Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-21
SHOT FOR A NICKEL
South Omaha Saloon Keeper Mortally
Wounded by Drunken Customer.
ROW OVER PAYMENT FOR GLASS OF BEER
Frank Pysska Whips Out Revolver and
Shoots John Fyda
WOUND WILL PROBABLY CAUSE DEATH
Wielder of the Gun Then Fires a Shot at
Policeman La Duke.
OFFICER HAS A VERY NARROW ESCAPE
OFFICER HAS A VERY NARROW ESCAPE
AssnilRnt is Captured After Long
Chase, During which II is
Necessary for the officers
to shoot Him.

An exciting shooting affray occurred at
| the old Kirby hotel, Twenty y-seventh and l.
streets, shortly after o'clock Wednesday
afternoon. Two men were injured and
! policeman received a bullet through his
| clothing. John Fyda, the proprietor of the
saloon, is seriously II not fatally wounded
and Frank Pyszka, the man who started the
shooting is suffering from a slight flesh
! wound.
The trouble started over the payment for
a glass of beer. Pyszka entered the saloon
| in an intoxicated condition and asked for a
| glass of beer which was drawn for him by
! Fyda After drinking the beverage Pyszka
stood at the bar talking for few minutes
and finally the saloon man asked for his
money. The customer replied that he had
paid and was waiting for his change He
then demanded change for 81, which he as
serted he had laid on the bar when he came
in. Fyda insisted that he had not been paid
and made another demand for the nickel.
Pyszka then tuned to several men standing
nearby and tried to beg a nickel 10 square
himself with the saloonkeeper. He did not
get the money ant went back to the bar and
again insisted that he wanted the change for
81. Fyda still refused TO give the change
asked for and Pyszka whipped revolver out
of his pocket and fired, at the same time
saying, II Will give 1t to you
As soon as he had fired the shot Pyszka
rushed to the door and was out into the
street in a moment.
officer LaDuke was standing within few
feet of the saloon entrance when he heard
the shot and he started at once for the
door, meeting Pyszka on the step. The lat
ter still held his smoking revolver in his
hand When LaDuke attempted to stop
him he fired shot at the officer and started
down the hill under the viaduct on a run,
with the policeman after him. For il
drunken man Pyszka made good run and
by dodging between boXcars managed to
keep quite a distance ahead of his pursuer.
LaDuke finally saw chance and fired Il
shot. which took effect and tended greatly to
slacken the speed of the drunken Polander.
Captain Allie and Officer Morrssey, who had
Joined the chase, managed to get ahead of
the man and he was soon afterward cap
tured.
The wounded Man.
While the chase for Pyszka was going on
friends carried Fyda to his apartments over
the saloon and a message was sent to DR..
McCrann. An examination by The physician
showed that the bullet had entered the
biceps muscles of the left arm and had pene-
trated the left lung. The wound is con-
sdered a very serious and internal
the doctor was dressing the wound a priest
was sent for to administer the rites OF the
church.
The shooting caused the greatest excite
ment in the locality where it occurred, as
the first report was that there had bcea
another holdup and a saloonkeeper had been
killed. After being taken in charge by
the officers Pyszka was loaded into col
wagon and hauled to the police station. A.
the station the crowd packed the entrance
so closely that it was with difficulty that
for the prisoner was made.
The prisoner lay on the floor of the ia
Office groaning while the officers removed his
coat He cursed in several languages and
kept calling upon the officers to "pease
handle him gently" BY the removal of his
a wound under the right nipple
was observed and Dr.. Curtis was Gale
Examination showed that the bullet fired
by LaDuke mad penetrated Pyszkas coat and
four shirts and had made only slight flesh
wound.
Pyszka Admits the Shooting.
When questioned the prisoner at first de-
MED that no had fired shot in the saloon
and he also denied having taken a shot
at the policeman, but later on he admit d
the whole thing and Vehemently told the
officers that they could send him up for fifty
years for all he cared. Upon being asked
about himself the prisoner said he had btcn
working in the beet sugar factory at Ames
and had only reached South Omaha a few
hours before, BY considerable questioning
on the part OF the police Pyszka half ad-
mitted that he had served term in the Ohio
pententiary for shooting man in a row.
In his excitement in getting away the
prisoner discharged the revolver which he
The explosion set fire to bunch OF matches
in the pocket, causing hole to be burned
In the coat. Before he was cornered Pyszka
threw his revolver away and officers ave
searching for it,
Officer LaDuke had a very narrow escape,
rs the bullet fired at him passed between
his arm and his right side. cutting the
cloth OF his coat on the under side o. The
sleeve and on the waist of the garment.
Work of Securing Witnesses.
Chief Carroll spent several hours last
evening in securing witnesses. Several diff
erent versions OF the affair have been given
ly the men who were in The saloon at tn
ime but all admit that the "chew
match" as one fellow called 1t, started
over the payment for glass OF beer A
majority of tho men in the saloon at the
ime were under the influence OF liquor
Nnlcn III great medSuIo dVCuuhtS loI tue
,arance OF the stories told Tho shooting
vas done so quickly that only very few
the act.
Those residing in the block were wildly ,x-
ited and crowded into the room where
Cyda lay until there was hardly room for
lr. McCrann to work. With one or two
all in the room were foreigners
md they were all talking at once causing
perfect babel and increasing the excite
nent,
In speaking Of Fyda's condition last night
)r. McCrann said that the injury would
,robably prove fatal The bullet has not
,een located but it is supposed to be odgei
n close proximity to the heart, A oop-
ultation OF physicians was held last niqht
N tho case,
Fyda was taken TO St Josephs hospital
asst evening. He was bleeding internally
tg NJ