The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-02-19
STORIES OF
EYE WITNESSES
EVENTS THAT PRECEDED THE
KILLING OF KING.
1t Is Agreed by All Those Present
That Davis Had Taken Some Drink
and Sought Trouble with King but
There Is Wide. Variance as to the
Nature of the Events That Imme-
diately Preceded the Shooting Of
King by the Accused.

diately Preceded the Shooting of
King by the Accused
Patrick sullivan, of Mnooka, tells
u very comprehensive story Of the
trouble which occurred in his place
early Sunday morning and which re-
suited in the killing Of Peter King by
Michael Davis, police officer of
Mocsic borough
Sullivan says ii was sometime after
midnight when Davis and his chum,
Constable Harvey Decker, of Moosic,
came in. King was at this time talk
ing to him (Sullivan) at the end of the
bar. Davis came over to them and
began talking about King having re-
fused to obey subpoena which Davis
had served on him some few weeks
previous. Davis talked in a Dragging
toro and King responded in n quiet
way: you know, Davis you couldn't
take me alone" Davis replied, Yes /
could. could take you to hell"
Sullivan got them to end their argu-
tnent, and just then Dan Cotter broke
forth in q song. When the song was
finished Davis laid his hand on the
arm of Decker and addressing himself
generally but looking at King said:
This man here is as good an Irishman
as there Is in this house. and I'll stand
at hi. back"
The crowd evidently took this as
challenge from Davis to King and as
Cavis had been tantaliZing King, it was
felt that he would take it up. A young
man named John Ruane stepped in
frcrt OF King as If to intercept him if
he started for Davis. King pushed
him aside and told him to mind his own
business.
At this Davis turned on King with
torrent of abuse for his treatment of
Ruane. He called it a ''rotten trick"
and referred to King as a "big brute"
ard "a pig" Still King held his peace.
Ten or fifteen minutes went by and
during this time Davis kept up fusil-
ade of abuse of King referring to him
several times in most insulting way.
King did not pay much heed to him
but once in u while would retort in a
bantering Tone Davis, you know
you're no geod," or something to that
effect
Finally Davis abuse nettled King
and he warned him to cease. Davis
fared up quickly and said: "Ill kill
you, you -" and backed up
in a corner.
King followed him with the index
finger of his right hand extended as
wher one wishes to emphasize by a
gesture. "Now see here, Davis
King was saying, when Davis whipped
ont e. revolver from the right hand
pocket of his coat, and fired. The bull
let went over Kings head and lodged
in the ceiling. Davis did not aim at
King at the first shot.
At the report Of the pistol King,
who was only four feet away, sprang at
Davis clutching his throat with the
right hand and grasping at the pistol
with the left. He evidently did not get
a good grasp on the pistol hand, for
Davis succeeded in twisting the hand
about so that the mu2zle of the pistol
was against Kings body. Constable
Decker was also clutching at Davis
arm, but could not get at the pistol.
That he got near it though was evil
denced by the fact that his coat sleeve
was burned by the powder. Several
Others of the crowd jumped in to take
| a hand and were striving to overpower
| Davis.
OTHER tIIkED.
Only a few moments elapsed after
| the firing of the first shot, before four
| more shots were heard. Three of them
| entered Kings body. The revolver was
held so close to him that the powder
burned the flesh. When King fell, the
whole crowd fell with him in a heap.
Sullivan says that Davis was not
| Grunk and that King at no time showed
any anger. This version of the trouble
| is endorsed by Patrick Lotus and
| Thomas Sullivan who were also pres
ent.
Ciustave Dietrich another eye-wit-
| ness, told that he came down from
| Scranton on the same train as Davis
| ard Decker, but did not see them un-
| til they all got off at the Minooka sta
| tion. He and Davis and Decker had
| some drinks together in Judges saloon
and Dietrich went on up to Sullivan $
leaving the other two in Judges. He
was in Sullivan's when Davis and
Decker came in. The first disturbance
! the witness noticed was when Cotter
finished his song and Davis declared
| his friend Decker to be as good an
Irishman as there was in the place
At this King jumped at Decker, but
the crowd held him back and pacified
HIM
Shortly afterwards, Davis made some
remark TO King, whereupon King made
a move as to hit him. John Ruane
stepped in between them and King
hit Ruane on the forehead knocking
him down. Davis eXpostulated with
King for striking boy, whereupor
King again rushed at him. Again q
bvstander held him back.
In the quarrelng that followed Davis
called King a - and II big brute.
Az this King followed Davis and Davis
drew his revolver and fired ovei