. able TO walk about and
paid his first visit 20 the county jail yes
fercay and inspected the steel tank and
the place where Blanck played the last
desperate trump card OF his life.
The revolver that Rlancx took away
from ierosrry Is in Jailer Burkman' 3
possession. and ShsTich examined IL with
a considerable degree OF reverence. as the
bah now lodged in his neck came from
thss. weapon when in BIancks hand.
Il believe | am entitled 10 that gun.
he said yesterday while examining the
weapon and the engraving scratched on
the butt by Bianek during his liberty,
and shall certainly get possession OF
81. even IL Ii costs me sea-"
In speaking OF himself and his condi-
ton 10 a Post-fntelitgencer reporter yes
fact that the true statement of the shoot
ing OF Baanck had never been published.
Il was wounded and perhaps that ac-
counts for the fact that no reporter has
ever talked with me about the affair in
which Bianck and / played the leading
parts. All the published accounts were
more or less erroneous especially as 10
who really did kill Bianck- Without any
attempt to force myself TO the front. or
90 seek additional notoriety, still as a
matter OF record / want St understood
that | alone killed Blanck. notwithstand-
ing the statements OF the young hero
Crow 10 the contrary, and IL you desire
to have the facts about IL / viii give
them TO you In .. plain. unyarnlshed
tale
Being requested TO give his version of
the killing. Mr.. Shepich continued:
II was at Kent when the dispatcher re-
ceived a message TO the effect that
oriliia and making for Kent. / picked up
my Winchester. which stood near. and
started along the track on dead run
with Bob Crow following In my recr on
his own account. and that Is how he
came 70 be with me on that occasion. /
ran for mile and quarter along the
track toward Oriliia and when I got
around the bend of the road | saw man
coming toward me on the track. / spoke
10 Crow and said: There is a man that
looks stispiciously like the man We are
looking for Closing up on the man, and
when within forty feet of him / shouted:
Throw up your bands i kept adyanc-
ing on Elanck and he on us. As / spoke
Hands up he Increased his gait toward
IA. Three times / asked him TO throw
up his hands and on the second call h.
threw UP his left hand but kept his right
on the front pocket OF his pants. When
spoke the third time be jeTked his pistol
aYlf and fired at ne hiring me IN 1hA
wrist. the ball glancing, breaking my col
lar bone and lodging In my neck We
were then In the neighborhood OF eighteen
feet apart, and perhaps less. / then fired
at him. there being not a second OF time
difference between the two shots. / hit
him In the muscle OF the right arm, and
ais body being sldewise. the bullet. which
was an explosive one. passed through the
muscle of the arm. entered tho fore part
Of the right breast and exploded there
and came out In the center OF the breast
He then left the track and. passing me.
fired another shot at me. which missed
me, going over my head. | kept on firing,
pumping away as fast as ] could pun
the trigger. The wound in his arm pre-
vented him from raising alis pistol arm
again and In firing the third shot he
merely bent the arm ~ the elbow. This
wound that I gave him. by tho way, may
De said To have saved our lives His aim
was uncertain and he fired a fourth shot
almost perDendicliariy in the air. During
all this firing Bianck kept walking away
from me down tha grade OF the track
with his back partly toward me and hts
head STOPPED over. lie evidently expect
ei that the blankets on his hack would
cave him After the fourth shot he ran
down the grade and stopped down behind
a brush pile 10 hide. ! kept up my fire at
him. Complying nine shells, until he got
out my sight. lie chen hollered:
" Tam shot. / give up"
Il called out 20 him
" Throw away your guns"
II saw him fling away the gun. He
was then on his hands and knees. He
arose on his feet and threw up his hands.
"He then made two or three steps west
ward across from our track and sell on
his right side dead.
"purlng ali tslis time the lad Crow ola
not fire one shot not even having his gun
loaded. After Blanck had been riddied
with my isllisss crew commenced firing
at the PROSTATE figure. firHg three or
four shots in an excited manner until /
told him 10 stop As I needed assistance
for my wounds, for | did not Know now
seriously I was hurt,
''Crow had "A a Winchester. while mine
was a ss-5s latest model Of iSS6. and
every bullet taken from Blancks body
was a 1856 caliper. only had one eXplo-
sive bullet In nay gun and that one
wounded anu disabled ta4AistN az Ats@ III -
shot. Not ore Of Crows shots took eff
feet on Al@nck.
by that tine the firing had attracted
John Brown. a man named Bishop was
second. and then Charles Newell and a
section gang.
Newell claims To have fred two shots
= a. Bianck when tho latter was down.
hui have no r>eoiiecticn Of them
s~rhe explosive bullet wfasca burst IN
Hanks breast scattered tho powder al
over ,h> breast and made the doctors con-
cI,T9e that Blanck had at one time worked
a., a coal mine had a good laugh over
the wise conclusions
Wow. that is the plain. unvarnlshcd
ala ~ ne killing Of Blapck. and that
-, h,vs "a tell Il IS due only 10 the fact
tnst nv slrzt shot disabled Blsnck's arm,
for rad I missed him. arm Inclined 70 be-
iisve that ne would have kaiiszi ootn my
-, "a ,.rNur and With two Wincf1esteTs
IN ais possession made II lively for the
,,fsi~ers for some time to come
r,,s4a, pEXE~IE CUTTERS.