Birmingham state herald., 1896-05-02
ABOUT THAT SHOOTING The Wounded Editors Version
 o,
 of the Unfortunate Affair. THE TELEGRAPHIC REPORT Sent Out Said to Be an Unfair Statement of
 the Facts in the Case-Colonel : Scruggs Coroboraton.

On the morning after the shooting of Editor Coleman of the Huntsville Argus by MT. Spragins the State Herald pub lished a special about the affair, which, from MT. Coleman's standpoint, appears to have done Mr. Coleman an injustice, and the State Herald therefore feels that $ owes it to the wounded man to give publicity to the following, which is his statement of the affair:
 So many statements have appeared in the newspapers here and special tele- grams sent from here in regard to the unfortunate difficulty between MT. Frank Coleman, the editor of this paper, and Mr. R. E. .Spragins that are unfair to Mr Coleman that we deem it but simple justice to him to give his version of it.
 On the 23d of April the following edi- torial appeared in the Argus:
 A Wise Selection.
 "Mr J. E. Gardner has been elected chairman of the county democratic cen tral executive committee. The commit tee and the party is to be congratulated upon the choice. Mr Gardner is a man of that high degree of calmness and judgment which specially fits him for this trying and responsible position. It would have been a fatal blunder to put any self-eonsumed, rattlepated egotist to guide the destinies of our party in this critical year.
 We are informed that it was claimed that the name which appeared first in the list of committeeman chosen by the convention should rightfuly be the chairman. This claim is based neither upon precedent nor common sense, and is utterly void.
 Chairman Gardner will guard, guide and protect our party interests with a master hand. While he has been a citi- zen of Huntsville for some years past, h ats A1AIt ttk1.a s. t,;lN hA nlf T country democracy, with whom he serv- ed his apprenticeship"
 On the morning of the 24th MT. Spra- gins approached MT. Coleman on the street as MT. Coleman was going from his office to his work in the United States land office, and asked him who it was that informed him that Mir. J. E.. Gardner had been elected chairman of the county democratic central executive committee; Mir. Coleman declined to give him the name of his informant; MT. Spragins re- piled that it was not true. Mr. Spra gins said that so far as anything In the article might reflect on him he had nothing to say MT. Coleman then walked off, and after he had gotten several steps from MT. Spragins the latter remarked: "But If you meant it for me you are liar and a cowardly puppy" Mr. Coleman said: We will not discuss the matter" and continued on his way. Mir. Spragfns had lis hands in his pockets all the while, MT. Coleman being unarmed
 On the following day, the 18th, MT. Cole man accosted MT. Spragins on Lincoln street near the Masonic Temple, and said to him: "The insults you gave me yes terday were unwarranted Are you pre- pared to defend yourself?" to which MT. Spragins replied, T am," whereupon both parties began firing. Shots were interchanged until MT. Coleman received a serious wound, which disabled him.
 The statement is not correct that after Coleman fired four shots he cried to Spra- gins not to shoot, as he was hit and his pistol out; nor is 1t correct that afterward Coleman fired fifth shot, the ball pass ing through Spragins clothes. After Coleman had fired his last shot and had handed his pistol to Colonel Scruggs. the latter said to Spragins not to shoot again; that Coleman was wounded and his pistol empty. When this was said by Colonel Scruggs he had Coleman's pistol, and no shots were fired afterward
 That part of the above beginning with "The statement is not correct" to the close is corroborated and confirmed by the sta atement of Col. L, H. Scruggs, who witnessed that part of the difficulty.