The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1904-07-16
,Leavenworth (Kan.) Paper, June
GEO. COLE. A DESERTER AND
FARM HAND. CA USES
REIGN OF TERROR,
AND COMMITS A
MURDER.

Saturday afternoon, when the
shoppers were numerous on the
streets, great excitement was
caused by the appearance of a man
with a smoking revolver walking
through the heart of town followed
by "a huge crowd of men and boys
crying, Hes murderer, he shot
a man." The murderer OCCASION
ally turned around ana threatened
the growing crowd with his gun
and they always scattered like
sheep. The man was Geo. p. Cole.
an eX-soldier and deserter, who has
been working at Kickapoo for a
month for Drake Spencer. He shot
and killed VIM. Hammond, COM
monty known as "POssum BILL" a
well known character about the
market square, who was also work.
ing at Spencer's. The original
cause of the quarrel is unknown,
but it ended by Cole shooting down
the defenseless Hammond on the
sidewalk in front of Hesse's office.
Hammond fell with two bullets in
his chest. and died in a few mo-
ments. Cole then coolly reloaded
his gun and started up Cherokee to
Fifth, up Fifth to Delaware and
east on Delaware to Fourth, then
up Fourth to Shawnee. Here he
was met by several police officers
who opened fire on him and he re-
turned the fire shooting into the
crowd. Strange to say, no one was
hit. The officers were compelled
to desist from shooting on account
Of the crowd which kept getting in
the way. Ccle emptied his revol-
vel at the officers and then reloaded
1t and ran up the alley back of the
pos toffice, followed by hail Of
bullets. He jumped fence and
got into Mrs. Wheeler's yard and
rushed onto her porch crying, Let
me in, hide me?" Mrs. Wheeler,
who is very aged woman, cried,
NO, no, get away from here, |
don't want trouble" but the des-
perate men pushed past her into
the kitchen, then into a summer
kitchen in which is we'll house
with stout door. He stepped into
the corner by the we'll pulling the
door in front of him and cried,
Don't tell them I'm here" but
the officers were already in the
house led by Chief Taylor and
Officer Larkin who stepped into
the doorway of the summer kitchen
and seeing the legs of the murderer
under the we'll door, Chief Taylor
cried, Come out and surrender. ="
The murderer replied by opening
fire on his pursuers and brought
down Joe Besser and G.. f. Ceilley,
! who had come up behind the
officers. Both were shot through
TIE thigh. The chief returned the
fire and instantly the door opened
and the chief was looking into the
muzzle of the mans gun, but the
chief is somewhat quick himself
and the desperate found himself
looking down the tube of a much
larger gun which sent ball crash
ing through his brain before he
could pull the trigger of his revolt
v,r.
The wounded men were put in
the ambulance and taken to the
Leavenworth hospital, where DR..
Mckee extracted the bullets. Both
men will be, out in few days.
The dying murderer was taken to
the Jail where he expired without
regaining consciousness. He was
about 30 years of age and rather
good looking, and absolutely fear
less. He was known to be slightly
under the influence of liquor at the
time of the murder. He emptied
and reloaded his pistol three or
four times during his flight. Joe
Besser, one of the wounded men,
is a young mattress maker. &. F.
Ceilley, the other wounded man, is
. printer, who is here on business
from Minneapolis. MINI.
An effort is being made to locate
some Of Coles relatives who are
believed to live in Kentucky some
where. Drake Spencer says Cole
was u good worker and a fine farm
hand. Cole did not have a gun and
bought the one used Saturday es-
pecially for the occasion, which
shows that the deed was premed.
itated. Chief Taylor was grieved
to think that he had been com.
PEELED to take q human life, but
self-defense justified him in the
killing, IL nothing else. The man
had q pocket full of cartridges and
would have killed several more
men had he not been killed himself.
Any one knowing anything abou,
Cole, alias Smith, should notify
Sheriff LETTERS.