Richmond planet., 1900-10-13
DEATH OF r. @. o. BENJAMIN.
Lexington Daily Le.der.l

lJe1tnRton beily Letucr.I
r. O. o. Bepjsmin, editor Of the Lex
ing Standard. y colered Republican
newspaper, and lawyer and occssion-
nj preaeher, lies dead st his home on
w. Main Sc, shot in the back, and
Michael Moynahsn, an em loye OF the
present city sdmipistr atio- the official
challenger OF the Democrstic Commit
tee In notorious precinct 30. and now
under Indictment in the United States
Court for sn assault on Richard Curd,
a colored man in the same precinct In
the registration ofs1see, is 9 prisoner
IA che county lail charged with murder.
The tragedy. depressing and la
uents Bile one in the extreme, is the re-
suit of the usual disgracefui brawls
which have madefhe city odious for
years on registration and election
days. The affair is ehrouded in more
or less mystery. a6 those who were at
the scene of the tragedy either refuse
to talk or profess ignorance. Tue az
faiS took place &C Precinct 81, old
Bloody 3" at the s%orrsr % OF spring
The Leader called within thirsy min
utesisfter the tragedy. ocourred. but
onlv a few who were present when the
shooting OCCURRED we're present, and of
those not one would give out stery
of the tragedy, either refusing to talk
or d deelnrins ignorance. The facts ss
gathered by the Leader ct thst time
are briefly these:
Benjamin called early in the after
noon and registered. Later he came
back with several Negroes whom he
asked TO have registered The slec-
tion officers asked q number CT Ques
tions OF the applicants and Benjamin
thinking they were asking unnecessa.
ry cnestions calculated to delay the
work, protested. To this Mcynahan,
DemoSr atic challenger, responded. A
quarrel ensued in which Moynahanl
struck Benjamin in the face. John
DOYLE and others took Moynahan away
and Bepiamin left. Some said he "a ade
threats against MoynAhan, but on this
point the stories conflict. About z
O'Clock Benjamin returned. Is was
quite dark and there were quite q mum
ber OF men gathered ebous the booth.
A few short sharp words were heard
but q body SCENE to have heard what
tn, v we're or who spoke them, and i'm.
meaiately four or five shots were fired
in rapid succession. Benjamin was
seen to flee toward Spsyer's junk
house while these shots were being
fred, and fell just in the rear of that
building. He plunged forward oD his
face, turned over and expired almost
instantly. Policeman Luke Doyle aud
Newton Harkins rushed TO the booth
and met Moynahan. Moynahan, Ac-
cording to Doyle exclaimed, II sur
render" they took his revolver in
charge. MoYnahan was locked up in
the county Jail and at that time refus-
ed to say anything except, II shot in
self-defense."
sHoT IN THE BACK.
Bepjamin's body was removed to
Williams undertaking establishment
on Vine st., and later TO that of Porter
& Jackson. An examination of the
dead man disclosed two pistol shot
wonnds, one entering the muscle OF
the right arm, betweeB the elbow and
shoulder. and one entering below the
left shoulder blade The bullet pass
ed diagonAlly through tbf body pIere.
ing the heart, ana loAF!ng in the
breast. It Was afterwari ent out by
the undertaken.
At the undertaker's establishment
an e6ort was made to find the ball
that struck the arm, but it could not
be located, and is supposed to have
ranged upward along the bone of the
arm and gone into the shoulder.
EVERYBODY WAS MUM.
stsries at the booth where the trou-
BILE occurred were conflicting and mea-
gre. One to the effect that eleven
shots were fred and that outsiders
took hand; one that Benjamin fred
upon Moynshan first, and still others
to the effect shat Benjamin called Moy
nahan an offensive name and that then
Moynahan fred.
The Leader asked Thos. MoNsmars.
who was clerk st she booth for the
particulars, and he replied, "I was in