The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-14
INQUEST N St. LOUIS
Over the Victims of the Riot
ing of Sunday.
QUESTION OF FIRST SHOT
Coroner Will Hold Deputy
Sheriff Mcknight.

st. Louis, June 1S.-The inquest over
the bodies of Edward Thomas and George
Rine, victims Of Sundays riot at Wash
ington avenue and Sixth street began to-
day. A large mum Der of witnesses had
been summoned by the coroner and were
present.
In the absence Of Ex-Governor William
]. Stone. who was absent looking after
matter in connection with the federal in
junction case, Attorney Charles ]. Maur-
Ter represented the strikers. Associated
with him was KiuIbrough Stone. son of
the ex-governor. Ford Smith, attorney
for Sheriff Pohlnan, was also present
Before the inquiry began, the official re-
port Of Police Captain Kiely Of the Fourth
district, on Sundays shooting was re-
ceived by the coroner This report stated
that the man who shot Edward Thomas
was Deputy Gordon Mcknight 1t set
forth that Thomas was about to shoot
Adjutant G. B. Webster when killed by
Mcknight, and that a revolver, now in
the possession of Colonel Lavender, was
found on the body of Thomas.
Coroner Lloyd impanelled the following
jury and then proceeded with the inquest:
E. J. Lorenzen, plumber; ]. C. Shiffle,
house furnisher; J. A Grombech, halter;
William Selling, furniture dealer; Fred
Evertz, cutter; Louis Kaltwasser, merch-
ant.
Attorney Maurier said he would en-
deavor to bring out evidence showing
that the shooting was not done by the
deputies in the performance of their duty
under the law, and therefore was not
justifable.
The first witness was James P. Klatz,
a guest at the Lindell hotel, who stated
that Sunday he was sitting in his room
overlooking Washington avenue, and saw
an orderly body of uniformed street car
men marching west toward him. AS far
as he was able to see no overt act was
committed by them, but two rocks had
been thrown at passing car. When the
head of the column had almost reached
Sixth street, witness saw several men
with guns step out and meet a number
of the strikers who had left the ranks
There was some scuffling and one of the
men with q shotgun fired and man in
uniform dropped. The street car men
fed at the first shot. according to the
witness, and firing became general along
the block and from the windows Of the
posse barracks.
c. ". Cassidy, photographer who was
present when the firing began. said that
he saw a man strike a car with some
thing soft; heard a cry of halt" and
saw several men pull one of the uniform
ed street car men out of the parade and
drag him over to the north side of the
street. The witness continued: At saw
the uniformed men break from the line
and saw the deputies follow them and
shoot at them. While Thomas was a
prisoner ] saw a deputy with a shotgun
dancing about him in a STOPPING position,
as if waiting for a chance to shoot. The
shots were fired so fast that they sound |
ed like the falling Of a row of bricks. |
] did not see any of the paraders draw |
revolvers. When placed under arrest |
Thomas did not draw a revolver so far /
as I could see. The shutguns, in my |
opinion, were handled as though in the |
hands of boys"
Colonel J. II. Lavender. who said he
was in command of the possee COM
mitaus. made the emphatic. statement |
that no member of the posse fired a |
shot before the paraders fired. Witness
told Of the parade of street car men
that marched past the barracks, and stat
ed that brick was hurled through the
window Of a passing car. Two of his
deputies went oIt to the crowd and seized
one Of the strikers who, the witness said,
he was informed was the man who threw
the brick. Colonel Lavender said that
some one in the crowd OF paraders fred
a revolver, which was the first shot fred.
Then, he said. the crowd of paraGers west
of Sixth street ran on upon Washington !
avenue and down Sixth street. The other
portion Of the parade which was still east
of Washington advanced rapidly to the
line of Sixth street said the witness. and
at that point opened fire with revolvers,
to which the posse replied. Colonel Caven-
der described the search to which the
twenty strikers were subjected to in the
harra cks
Adjutant George Is. Webster. of the
posse, told of the passing parade. and
SAID: "A car came west A brick was
thrown through the car window. Three
or four ~ Us ran out after the man who
tcreN tho brick. Before reached the car
there was shot fred. II was not fed
by posseman. When the fleeing man
reached the front of the car 7 saw he !
was followed by two others. both with re-
voivers. one Of them pointed his gun at
me, but it failed to work He tried 10 puu
the triSger q second time. when I heard
the report Of a shotgun and saw him fan
The man who threw the brick was after
wards arrested. Some Of the men who ,
had been IN line west on Sixth street. !
fired revolvers toward the possemen."
Kennedy who was arrested for the ,
brick throwing. was summoned bat Web f.