The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-04-27
WITH DEADLY REVOLVER
Chester Ready Runs Amuek. Shoots
Two and in Turn Fatally Shot.

Chester Ready Runs Amuek. Shoots
Two and in Turn Fatally Shot.
Chester Ready killed and ex-
sheriff David A. Osburn and ex-
Chief of Police James Dunn danger.
ously shot is the story of tragedy
enacted on the streets of Corvallis
between midnight and one o'clock
Sunday morning. Ready was
killed while resisting arrest. but
not until after he had administered
deadly wounds to Osburn and
Dunn and had fred a shot point
blank at Sheriff Burnett. With
his deadly revolver, he had sue
cessfully held all on the streets at
bay for nearly an hour, and was
only slain at last because his bullet
veered slightly from its mark when
he turned his weapon on Sheriff
Burnett at range SO close that
why he missed is a mystery. A
bullet from Sheriff Burnett's pistol
brought Ready down, and two
others fred by James Dunn after
he had himself been shot by the
desperate boy completed the work
of destruction. Officer Osburn
was shot down by Ready in the
street Immediately in front of the
postofHce, and half an hour later on
Madison just south of James
Taylor's residence Dunn. Ready
and Sheriff Burnett engaged in the
terrible pistol duel in which Ready
was killed and Dunn wounded.
The surgeons at his bedside in
the Occidental hotel had not yet
finished dressing Osburn's wound
when the summons came for them
to render assistance to the victims
of the second shooting. Ready
was still breathing when they ar.
rived, and few feet away was his
victim with blood streaming from
a wound in his abdomen, and his
clothing afre as a result of the
proximity of Keady's pistol when
the latter fired. The body oi
Ready was carried across the street
to the morgue, and Dunn was tax
en- to q room in the Occidental.
MANY SHOTS FIRED
1t was about quarter past twelve
when Osburn was shot, and about
quarter to one when the shooting
at the Taylor house happened Ir
the first instance, but a single sho
was fired, while in the last case
there were six or seven, two BY
Ready, three or four by Dunn anc
one by Sheriff Burnett.
The occasion for the shooting
was the tact that Ready, an order
1y enough young man when sober
got under the influence of liquor
went wild from the effects oft. ane
simply ran a-muck. He resisted
and finally shot Officer Osburr
when the latter attempted to arres
him for disorderly conduct, ane
later when Sheriff Burnett attempt
ed to arrest him for shooting Of
ficer Osburu, he resisted again
Sheriff Burnett's action was in self
defense, and was not only wholly
justi6able but was inevitable be-
cause the alternative open wa:
either to shoot or be shot, as the
shooting of .Osburn and Dunn made
painfully and .dreadfully manifest
From a few minutes after th.
shooting of Osburn until far init
the morning, three surgeons wen
with the wounded men. Dunn
wound is considered the most ser
ious, and his condition is pronounc
ed very critical. The bali enteret
the abdomen two inches to the lef
and slightly below the navel. I
passed straight in, tearing through
the intestines in its course, and i
supposed to have lodged some
where in the lower back. The sur
geons made such search as was pos
sible. but were unable to discove
it. In its passage the ball mad
three perforations of the intestines
In the operation that was per
formed, these were stitched up
The chief danger in the case is tn
septic poisoning that may resul
from the escape of the bowel con
tent into the abdominal cavity
from which peritonitis may arise
in which event fatality may re
suit. The patient rallied we'll from
the operation and up to Monda,
morning the prospects were no
discouraging. His fine physiqu
and healthy condition were larg
odds in his favor.
OsBURN's WOUND
Ex-Sheriff Osburn's wound is i,
the neck. The ball entered at
point through the collar in tn
left side of the neck, passing be
tween the carotid artery and til,
windpipe. 1t ranged backward
and downward, and is supposed t,
-.