The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-08-05
BLOODY TRAGEDY At WACO.
WILL AND BEN KIVETT WE'RE
SLAIN by Mex. LAMBLYN, A
TELEGRAPH OPERATOR.
WAS A DESPERATE Death STRUGGLE
The kivett brothers Visited n BrOi<-
er's Office Where LambIyn Was
at Work and Immediately
the battle Hogan.

Waco, Tex, July 2S.-(Spccial, ben
jamin +. Kivett and win w. Kivett, two
young men, one II house and sign painter
and the other bricklayer, are riddled
with bullets and dead, and William
Mex. Lamblyn, Western Union tele-
graph operator, is in the custody of the
sheriff.
The kivctt brothers entered the Pa
ciic hotel from the Franklin street en- |
trance, and when they reached the point |
in the long hallway leading to the office, |
at which one side door opens into the ,
dining room and the other into the bro
kcr and commission Office of G.. f. |
Trice n Co., II fight commenced, in which |
Il double-barreled shotgun and two re-
volvers Inquired, and when it was over
the kivctt brothers were stretched in !
bloody death, and Lamblyn, the opera
tor. was pale and bleeding. though his |
wounds were slight, the pnllor resulting !
from the awful excitement through
which he had just past, lasting but min
ute or two, but dreadful in its conse-
qucnces and most sangunary in all of
its aspects.
There has been Il quarrel of several
years standing, and Il few weeks ago, in
personal encounter. Lamblyn was cut.
The public has never been made ac-
Quainted with the origin of the difficulty,
and when approached this afternoon by
tlt reporter, WI lNluIblN utNiiuth w
talk ON the subject. He was willing to
tell about the fatal meeting at noon to-
day, in which he slew the two kivetts
and narrowly escaped with his own life.
He said
II was seated ut my instrument, TAX
ing market bulletins, and | saw the two
Kivetts, Ben and VIII. pass the Frank
lin street entrance. They looked into
| the room and made observations. i
Enn,y tho hour had arrived and | got
| ready. They entered the Pacific hotel
at the door just past our door, the ladies
| entrance. and ! heard them in the hall.
| When they were about to enter the door
| leading from the hallway into the room
in which | was taking bulletins l knew
it was time to act. and | did act. My
| first shot from my double barreled shot
gun stopped Ben Kivett. His brother
| Will came Mt me. revolver in hand, and
as he fired, struck up his weapon. After
| the first two shots from my gun, i
dropped that weapon. and while strug
Cling over the floor with VIII Kivctt |
succeeded in shooting him with my re-
| yolvCr.'
Mr.. Lamblyn fred two shots from the
gun when the first rush was made by the
Kivctt boys One charge passed through
the screen of the brokers' door. killing
Ben Kivctt and lodging in the door across
the hallway. one of the buckshot pene
trating the panel and entering the hotel
dining room. The other shotgun charge
wounded Will Kivett and buried itself in
the facing of the dining room door.
Most of the customers of the place were
ut lunch. The morning markets had been
chalked upon the blackbOards and Oper-
tor Lamblyn was taking the closing fore
noon bulletins. He had many reasons to
expect hostile visit. and he watched
! while he worked.
Mr. James l.. Moore, the proprietor of
| fine Pacific hotel had noted the fact that
Ben and VIII Iiivett were around and
notified the police. An officer was near ut
! hand. but the battle began and ended so
| suddenly that interference to preserve the
peace was impossible. Ben Kivett fell in
| heap in the hallway and died with
scarcely n groan. The charge in che
double barrelcd shotgun consisted of
+ buckshot, with plenty of powder to make
them go with fatal results. Ben Kivett's
neck and breast were riddled.
+ The other shotgun charge only slightly
wounded Will Kivett who was an active
young man. As his brother sank at his
feet corpse he drew his revolver and
with his eyes blazing rushed at Lamblyu
and fired straight at his head. Lamblyu
was lucky enough to strike up the re-
volver or his brains would have been spat-
tered on the floor. The revolver battle was
n hot and deadly duel in the brokers' Of
flee The shots followed each other IN
rapid succession. After dropping the shot
gun and drawing his pistol Lambyn's
movements were like Ii ghtning. He is
trained soldier and it showed in the bat
tie. Kiveu, utterly disregardful Of
wounds. struggled to get in a fatal shot
until u bullet crashed through his brain
and he also sank to the floor a corpse.
t 1t seems n miracle that no one was hurt
except the combatants Mr. Tricc, the
proprietor of the brokers' office, was an
eye witness and was in imminent danger
from the bullets.
! When the sheriff and the chief of police
arrived they moved Ben Kivett's body
from the hall and laid him beside his dead
brother on the floor of the brokers' office.
Their blood drained from their bodies and
dyed the floor in wide streaks, leaving the
floor livid and CHASTITY. Friends composed
their corpscs, which made pathetic pic
turc side by side. white and graceful In
rel is their own secret. Their friends jus
, tify their taking off, for il was war and
bloody battle. Their fierce courage was
. well known and only the most cool sell
possession and skill saved their slayer.
Justice Bayliss Earle was in the hotel
and was one of the first 10 reach the scene
of the tragedy. He began the inquest
this afternoon and meanwhile Mr.. Lam
byn is in custody. AS soon as the IN
quest proceedings are closed his lawyer
will ask the justice to fix the amount of his
bail. Facts set forth in this statement
agree with the testimony in possession OF
Justice Earle in every detail. Ben Kivett
leaves widow and children. Will was
a young bachelor They were hardwork-
/ ing. skilful boys, each. according to his
craft, well trained and superior. Their
surviving brother, Walter X. Kivett, II a
prominent business man of Waco. The
dead brothers this afternoon late were
placed in collins and tomorrow they will &c
buried Tbe inquest will Ike resumed to-
morrow. Most Of the testimony was taken
today.
,,r,.,u u anunye