The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-15
NevtOn's Crent Killing.


I'm the way of prompt and deadly shoot
Ing, nothing in all the red calendar of
homicide in the far west beats the record
of the gambler Riley. at Newton Kan,
made one night in 1871" said c. B. Durers
of Topeka. according to the New York
Sun. The Atchison railroad had been
built to that point during the year and a
lourishing town had grown up round the
terminus to which the Texas cattle drives
that had been going to Abilene now came.
with the gamblers cowboys, and railroad
men that thronged the streets II was a very
lively sort of town, where dance halls and
gambling places were in full blast, and pis-
tol shooting often was heard by day and
night 1t was at that time that Boot Gem
etery got its start, and its list of occupants
who had met violent death numbered thir-
~ before the town got quieted down.
ON the night In question the Texas cat
tie drives were in for shipment, and the
cowboys were celebrating. Some of the
Texans had grudge against the officers
of the town, and SO they came in that night
prepared for trouble and they set about
making it straightway. They killed the
city marshal. the deputy marshal, and an
other man early In the evening. Later
they poured into Pinkham's dance hall "a
the number of twenty-five or thirty. The
three men already killed were not enough
to satisfy them and they wanted more.
IpOn bench at the side of the room "A
man was sitting with a girl on his knee
one of the cowboys walked up to him.
slapped him on the shoulder and said
I'm teach you to hold my girl I'm your
lapv and shot him dead.
"Riley was in the dance hall and the man
just killed was a particular friend Of his.
Without a word Riley stepped back to the
big double doors In the front of the saloon
and closed them. Placing his back against
the doors he drew a pair of revolvers and
fell to shooting, one man against the
crowd. Men tumbled left and right and
hot no a / n FDC-
ponse to the drum-rOll cracking of Riley +
pistols. Shots perforated and splintered
the door all about him but he stood there
firing until his pistols were emptied Be
hind the bar which ran along one side of
the room he knew where the armory was
kept ready for instant use. Leaping over
the counter he caught up revolver thal
lay on a shelf beneath and kept on with
his firing. Before he had emptied the pis-
toll that he found behind the bar, the men
inside had forced the front doors open
those that could rushed out, and Riley
shot his last man in the middle OF the
street When II came to counting up
losses it was discovered there were thir-
teen dead men IN the town due TO that
had fallen to Riley's hand. How many
wounded ones rode or We're carried away
by their comrades to the cattle could only
'@Ther was one curious instance of this
fight not generally known. Riley II was
supposed was unhurt in the shooting. A
doctor hastily SuNuOutu " the scene
carae to the side of a cowboy who was
Flow is it. door asked the wounded
man. Am going to pull through
1.-THE doctor shook his head. / am sor-
~, my poor fellow, but l cannot give you
Hon about the man who shot me"
said the cowboy rs he dead?'
q Mo- answered the doctor. He was
not even wounded.
- know better than that, said the cow
boy. L know he was hit. ] was right by
the side of him when he shot me, and be-
fore | fell l fred and hit him under the
arm You examine him and you'll find
that he's wounded there
when the dotor got round to Riley
he examined him, and, sure enough. found
that he had received a flesh wound under
his arm. which in the excitement of fight
ing he had not noticed. Riley left the
town after the inquest and didn't appear
there again. No effort seems to have been
made to arrest or bring him ito trial for
an act that was generally held to be justi-
fable and praiseworthy.
i got a message some time afterward
from Kansas City saying that Riley was
there and asking If ! wanted him. said
Mai r. H Spivey Of the land department
of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
railroad who was mayor of Newton at
the time of the killing ! sent back word
that they were perfectly welcome 70 keep
him there We had begun to build up a
population in Newton and didn't need him
there