The record-union., 1899-03-17
A Shooting Occurs on the Streets
Of Hot Springs,
Ending in tho Death Of Five Men and Sc
rlously Wounding Of Another.
The Chief of Police, City Detective
and Police Sergeant Among
Those Killed-The Shooting the
Result of Feeling Growing Out
of the Contest for Mayor of the
City.

HOT SPRINGS, March 16-A shoot
ing occurred here at $50 o'clock this
afternoon which resulted in the death
of five men and the serious wounding
OF another, who is not expected to live.
The killed are: Thomas Toler, Chief
OF Police; j. E. Hart, City Detective;
Thomas F. Goslee, Police Sergeant;
John William, son of Sheriff Williams;
Louis Hinkle, driver of brewery
wagon.
Ed Spears was shot in the neck, and
may die.
The shooting was the result Of feeling
growing out of the Mayoralty contest,
which was under way here. The
Sheriff was a warm supporter of the
regular Democratic nominee, while
Toler, Hart and Goslee were supporters
Of the opposition candidate. Feeling
ran high, and early in the afternoon
shots We're exchanged in front of the
City Hall between the Sheriff and his
son John on one side, and Sergeant
Gcslee on the other, but no one was in
jIred.
After this both parties determined to
have it out. Toler, Hart and Goslee
were together walking south on Central
avenue at about half-past ) o'clock,
when they met Sheriff Williams and his
two sons, John and Coffey, and Ed
Spears, Deputy Sheriff. in front OF
the Lemps beer depot. The quarrel
was renewed. No one can tell who fired
the first shot, but in a moment there
was q general fusillade, in which forty
or fifty shots We're exchanged. When
it was over Toler, Hart, Geslee and
Hinkle, a nom combatant, We're dead,
and John Williams mortally wounded.
He died about an hour later
Louis Hinkle attempted to separate
the ccmbatants at the commencement,
and was shot in the head and died in
stantly.
The Mayor, Immediately after the
shooting, appointed Judge l.. D. Beld-
ing Chief of Police, who had a posse
of deputies sworn in at once. There is
little factional feeling outside of those
engaged in the shooting. Order was
easily restored, and the city is now
quiet. The Sheriff and his son Coffey
are under arrest and no further trou-
bic is anticipated.
The Mayor said in an interview at 9
o'clock that the whole affair grew out
Of the intense feeling on the Mayoralty
contest. Il have ordered all saloons
in the city closed, and everything is as
quiet as usual, and there will be no
further trouble
Sheriff Williams, in an interview at.
his home at 10 O'Clock tonight, said
that there was an attempt made to as
sassinate him this afternoon by po-
liceman on account of his friendship
for Relding, the popular candidate for
Mayor. Williams claims he was not
armed, but that as Goslee attempted
to assassinate him, a friend of his
grabbed the pistol and handed the
Sheriff another one. Goslee started to
run. and Williams fired several shots
without effect. This occurred about 3
D. m. About p. m. the trouble broke
out again, beginning with the deliberate
assassination of his son, who was shot
in the back of the head and killed in
stantly by the policeman who at
tempted to take his life.
Williams says he was not present
until the shooting had ceased. He then
found that his son, the Chief of Police,
Detective Hart and two policemen, in
cluGing the one that had made an at
tempt to kill him, had been killed, and
one citizen had been seriously wounded.