Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-07-25
speclal 70 the Reg.spsr.

Specl9l 10 Jne Aeg-Stor.
Parkersburg, W. Va. July pa
Gas s,ardly assault was committed here
this morning at an early hour in Char
ley" Johnson's salccn. on Court Square,
right in the.he2rt CT the city.
As & result City Detective J. R. Mehen
is lying at his home N a critical condi-
ton tonight His jaw is broken and
his head is mass Of cuts and bruises,
while he is bruised and battered more
or less aN over MS body. His right
hip IS also injured by failing upOn the
pavement outside the place where the
toughs threw him. Capt. Mehen was
seen at his home this morning by the
Register representative. He was in
bed, his head and face almos. covered
with band2ges and was suffering Sc
verely from his many wounds. He
could talk but little owing to the IL
jury to his jaw, but gave a briei GccCunt
Of the affair, ss,ing that shortly after
three o'clock he was coming up Market
street when he was ma5 near The court
house by a stranger who told him that
there had been a fight in JoIlson's
place and tha. Sheriff Keadie, q Geie-
gate Of Mingo county, had ben cut with
a beer glass. Capt. Mehen Hurried over
10 the saloon, followed by his inform
ant The latter no sooner entered,
however, than the crowd at The bar
made d dash fer him and the fellow
pea. & hasty retreat. The otleer or
dered the crowd 10 keep back and TAX
ing out MS note book and pencil began
taking the names OF the persons pres
ent. He had scarcely begun, however,
when one Of the gang struck him a
terrible blow from behind with billy
or sliag-shot upon the jaw which broke
his Jaw and knocked him down. he
had scarcely regaiucd his Zee, when ne
was surrounded by the whole crowd
and was struck with bottles ana glasses
and beaten in q terrible manner. lie
says one OF the crowd struck him a
blow en- the side Of the head with 4
heavy iron cuspadOr, which nearly
hrcke his skull Numerous other
blows were struck, but the DeJcctiFe
has no very Gear recollection OF them.
After beating him in this brutal man
rer he was pitched almost unconscious
out into the street lie managed. how
ever 20 get his pistol out OF his pocket
and crawling hack on MS hands ana
knees he opened fire upon the crowd:
This scattered them and they one and
all ran out q side door into the hall and
up stairs. locking the door after them.
Nehen then managed to get 20 the Com
merc.al Hotel, where a carriage was
summoned and he was conveyed TO las
home.
near when the fighr was going Oh ran
into the salon and was also attacked and
his mace taken from him and he was
thrown out. Policeman Sheehi who
was also near the place 600 to the scene
OF the affray after Capt Mehen had
driven tha crowd Up stairs. Capt. Me-
hen gives the names Of tlcse IN the sa-
lccn at the time as Jim Rowan. Tom
Stafford, Shine Preston and Tom and
Pete Tcoe.
After benz taken to his home phys
isians were summoned and dressed bis
wounds and made him 2s comfor-2ple
as possible. Farmer NcNefney WHO
was on watch NJ Johnsons bar last niEht
tra,ed that Sheriff Keadle asserted that
he was an A. 2. A. and that all Catho-
lies and foreigners Should be driven
from the country. This provoked dis
pute and a fight resulted. Hc was not
clear as to what followed H. knows
that there was 4 general mix NJ and
that scme one struck Mehen when he
entered the place What occurred af-
terwards be did not keep track CT until
Mehen began shooting, when be Left.
Friends of Sheriff K adle assert that
he was nCt present at the tight, but that
he was in another part OF the town
when the fracas occurred.
Great indignation was expressed on
all sides by law abiding people and
council viii be petLoned 10 take some
action in he mater. The Ic9le b-otn-
ers and Rowan attacked c. =. harvey
os the Daily Sentinel tonight and ser
iCus alteration was only aver,ed By The
interference c. citizens VITO have taken
{ hand in the natter
The paroles named above were appre-
h,nded this afternoon and gave bond
in the sum Of $1.000 each f,r their ap-
peaIance on August 1St fOT a prelimi-
nary hearing. The condition of the de-
tective is unimproyed tonight and
other physicians have been summoned
TO his bedside