The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-17

Hot Springs, Ark, March ,16.-A
shooting occurred here at $50 o'clock
this afternoon. which resulted in the
death of FIVE men and the serious
wounding of two others, one of whom
is not expected to live. The killed are:
Thomas Toler chief of police.
J. f. Hart, city detective.
Thomas F. Goslee, police sergeant.
John Williams, son of Sheriff Will
liams.
Louis Hinkle, driver of brewery
wagon.
Ed Spears was shot in the neck and
may die.
The shooting was the result of q feel
ing growing ont Of the mayoraity con-
test, which was under way here The
Sheriff was a warm supporter of the
regular Democratic nominee, while To-
Ter, Hart and Goslee were supporters Of
the opposite candidate.
Feeling ran high, and early in the af-
ternoon shots. We're exchanged in front
Of the city hail between the sheriff and
his son, John, one one side, and Ser
geant Goslee on the other, but no one
was injured.
After this, both parties determined to
have it out. Toler, Hart and Goslee
We're together, walking south on Cen
trail avenue, about $50 O'Clock, when
they met Sheriff Williams and his two
sons, John and Coffey and Ed Speers,
a deputy sheriff, in front Of Lemp's
beer depot. The quarrel was renewed
No one can tell who fired the first shot,
but in moment there was a general
fusillade, in which forty or fifty shots
We're exchanged. When it was over,
Toler, Hart, Goslee and Hinkle. a nom
combatant, Were dead, and John Will
HaIns mortally wounded. He died about
an hour later.
Louis Hinkle attempted to separate
the conlbatants at the commencement,
and was shot in the head and died in
stantly.
The mayor Immediately after the
shooting, appointed Judge J.. D. Beld-
ing chief of police, who had a posse of
deputies sworn il 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
o'clock, that the whole affair grew out
of the intense feeling on the fnayoralty
contest.
Z have ordered all the 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 a, po-
liceman, on account of his friendship
for Bedding. Populist candidate for
mayor. Williams claims he was not
armed, but that as Goslee attempted
to assassinate him, a friend of his grab
bed the pistol and handed the Sheriff
another one. Goslee started to run and
Williams fred several shots, without
effect This occurred about 3 o'clock in
the afternoon. About o'clock the trou-
bic rboke out again, beginning with
the deliberate assassination of his son,
who was shot in the back Of he head
and killed instantly by the policeman
who attempted to take his life. Will
liams 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
Guiding the one that had made an at
tempt to kill him, had been killed, and
one citizen had been seriously wounded.