Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-12-03
DR.. FRENCH AND A posrMAN.
An Assault in Which Two Conflicting
Stories Are Told by the
Principals.

An Assault IN Which TWO Conflicting
Stories Are Told by the
Principals.
From the st. Louis Republic.
There was an exciting encounter at
the Barnes Medical College on Friday,
in which Dr.. Pinckney French took a
few punches at mail carrier and sue
ceeded in knocking him completely
out. The distributor of letters in
trusted to Uncle Sam has black eye
and his face looks as if it had fallen
into street sweeper.
The postman's name is Louis Marks.
His version of the affair does not tally
with that of DIR. French at all, and he
claims to have made report of it to
the postal authorities. According to
the story told by Marks, he was stop
ped on the street the other day by DR..
French, who asked him to give him
his mail. Marks says that he looked
through his pack and found the bundle
directed to the medico.
If all that Marks says ia true, there
were about 25 letters In the package,
and he handed them to DIR. French.
The latter glanced at them and notic-
ing that there were a number of let
ters addressed to him in his official
capacity handed them back to the
postman, saying he merely asked for
hi alns hat
this put him to considerable incon-
venience, and that he told the physi-
clan that it was personal favor for
him to give him any mail on the street,
and not part of his duty. This, he
claims, made the doctor angry, and he
declares that the latter has had it in
for him ever since.
On Friday the postman says he went
to the Barnes College as usual, on his
rounds, and found the professor of
medicine in the office. He had some
mail to deliver, and started to leave it
in the customary place when DR..
French took up the quarrel of the day
before. Hot words were exchanged
and finally Marks says he told DIR.
French that he was as much of gen.
tleman as he was. This, he says,
brought down upon his head the wrath
of the doctor, who cursed him round
ly, and finally struck him. The first
blow knocked him down and sent his
mail flying all over the room. Marks
claims that he was unable to make his
escape until the college professor had
punched him in the eye and skinned
his face in several places.
When Marks returned to the sub
station at the Union Station he re-
ported the affair to Superintendent
Murray, and the latter told him to
write out report of the encounter to
be filed with Postmaster Carlisle.
When the report was finished Super
intendent Murray took charge of it
and said he would forward it to the
Postmaster at once. Marks was around
on his route yesterday looking com
siderably the worse for wear. He
says that if case can be made against
his assailant he will be amenabIe to
the Federal law for interfering with
the mails.
DIR. Pinckney French was seen at
his home last night by reporter of
the Republic. He gives a widely diff
ferent account of the encounter and
throws the blame upon the mail car
rier. The latter, he says, was drunk
at the time; otherwise he certainly
would not have acted as he did. He
said he did not remember whether he
ever stopped Marks on the street and
asked for his mail or not, and that the
first he knew the postman bore him
any i'll will was when he came into his
office at the college Friday morning
and began to abuse him.
"He came up to me-" said the doc
tor, "and sticking his face into mine
asked in the most insulting manner
possible whether wanted to run his
business. From that on he began to
be abusive and finally struck him.
am pretty hot-headed, and have
several times gotten into trouble of
this kind, which places me in the at
titude of being a fighting man. OF
course, am sorry for that, because /
am above that class, but when man
attempts to insult me he is likely to
get all the fight he wants.
81 am sorry for this man. He GER
tainly would not have done what he
did If he had been himself. He was
the attacking party, and a severe
bruise on my neck will bear testimony
as to the 'meekness' of the man which
one of the papers lays so much stress
upon. / finally had to retreat from
my Office In order to get rid Of the fell
low. He was in full possession when
I got out, as half a dozen witnesses
will testify.
81 was in the office of the POST
master yesterday afternoon talking to
Postmaster Carlisle when one OF the
papers came in. It told how report
of the affair had been forwarded to
Mr.. Carlisle and what he was going to
do about it, whereas he had not been
seen by the reporters, and no report
had reached him."
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