Semi=weekly graphic., 1896-05-13
LEW OWENS VERSION.
HE MAKES A STATEMENT RELATIVE To HIS DIFFICULTY WITH E. 8.
 BLOOM.
Admits That He Was Intoxicated But Denies That He Sought the
 Difficulty.
Hon SpnINas. Ark May !. 1sa

Dear Sir:-Piease allow me space in your paper for ny statement of the affair of Friday night, May 1st. | Having just received the Pine Bluff papers containing MT. Blooms we'll fixed version of the much to be re- gretted and very unpleasant occur rence,I would say 1t very natural for him to cater to public sympathy and I would not expect otherwise of him in this case.
 I wish to first apoligise to all my friends for my condition on that night. 1 aekno wledge, much to my discrcdit, that l was in condition which never had xperienced before, and never will again. if I keep my right mind. 1 have been troubled very much in the last few months with rheumatism in-my right knee, which has been SO painful and sore that at different times l was com pelled to go to bed for q day or two at time. had just recovered from one of these acute attacks on that day Clay 1s0 and hardly able to get about, suffering intense pains all the time. The worry of which, coupled with my business, and talk ing several drinks with my friends seemed to have gone against me and placed me in a deplorable condition. T e., H., no other way. But when Mir. Bloom asserts that I had been looking for trouble for over a year lie makes statement that is entirely false and malicious. Had I any thoughts of attacking that limitation of a man' I see no reason on earth for me to have postponed il until thls late day. I will further state that did not strike him with cane, or strike at him with it. Neither did have, as he claims, q tremendous, heavy or big cane The one l had did not weigh over six ounces and it had been broken almost in two for some time Mr. Bloom seems to claim and take pride i'll his assertion that he knocked me off of the Court House steps to the walk below. Had he done this so much more to his shame, but such was not the case, as he did not run any chances of getting that close to me until l stepped down one step on my lame limb which gave way under me and fell helpless to the walk below. Then the every small man, as the Press-Eagle calls him Every correctly had an oppor- tunity to show the kind of courage and manhood in him by coming down at me. He did not need torush, as was stated, for 1 admit l was unable to get up without assistance. It was then he used his gun as club like q cowardly assassin. Mir. Bloom claims his reason for taking his gun on this occasion was from the warnings he had received about me, when all who are familiar with his ways know he never goes out at night without this same gun. l have been informed he has been per suaded out of the notion of assassin ating me on more than one occasion. Mir. Bloom should reflect over the hard things he has said and the vil- Iainous, lies he has circulated about me which l know, positively, he did do from the beginning of our trouble before he refers to the hard things he has heard I said of him. He has his story very conveniently fixed and, had he been successful minis motive. he would then have been thorough ly satisfied. He knows, evidently, what should be his just deserts from me-a guilty conscience needs no nc cuser-so he thought here was a con dition which he might never see me in again and he was certainly safe to attempt anything then, and at the same time prove that what little l did was sufficient grounds for him to get clear out of the way, and would be out of his way forever. l desire to state that Mr. Bloom had noth- ing to do with my selling my inter- est in the Hotel Trulock bar and l have never intimated that he did or that he in any way had anything to do with it. Very respectfully,
 l.. F. OWEN.