The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-23
(. E. TAYLOR SHOT TO DEATH
 BY DEPUTY BYRON TRAMMELL

in front of the Exchange Hotel walking down Commerce Street. The men met in
 front of the Exchange bar.
 No one heard the words that passed be-
 tween them but many persons saw the desperate encounter. In describing it the
 witnesses practically agreel.
 The tragedy was played out on the bril-
 iiantly lighted sidewalk and every detail
 was visible to those in the immediate
 neighborhood. Taylor, according to the acs count of the few men who saw the very
 beginning of the difficulty. stopped in
 front of Trammel, half extending his left hand. apparently as though trying to shake hands. At the same moment he struck Trammel. who staggered back, his
 hat falling to the sidewalk. At this time 1 Trammell threw his hand to his rear pocket and brought out his pistol.
 Trammell Fired Fast.
 He leveled the pistol at Taylor within a few inches of his breast. The weapon was self-acting and Trammell worked the trigger with indescribable rapidity. It was emptied of every shot in a few seconds. More than one witness declared the shots were fired quicker than they could be | counted.
 At the first shot Taylor drew back Re- treating he turned until his back was to | Trammell and the flashing pistol. Tram | was about three feet away when he sank to the pavement.
 | Three of the five shots fired by Tram l mell took effect and any one of the three would have been fatal. Two of them l pierced the heart. Two bullets passed en- l tirely through the body and buried them selves in the brick front of the Exchange | Hotel. The weapon use was a Smith and Wesson pistol of 3S calibre, old style. | There were many pedestrians and by | islanders whose lives were endangered by
 the shooting. At the first shot a wild | scramble for safety ensued. One of the bullets struck the ankle of a hack horse standing near by. Another bullet went
 through the tire of the wheel of Bicycle l Patrolman Downs.
 Patrolman Story was within few feet | of the men when the shooting began.
 Bicycle Patrolmen Downs and Canty were
 riding by on their wheels. They reached | the sidewalk about the time the last shot was fired. The three patrolmen with AL
 derman w. E. Haygood seized Trammell, Alderman Haygood took the pistol from
 his hand.
 Slayer Cursed Victim. As this was done Trammel said: Damn l him. he's been threatening me. He went | for his gun but he never got a chance to
 use it. Don't jerk me. I'm a gentleman. | I'll give up.'
 few minutes later at the County Jail l Trammell said:
 Tt is a deplorable affair. I regret 1t | but I prefer not to make any statement | or talk about it.
 Soon after the shooting there were sev- eral rumors as to the location of Taylor s wounds, 1t being clamied by Taylor's ] friends that they were all in the back. l To definitely settle the question which might have an important bearing | at the trial an autopsy was held 1 The autopsy was held in the morgue of Coroner w. H. Tice. A number of sur l geons assisted the coroner in conducting | the investigation. Police Chief A. S.. l Gerald, an authority on pistol wounds, I was also present. The investigation 1 lasted nearly two hours.
 Location of Wounds.
 The theory first advanced that there were only two wounds. both of which en- tered the front of the body and passed | entirely through was exploded. A ball which entered the heart was found in the right side The surgeon who was in | charge of the autopsy said:
 There were three wounds. two of which passed entirely through the body | The other ball we found. All of the wounds were almost instantaneously fa- | tai
 When asked whether the two balls which passed entirely through the body entered | in the front or the rear of the body, tho | surgeon said:
 T don't know. I can't give out any, | thing else"
 Trammell is man of slender build, apparently about feet 10 or Il inches in height. and weighing perhaps 15o pounds.
 Taylor was an inch or two lower in l height. but was of heavier build He | weighed perhaps more than 19O pounds Taylor had himself been a deputy United States Marshal. He served in the l ofice of Col. w. H. Tisdale during the | last Cleveland administration. He was married and had one child, a boy about 10 years of age, The wife and child live at his home in Roanoke.
 l Trammell was also married and had one child. He boarded with his family at the corner of Madison Avenue and Lawrence Street He was appointed an office deputy by Marshal Lee J. Bryan three months ago. coming here from Roanoke. Taylor's failure in business took place in November, 1901. Since then the United States Courts have been busy with mat | ters relating ta the failure The large liabilities and the small assets made the | failure a remarkable one. New interest was added to the case when it was charged that goods that should have been on hand had been disposed of in some way and could not be found.
 | Captain Charles T Pollard was appoInt- ed special referee in the case He had con siderable trouble in locating TayIor's s books and finally had to appeal to the Federal Court.
 Taylor failed to appear at the examina- tion. United. States deputies tried to ar rest him for contempt of court for his ac- tions in the bankruptcy matters. He elud- ed them in Randolph County and finally escaped to Texas where he remained in hiding for a year
 1 He was arrested in Austin, Tex, three weeks ago. being charged with com plicity in A shooting in which a relative of his was one of the participants This arrest revealed his hiding place and he was returned to Alabama by the Federal authorities
 On his return to Alabama the bank ruptcy proceedings were rsopened. It has been in progress before Referee Asa E. | Stratton for over week Taylor and | Trammell, 1t is said. have both testified at the hearing. It is said by Taylor's | friends that he made a clean breast of all | the affairs relating to the failure. telling of the disposal of all the goods.
 It was alleged that he testified that Trammelil was due the estate about s, GOO. | It is claimed by Trammell's friends that he had receipts to show his settlements | Tor all purchases made from Taylor. Tay- lors testimony is said to have involved several citizens of Roanoke and to have | reused bitter animosity against him.
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