The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-11
One Person Fatally Wounded
and Two Others Badly
Injured.
THE MADMAN HIMSELF rs AT
DEATHS DOOR.
Finally Brought Down by d Bullet
From Chief Of Police Warren's
Pistol.

SPOKANE, WASH, Aug. 10. - John
Thomas, prospector, aged IS, shot through
the liver and left shoulder; will die within
forty-eight hours.
Ole Olsen OF Anoka, Mimi, aged Is, shot
above the left nipple; probably MORALLY
wounded.
C. f. Davis, shot in the left shoulder;
flesh wound; will recover.
Max Jackson, aged IL, shot in the left
wrist and third finger; wound slight
This is the list of casualties resulting
from a desperate battle in front OF the
Grand Hote! in this city at $3.50 o'clock
this afternoon. On a crowded street
twenty light shots were fired.
John Thomas came down from the Fort
Steele country several days ago. Nothing
is known of him except that he has been
crazy drunk for day or two. This after
noon he approached George NJ. Watson,
prospector of Leavenworth, Wash, who
was seated in front of the Grand Hotel,
and asked:
Have you had all the fun with me that
you want?'
Watson had never seen the man before
in his life. He backed off. Thomas re-
peated the question, drawing a 4S-caliber
revolver as he did So Watson fed, run
ming around the hotel. Thomas fired at
him, the bullet cutting the mans coat
and vest, but escaping the skin by a frac-
ton OF an inch. Then Thomas delibe-
rately turned his weapon on a crowd of
fifteen or twenty hotel guests who were
seated on chairs on the pavement. He
fired three shots among them. When he
got through some of the guests were on
the third floor of the building and still
going; the rest were fighting in the door
way. No one was hit.
Thomas strolled slowly north ard, re-
loading his revolver as he went. a woman
on the other side of the street attracted
his.attention. He aimed his revolver at
her, when young Norwegian, Ole Olsen,
ran in front of him and struck up the
weapon. Thomas leaped back and, lower
ing the gun again, turned it upon the
youthful hero and dropped him in his
tracks. The woman was Mrs. Charles F.
Ruddy. She was unhurt. She is the wife
of prominent mining man.
Police Officer Sullivan, block away,
was running to the scene. He could not
see who was doing the shooting and did
uOl QIdW MS OWN revolver. he was nail
the distance across the street from Thomas
when the latter turned on him, aimed ana
fired. Sullivan paused in surprise, but re-
covering his presence of mind he pulled
mis- weapon and replied in kind, breaking
window in the City Hall block away
The aim of both Thomas and Sullivan was
bad and neither did damage to the other.
Private Detective Alexander Mcdonald,
from another direction, opened fire. Then
it was that Thomas turned his revolver
loose, shooting into the crowd that could
not get away and wounding two more per-
sons.
At this moment Chief of Police Joel
Warren arrived on the scene. He has
killed three men already in the discharge
of his duty, and is known as dead shot.
Tall, impassive, dressed in long black
frock coat, with flowing mustache and
long black hair showing under a
broad black hat, he made striking figure
as he took the center of the street all to
himself and approached the desperate
man.
For some unaccountable reason he shot
wildly the first time. Thomas concen-
trated his attention upon Warren and
nred quickly twice, while Warren was
slowly raising his revolver for a second
shut. This bullet went through Thomas
liver, but the crazy prospector did not
drop. He only WINGED and, turning, ran
toward an old iron safe in vacant lot
near by.
Warren fired again, and at the same
instant three other revolvers blazed forth.
Thomas was in the act of climbing over
the rail to get TO the lot. He sank down
in heap. Warren held up his hand as
an order to the others to cease firing, ard
the officers closed in on the MORALLY
wounded man. As they lifted him he
murmured again:
Have you had all the fun with me you
wantH'
He was taken to tho Sacred Heart Hos
pital with the other wounded. He Will
make no statement except TO say that his
name is John Thomas and that he comes
from Fort Steele, B. G.