Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1895-07-03
NewToN,s GREAT KILLING.
Of the Thirteen Slain That Night Nlne
 Fell to RIIey's Pistol.

shooting nothing in all the rod cal endar 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. "The Atchison railroad had been built to that point during the year, and a flourishing town had grown up around 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 it was a very lively sort of town, where dance halls and gam bling places were in full blast, and pistol shooting often was heard by day and night. It was at that time that Boot cemetery got its start, and its list of occupants who had met violent death numbered 30 before the town got quieted down.
 "On the night in question the Tex as cattle drives were in for shipment and the cowboys were celebrating. Some of the Texans had 0 grudge against the officers of the town, and so they came in that night prepared for trouble, and they set about mak- ing it straightway. They killed the city marshal, the deputy marshal and another man early in the even- ing. Later they poured into Pink hams dance hall to the number of 25 or 30 The three men already killed were not enough to satisfy them, and they wanted more Upon @ 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 shoul- der and said:
 "'I'll teach you to hold my girl in your lap, 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 pair of revolvers and fell to shooting, one man against the crowd. Men tumbled left and right, and shots rang out all over the room in response to the drum roll cracking of Riley's pistols. Shots perforated and splintered the door all about him, but he stood there fir- ing until his pistols were emptied Behind 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 instantly caughtup a revolver that lay on a shelf beneath and kept on with his firing. Before he had emptied the pistol that he found be- hind 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 it came to counting up losses, it was discovered there were 13 dead men in the town due to that nights shooting, of whom nine cow boys had fallen to Riley's hand How many wounded ones rode or were carried away by their comrades to the cattle could only be guessed at
 There was one curious incident of this fight not generally known. Riley, itwas supposed, was unhurt in the shooting. A doctor hastily sum- moned to the scene came to the side of cowboy who was dying.
 "'How is it. doc?' asked the wounded man. Am going to pull through?'
 "The doctor shook his head. I'm sorry, my poor fellow, but l cannot give you any hope.
 How about the man who shot 1 me, said the cowboy. Is he dead?'
 " No, answered the doctor. He | was not even wounded.
 "'I know better than that said | the cowboy. I know he was hit. I was right by the side of him when he shot me, and before I fell fired | and hit him under the arm. You ex- anime him and you'll find that he's wounded there.
 When the doctor got round to Riley, he examined him, and, sure enough, found that he had received B flesh wound under his arm, which in the excitement of fighting he had not noticed, Riley left the town aft sr the inquest and didn't appear there again. No effort seems to have been made to arrest or bring him to trial for an act that was generally held to be justifiable and praise 
 "'I got a message some time after ward from Kansas City saying that Riley was there and asking if I want ed him, said Major R. Fl. Spivey of the land department of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, who was mayor of Newton at the time of Ehe killing. I sent back word that they were perfectly welcome to keep lim there. We had begun to build 1p a population in Newton and didn't need him. New York Sun.
 Likely Enough.