The Iola register., 1902-08-08
FATHER KILLED HIS SON
K, l.. Kirby, the East Side
Druggist, Shot His Son
}. l.. Kirby Through
the Head
HAD QUARRELLED ALL DAY
Both Had Been Drinking,
Scuffied and the Father
ay s He Shot in
Self Defense.

vi young business man, locked the
broken-hearted father in jail and
prostrated his family, occurred Tues
day on the east side of the square.
K. l.. Kirby, senior member of the
drug firm of Kirby Ia Son, shot and
instantly killed j. L. Kirby, the junior
partner. The shooting occurred at
the rear end of the store about $50,
the father standing in the rear room
and the son out on the sidewalk The
dead man was removed to Culbert-
sons undertaking parlor and the
murderer was secured at his home and
locked up in the county Jail.
All the parties concerned in the ter
rible affair are comparative strangers
here. Mr.. and Mrs. r.. L. Kirby
came here few weeks ago from Edo
rado, Kansas, where he ran drug
store. They are quiet, respectable
people aged 'about sixty years, and
have won friends rapidly. They had
two boys Leslie and Ralph, the
former about twenty-six years old,
and the younger about twenty-four.
Both are married and Leslie, his wife
and little girl lived with his parents in
the house on north Jefferson avenue
formerly owned by Mrs. Randolph.
When the family came here, Mr..
Kirby rented the lower room of the
new DR.. Clearinghouse building at the
corner of Jefferson and East streets
and put in a fine line of drugs and
jewelry. The firm name was Kirby
~ Sons.
The principals in the affair being
nearly total strangers, the shooting
occurring in the presence Of only one
witness, the younger son, and the un-
expoctedness of the whole thing have
given rise to countless versions. AS
near as can be learned the shooting
was unintentional. Young Kirby
has caused his father trouble for years
and large sums of money have been
spent in the hope OF keeping him
straight and out of trouble. He was
addicted to the use of drugs and is
known to have been sullen and abusive
toward members of his own family.
Tuesday evening the young man went
to the store, kicked things about in
the rear room, quarreled with his
father and refused to go home to sup
per, although it was then after 0
o'clock. One report says he helped
himself to the alcohol, another that he
took money from the drawer. Just
before the shooting he stepped out on
the walk south of the building and
was sweeping the pavement. A man
who claims to have been standing
within sixty feet of him says he heard
a shot and saw young Kirby stagger
and fall. None of the Kirbys would
discuss the affair, but from some
source the story started that the boy
and his father had scuflled inside the
rear room, that the boy tried to re-
enter, he and his father jerking the
screen door back and forth. Then the
shot rang out, coming from inside the
building, and the young man fell n
the walk, the bullet having passed
through his temples. The younger
brother ran out, placed,a pillow under
his head, but he died a few moments
later The body was taken to an un-
dertaking parlor.
The father had disappeared when
the police arrived. w. j. Conley was
early on the scene with Elmer Ed
wards. They found the young man
dying and beside his outstretched
hand on the walk lay razor, closed.
Sheriff Hobart soon appeared and
with constable went to the Kirby
home where the father was found. He
had gone straight home, informed his
wife in dazed sort of way that LESS
is dead, / shot him." and went up
stairs to his room. Mrs. Kirby is an
invalid, sick abed, and she gave a
scream when told the news. Her
daughter-in-law, who had retired up
stairs, thinking she was ill, hastily
dressed and ran down stairs. She
was informed of the death of her hus-
band. Mr.. Kirby also informed her
of the shooting.
uLess is dead. shot him. | didn't
moan to, but he started at me with a
razor and l pointed the gun at him to
scare him away.
When the officers arrived they start
ed up stairs but were met by Mr..
Kirby, coming down. He gave him
aelf M and was taken to the jail,
SEARCHED and locked up. AS the party
left the house the daughter-in-law, so
recently made widow, seemed to
voice the feeling of the family in the
, t,olran exuression: "POor