The Bourbon news., 1899-03-21
RIOT.
In Shooting Over the Mayoralty Con-
test Five We're Killed.
The Riot Started in Front of the CITY Hall
at Hot Springs, Ark.-In All Be-
tween Forty and Fifty Shots
Were Fired. :

HoT SPRINGS, Ark, March IA
shooting occurred here at $50 Thurs
day 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. E. Hart. city detective.
I Thomas f. Goslee, police sergeant
John Williams, son of Sheriff Will
iams. ..,
y Louis X. Hinkle, driver of brewery
wagon.
Ed Spears was shot in the neck and
may die.
The shooting was the result of feel
ing growing out Of the mayoralty con-
test which was under way here. The
sheriff was a warm supporter of the
regular democratic nominee. while
Toler, Hart and Goslee were support
ing an opposing candidate.
Feeling ran high, and early in the
afternoon shots were exchanged be-
tween the sheriff and his son John in
front of the city hall, on one side, and
Sergt. Goslee on the other, but no
one was injured. After this it was
determined to have it out by both par
ties.
Toler, Hart and Goslee were together
walking south on Central avenue at
bout half past five o'clock when they
It Sheriff Williams and his two sons,
I'm and Coffey, and'Ed Spears, deputy
/ herif, in front of sLemp's beer depot.
The quarrel was renewed. No one can
tell who fired the first shot, but in a
moment there was a general fusilade
and 40 or so shots were exchanged.
When it was over Toler, Hart, Goslee
and Hinkle, anon-combatant, was dead
and John Williams mortally wounded.
He died about an hour later. Louis
Hinkle attempted to separate the COM
batants at the commencement and was
shot in the head and died instantly.
The mayor Immediately after the
shooting appointed Judge Z. 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 trouble
is anticipated.
The mayor says in an interview at
o'clock Thursday that the whole affair
ngrew out of the intense telling in the
eyoralty contest,
7 have ordered all saloons in the
crossed, and everything is as quiet
suall and there will be no further
ble.Y
heriff Williams in an interview at
home at 10 O'Clock Thursday night
Id that there was an attempt made
assassinate him Thursday after
loon by policeman on account of his
Friendship for Belding, the popular
candidate for mayor. Williams claims
he was not armed, but Goslee attempt
ed to assassinate him but 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 8
O'Clock in the afternoon. A About S
o'clock the trouble broke out again, be-
ginning with the deliberate as
, sassination of his son, who
was. shot in the back of the head and
"a instantly by the policeman who
tempted to take his life. Williams
US he was not present until the
iooting had ceased. He then found
that his son, the chief of police, De
tective Hart and two policeman, in
cluding the one that had made an at
tempt to kill him, had been killed
and one citizen had been seriously
wounded.