The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1898-12-29
HE KILLED HIS MAN.
JOSEPH A. MAYER, OF0 PLEASANT
PRAIRIE, KILLS D. E. RILEY.
SAYS he SHOT IN SELF DEFENSE
Killing Was the Result of an Old Feud-
Bullet From Mayors Revolver Finds
Lodgment in Riley's Heart,
Killing Him Instantly

KenOsha will figure in another muir
der case in Chicago, for Wednesday
night Joseph A. Mayer, milk dealer
living in Pleasant Prairie just outside
the limits of Kenosha, shot and killed
D. E. Riley, a Chicago Northwestern
railway detective, near saloon at the
corner of Kinzie and Larrabee streets
in Chicago.
The shooting occurred shortly after
6 o'clock in the evening and was the
elimination of quarrel between the
two men. The bullet from Mayors
revolver took effect in Riley's heart
and he died instantly. Mayer was at
once arrested and when taken to the
police station told the following story:
81 left home" said Mayer last
night, "about noun. l stopped in
Evanston to see W. G. Hawthorne, who
owed me some money for milk that
had shipped to him, but, as I did not
find him boarded train and came on
into Chicago. After purchasing few
Christmas trinkets [ started back to
the Northwestern depot, intending to
take a train home. Having few
minutes to wait went into Peter Otis
saloon, across the street from the
depot, to get something to eat. / had
been in the saloon but minute Or two
when Hawthorne came in.
After having a drink with him
asked him if he could not pay his bill.
He then flew into a passion and said:
I will pay you when get good and
ready and not before Then he turned
his back on me and went to the other
end of the bar. Just then Riley came
in and started to drink with HaW-
thOrne. AS / started to leave the
saloon [ had to pass near the two, and
as did so Riley stepped before me and
began to curse me.
81 attempted to push past him, but
he struck me several times. Then L
went out of the side door and to the
corner of Orleans and Kinzie streets to
look for policeman. Riley followed
me. AS he came up he said, 'Pll fix
you, - you,' and at the same time
drew revolver. I lodged across the
street in front of trolley car to
escape, but when ] saw Riley still
pursuing me / turned and fred at him
twice. He fell to- the pavement and
his revolver bounded into the gutter. "
The story of the shooting as told by
Mayer is contradicted by William Muir
ply, teamster and an acquaintance of
Riley, who was in the saloon at the
time. Murphy said that after the
quarrel Mayer left the place by side
door. Riley was going to follow him,
but was stopped by Murphy. Ten
minutes later, Murphy says, Riley left
the saloon to go to his house, 1888 North
Albany avenue. Murphy followed him
to the street and saw Mayer approach
him, he says, with his right hand in his
hip pocket. Murphy says Riley
exclaimed:
"Don't you do it. "
Murphy says the men were twenty
feet apart, and Mayer drew his revolver
and fred two shots. Riley did not
have his revolver in his hand, accord
cOrding to the story told by Murphy.
Mayors statement of the trouble in
the street is corroborated by Peter
Reiter, a conductor on a Larrabee
street electric car. Reiter told Sargent
Sauer that he saw two men running
west across Orleans street. The man
who was being chased had lost his hat
and as he reached the sidewalk he
turned and fred two shots at his pur-
suer. The man shot at fell to the
sidewalk, but in the darkness Reiter
could not see whether he had revolver
in his hand.
Mayer is we'll known in this city and
has never before been known to be of
quarreleome or dangerous nature. His
family is one of the best known am0Lg
the farmers of Pleasant Prairie and it is
greatly to be regretted that this blot
has been placed on the family name.